“He confronts his readers with stark examples of evil, and then with luminous examples of love and goodness.”

Born in Germany in 1946, I migrated with my parents to Australia in 1950, then moved to England in 1972 where I lived in London for most of the period between 1977 and 2011, working at King’s College.

The story of my parents and some of mine is told in Romulus, My Father and After Romulus. I am blessed in my marriage to Yael Gaita and by my children and grandchildren. Together, Yael and I have, in order of their entry into the world, four daughters, Katerina, Dahlia, Michelle and Eva; and six grandchildren, Mischa, Hanna, Jasper, Hayden, Nathan and Melila.

When I was young I fell in love with the mountains, but decided to be a philosopher rather than a mountain guide. Now unable to climb, I go to the Australian desert when I can.

Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy
King’s College London

Honorary Professorial Fellow
Melbourne Law School
University of Melbourne

Senior Research Consultant
The Centre for Ethics
University of Pardubice
Czech Republic

Fellow
Australian Academy of Humanities

Doctor Honoris Causa
University of Antwerp

“for his exceptional contribution to contemporary moral philosophy and for his singular contribution to the role of the intellectual in today’s academic world”