Scruton, Roger, 1944-2020

There can be little doubt that by the time of his death in 2020 Sir Roger Scruton had become one of the most important thinkers of his time, not just in Britain, but throughout the English-speaking world and in Europe, particularly in Central Europe. The term ‘thinker’ is used advisedly here. For while Scruton was primarily and pre-eminently a philosopher, indeed an academic philosopher, his range and influence extended into many fields, including religion, music, architecture, politics, the environment, culture in a general sense, the writing of novels, the appreciation of wine, defences of hunting and traditional country life and the nature of animal rights. In addition to his writing, he composed music, including two operas, was a publisher and editor and advised governments. He was active politically in this country and played a significant role in dissident movements in the Eastern bloc before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Posted to Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the British Academy, XIX