British philosopher From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Derek Parfit (11 December 1942 – 1 January 2017)[1] was a British philosopher. He specialized in problems of personal identity, rationality, ethics, and the relations among them.
Derek Parfit | |
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.jpg) Derek Parfit at Harvard University, April 2015 | |
| Born | 11 December 1942 |
| Died | 1 January 2017 (aged 74) London, England |
| Education | Eton |
| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
| Spouse | Janet Radcliffe Richards |
| Awards | Rolf Schock Prizes in Logic and Philosophy (2014) |
| Era | Contemporary philosophy |
| Region | Western Philosophy |
| School | Analytic philosophy |
Main interests | Ethics, personal identity, rationalism, consequentialism, philosophy of mind |
Notable ideas |
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Influences | |
Influenced
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Parfit was born in Chengdu, China. His parents, Jessie and Norman Parfit, were British medical doctors who moved to Western China. After a year in China, Parfit moved to Oxford, England where he was raised. He studied at the University of Oxford.
Parfit's 1984 book Reasons and Persons has been very well known to other philosophers. His last book, On What Matters (2011), was widely published and discussed for many years before its publication.
Parfit worked at Oxford University for all of his academic career. He was an Emeritus Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. He was also a visiting professor of philosophy at New York University, Harvard University, and Rutgers University. He was awarded the 2014 Rolf Schock Prize "for his groundbreaking contributions concerning personal identity, regard for future generations, and analysis of the structure of moral theories."[2]
Parfit was an experienced photographer and a poet. He was married to the philosopher Janet Radcliffe Richards.
Parfit died in London, England on 1 January 2017, aged 74.
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