1001Philosophers

Roger Scruton 1944 – 2020

Roger Scruton (1944 – 2020) was a British philosopher of the Contemporary era, associated with Political Philosophy and Analytic Philosophy.

Roger Scruton was a British philosopher, public intellectual, and the foremost philosophical exponent of conservative thought in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The Meaning of Conservatism set out a Hegelian and Burkean defense of inherited institutions, custom, and the bonds of place, while his Aesthetics of Music, Beauty, and his many essays on architecture argued for the moral and political significance of the aesthetic. He held chairs at Birkbeck and Buckingham, and remained, until his death, a tireless defender of the high cultural inheritance of Europe against what he took to be the cultural relativism of his time.

Key facts

Nationality
British
Era
Contemporary
Movements
Political Philosophy, Analytic Philosophy

Selected quotes

  • Attributed to Roger Scruton:

    “Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder; it is in the world that the beholder loves.”

  • Attributed to Roger Scruton:

    “Conservatism is the philosophy of attachment.”

  • Attributed to Roger Scruton:

    “The most important things in life are inherited, not chosen.”

  • “Culture is the way a society confronts the eternal questions: who we are, where we come from, and what we owe each other.”

    A civilization is a social entity that manifests religious, political , legal, and customary uniformity over an extended period, and which confers on its members the benefits of socially accumulated knowledge.
  • Attributed to Roger Scruton:

    “To love a thing is also to wish to defend it.”

Read all Roger Scruton quotes

Frequently asked about Roger Scruton

When did Roger Scruton live?
Roger Scruton was born in 1944 and died in 2020.
Where was Roger Scruton from?
Roger Scruton was a British philosopher of the Contemporary era.
What philosophical movements is Roger Scruton associated with?
Roger Scruton was associated with Political Philosophy and Analytic Philosophy.
What was Roger Scruton known for?
Roger Scruton was a British philosopher, public intellectual, and the foremost philosophical exponent of conservative thought in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
How many quotes are attributed to Roger Scruton?
There are 15 attributed quotations from Roger Scruton in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.