James Orr (British academic)
James Orr | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Tristan Ward Orr |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Philosophy |
| Sub-discipline | Philosophy of Religion |
| Institutions | |
James Tristan Ward Orr (born November 1978) is a British[1] academic and philosopher. He is currently an associate professor of Philosophy of Religion at the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. Formerly, he spent four years as a McDonald Postdoctoral Fellow in Theology, Ethics, and Public Life at Christ Church, Oxford.[2][3]
He is also a National conservative commentator and has been described by JD Vance as his "British sherpa".[4][5][6] He has written for many publications on the themes of Christianity, academic freedom and the Trump/Vance administration.[7][8] In March 2025 he was interviewed for the Today podcast.[9]
He is UK Chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation which aims to aim of strengthening the principles of national conservatism.[10] and on the advisory Council of the Free Speech Union.[11]
Career
After studying Classics at Balliol College, Oxford, Orr became a corporate lawyer first at Freshfields, then Sullivan & Cromwell, in London. Thereafter, he returned to academia to take an MPhil and PhD in Philosophy of Religion at the University of Cambridge.
In recent years, Orr has publicly commented on topics including conservatism, religion, and current affairs.[12][13]
Free Speech and Academic Freedom
Orr has been involved with a debate around free speech at the University of Cambridge. In 2020 he was one of those behind an amendment to the University's Statement on Freedom of Speech, seeking to replace the word “respect” for the opinions of others with “tolerance”.[14]
References
- ^ "James Tristan Ward Orr". Companies House. London. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "Dr James Orr". Cambridge University. Cambridge. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ Chapman, Ben (17 December 2023). "They still can't work out what the definition of a religion is, says James Orr". GB News. London. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Meet JD Vance's English philosopher king". POLITICO. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "Meet JD Vance's 'British Sherpa' mentor". NPR Illinois. 27 October 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ McElvoy, Anne (29 September 2024). "Faith, family, free speech – JD Vance's mentor on why his man is the future of the Republicans". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 28 March 2025 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "James Orr, Author at The Spectator". The Spectator. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "Author: James Orr". The Critic Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "The Today Podcast - JD Vance: does Trump's VP really hate Europe? - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "Personnel - Edmund Burke Foundation". Edmund Burke Foundation. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ "About Us". Free Speech Union. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2025.
- ^ Orr, James (29 September 2023). "We should not surrender our culture to the liberal American elites". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Orr, James (26 May 2023). "We must remove Labour's limitations and restore conservatism". The Times. London. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Students at Cambridge say Divinity Faculty needs to combat its 'racist views'". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2025.