Peter Byrne (born 1950) is an emeritus professor in

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. Born in

Wallasey Wallasey () is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England; until 1974, it was part of the historic county of Cheshire. It is situated at the mouth of the River Mersey, at the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Pe ...

on 18 July 1950 and raised in Norris Green, Liverpool. He was educated at

West Derby School West Derby School is a comprehensive all-boys (11-18) academy based in Liverpool, England. The school was converted from a Local education authority school to academy status on 1 September 2012. The current school building, located on West Der ...

, an all boys' Comprehensive. He studied Philosophy at the

University of York , mottoeng = On the threshold of wisdom , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £8.0 million , budget = £403.6 million , chancellor = Heather Melville , vice_chancellor = Charlie Jeffery , students ...

, graduating with a first class degree in 1971, followed by a BPhil in Philosophy at Linacre College, Oxford. He was a lecturer, then later professor, of Philosophy and Ethics at Kings College from 1976 to 2009. In addition he was head of the department of Theology and Religious Studies at Kings from 2000 to 2002 and president of

The British Society for the Philosophy of Religion The British Society for the Philosophy of Religion (BSPR) was founded in 1993 and is the United Kingdom's main forum for the interchange of ideas in the philosophy of religion. The current president is Maria Rosa Antognazza of the King's College L ...

from 2003 to 2005. He was also for several years editor of the journal Religious Studies. He is the author of several books, including: * Natural Religion and the Nature of Religion - the Legacy of Deism, 1989, Routledge, London * The Philosophical and Theological Foundations of Ethics, 1992, Macmillan, Basingstoke and London. 999 second, expanded edition* Religion Defined and Explained, 1993, Macmillan, Basingstoke and London, - with Peter B. Clarke * Prolegomena to Religious Pluralism: Reference and Realism in Religion 1995, Macmillan, Basingstoke and London * The Moral Interpretation of Religion, 1998, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh / Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Michigan * Philosophical and Ethical Problems in Mental Handicap, 2000, Macmillan, Basingstoke and London * God and Realism, 2003, Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot * Kant on God, 2007, Ashgate Publishing, Aldershot

References

1950 births Academics of King's College London Alumni of Linacre College, Oxford Alumni of the University of York Ethicists Lecturers Living people Moral philosophers Nationality missing Philosophers of ethics and morality Philosophers of religion Philosophy writers Place of birth missing (living people) {{reli-philo-bio-stub