Stephen Law Ph.D.

Stephen Law is a former postman who became a professional philosopher.

First entering University as a mature student, he studied and taught at Oxford University for several years, where he was also a Junior Research Fellow at The Queen's College. He holds B.Phil and D.Phil degrees from the University of Oxford, and is now Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at London University's Heythrop College.

He is editor of THINK: Philosophy for Everyone, the Royal Institute of Philosophy's journal which aims to make philosophy relevant, accessible and fun. As Provost of Centre for Inquiry UK, he organizes a wide range of events, including several each year at the Oxford Literary Festival. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, He was recently elected a Laureate of International Academy of Humanists.

His books include:

Believing Bullshit: How Not To Get Sucked Into An Intellectual Black Hole (Prometheus, 2011), which exposes eight key mechanisms that can turn an irrational system of belief into a psychological flytrap capable of snaring even smart, college educated people;

A Very Short Introduction to Humanism (Oxford University Press, 2011), which aims to introduce humanism in a pithy and provocative way;

The War for Children's Minds, which offers a passionate defence of a liberal approach to moral and religious education against the arguments of various conservative religious types. The book takes a critical look at religious schools. Philip Pullman said about it: "it should be read by every teacher, every parent and every politician." It has been reviewed favourably in The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, and the TES; and

The Philosophy Gym (Headline, 2003), which provides entertaining introductions to 25 of the classic "Big Questions". It containing many dialogues, including the provocative "What's wrong with Gay Sex?" - between God and an evangelical Christian.

The Philosophy Gym won the 5,000 Euro Mindelheim Philosophy Prize, and spawned an Oxford University online philosophy course based on the book.

Jazz drumming, mountaineering and rangefinder photography are among Dr. Law's other enthusiasms.