James Garvey

Who is James Garvey?

James Garvey is an American philosopher based in Britain. He is Secretary of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, an educational charity supporting philosophy inside and outside the academy. He is editor of The Philosophers’ Magazine, a quarterly which aims to publish readable, accessible philosophy. With Jeremy Stangroom, he edits Think Now, a series of books on social and political philosophy. He is a regular and controversial contributor to The Guardian, commenting on morality and climate change, arguing that the developed nations have a moral obligation to take action. He has a PhD in Philosophy from University College London.

In The Ethics of Climate Change, Garvey summarises what moral philosophy does, examines the strength of the evidence for global warming, and analyses various possible policy responses. He argues that the line that taking drastic action to curb global warming would be bad for the economy amounts to “harming people for money”, and gives reasons for individual action on climate change.

He has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and coaches the University College London Jiu Jitsu Club, leading it to a record 13 national championships.