Tom Simpson


Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, and a Senior Research Fellow at Wadham College. He was educated at Cambridge (BA, MPhil, PhD), where he was also previously a Research Fellow at Sidney Sussex College. Between degrees he served as an officer with the Royal Marines Commandos, with tours in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. His research focuses on a variety of issues in moral and political philosophy, especially on trust, issues at the intersection of technology and security, and on the nature of freedom. He co-edited a collection of essays, The Philosophy of Trust (Oxford University Press, 2017), and is concluding his first monograph, Trust.

Related Publications

Academic freedom in the UK

Download Publication Britain’s universities are world-leading. Yet there is growing concern that academic freedom in these institutions is being undermined in a way that departs from the liberal traditions and democratic norms of British society. This paper uses one of the largest representative samples of UK- based academics carried out in recent years to explore the concern that strongly-held political attitudes are restricting the freedom of those who disagree to […]

Academic freedom in the UK

Universities should be places of open debate, where ideas can be debated freely. Recent events, however, have revealed a chilling effect, with high profile campaigns to sack academics and fewer than four out of ten Leave-supporting students feeling able to share their views in class. Our polling reveals that a solid core of 30% of students are consistently in favour of free speech: this report presents policy recommendations for universities, for government and for civil society to ensure academic freedom can thrive in our universities.

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