Jonathan Derbyshire

Philosopher, journalist and distinguished supporter of Humanism

"…morality is rooted in human nature."

Jonathan Derbyshire is Culture Editor of the New Statesman. His literary journalism has also appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, New York Sun, Prospect, Times Literary Supplement and Time Out. In 2007, he edited Time Out: 1000 Books to change your life. He has also written reviews for The Philosophers' Magazine and New Humanist.

He has been described as "a humanist atheist, but ...radically different [from "strident" atheists such as Richard Dawkins' and Christopher Hitchens'] … Derbyshire is the sort of atheist that people of faith might just be able to engage with." He has said, "It is possible to make a positive case for atheism that doesn’t emphasise the harmful effects of religious belief." When asked, "What philosophical thesis do you think it most important to disseminate?" he replied, "That morality is rooted in human nature." And to, "What philosophical thesis do you think it most important to combat?" his reply was, "A quasi-philosophical thesis – 'If God is dead, then everything is permitted.'"

See also
Jonathan Derbyshire's website
A list of and links to his reviews for New Humanist
A review of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion that takes issues with some of Dawkins' assumptions.
http://littleatoms.com/sounds/jonathanderbyshire.mp3 - an excellent interview in which Jonathan Derbyshire discusses philosophy, ethics and religion.
An interview at http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2006/04/the_normblog_pr_1.html