Wednesday, 19 November. Professor Roy Bhaskar, our Lead Academic Advisor, passes away.

By Dr. Matthew Wilkinson

It is with huge sadness that we announce the death of Professor Roy Bhaskar, our Lead Academic Advisor (2011-2014), on the evening of Wednesday, 19 November.

Since the early 1970’s and the publication of his ground-breaking book A Realist Theory of Science, Roy was a towering and pioneering figure in contemporary philosophy and the founding father of Critical Realism. His many insights, such as the need to reinstate a philosophical study of being (ontology) in the philosophy of science, were at first deeply counter-cultural in the academy, but over the course of his life they contributed to a richer and more philosophically robust and useful theoretical platform for many academic disciplines and practical and ethical causes. His thinking contributed to the philosophy of science, sociology, the philosophy of religion, gender studies, environmental activism and disability studies to name but a few fields in which his influence has been felt. Roy was perhaps at his best explaining his ideas to an audience, which he did with infectious energy and clarity, peppering his discourse with relevant, memorable real-life examples. Moreover, he was always on the look-out to nurture and support new ideas and intellectual talent.

Roy made an invaluable contribution to Curriculum for Cohesion as our Lead Academic Advisor (2011-2014) by putting his ideas, wisdom and great humanity to the service of the creation of the Islamic Critical Realist position developed by Matthew Wilkinson in close conversation with Roy. This philosophy is at the core of all our work. It was Roy’s belief in and support for Matthew’s original philosophical use of his work and his vision for the urgent need for it to help the engagement of Islam and Muslims with a multi-faith world that helped sustain Curriculum for Cohesion intellectually and morally, especially in its early days. His death marks an immense loss to the project and to Matthew personally, but his life has been an immense intellectual and personal blessing to us, for which praise and thanks are due to God.