2005 Speaker - Sir Geoffrey Lloyd

Classicist and Philosopher

Emeritus professor of ancient philosophy and science at Cambridge University, Sir Geoffrey Lloyd’s work comprises culture worldwide. As an academic, Sir Geoffrey spent the bulk of his career at Cambridge University, serving as:

• a senior tutor of King’s College,
• master of Darwin College (1989-2000), and
• as a Chair in Ancient Philosophy and Science (1983-2000).

Along with holding visiting professorships at several reputable institutions and lecturing worldwide, Sir Geoffrey also served as Chairman of the East Asian History of Science trust (1992-2002) and is presently Senior Scholar in Residence at the Needham Research Institute.

Sir Geoffrey has received international renown for his contributions to the field of classics. Knighted by the British government in 1997 for “services to the history of thought,” Sir Geoffrey was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1983 and presented their annual lecture in 1999, entitled “On the ‘Origins’ of Science.” Other honors include:

• the Sarton medal (1987),
• an Honorary Fellowship at Kings College (1991),
• Honorary Foreign Membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1995),
• membership in the International Academy for the History of Science (1997),
• an Honorary Fellowship at Darwin (2000), and
• an Honorary D.Litt from the University of Athens (2003).

A well-respected expert in the classics, Sir Geoffrey Lloyd is a prolific author who has written nineteen books, edited four others, and published nearly 300 articles and reviews. Some of his works include:

• Polarity and Analogy (1966),
• Magic, Reason, and Experience (1979),
• Science, Folklore, and Ideology (1983),
• Adversaries and Authorities (1996),
• The Ambitions of Curiosity (2002),
• Ancient Worlds, Modern Reflections: Philosophical Perspectives on Greek and Chinese Science and Culture (2004),
• Principles and Practices in Ancient Greek and Chinese Science (2006),
• and his most recent work, Cognitive Variations: Reflections on the Unity and Diversity of the Human Mind (2007).

His expertise is also valued by the several publications on whose editorial committees he serves, a distinguished list including Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science, Journal of the History of Astronomy, Physics, History of the Human Sciences, Arabic Sciences and Philosophy and Endoxa.

For More Information:

http://www.nri.org.uk/lloyd.html