Sir Roger Scruton, the English conservative philosopher, has passed away after a months-long battle with cancer at the age of 75.
Sir Roger Scruton’s family announced his passing with a statement on his website:
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Sir Roger Scruton, FBA, FRSL. Beloved husband of Sophie, adored father to Sam and Lucy and treasured brother of Elizabeth and Andrea, he died peacefully on Sunday 12th January. He was born on 27th February 1944 and had been fighting cancer for the last 6 months. His family are hugely proud of him and of all his achievements.
Tributes flooded in almost instantly to Sir Roger on social media:
Very sad news. Professor Sir Roger Scruton, the greatest conservative of our age, has died. The country has lost a towering intellect. I have lost a wonderful friend. pic.twitter.com/oEviNCozlO
— Daniel Hannan (@DanielJHannan) January 12, 2020
Deeply sorry to learn of the death of Sir Roger Scruton.
His work on building more beautifully, submitted recently to my department, will proceed and stand part of his unusually rich legacy.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) January 12, 2020
Western Europeans have lost one of our last great thinkers.
Former Tory adviser and author Sir Roger Scruton dies at 75 after cancer battle https://t.co/00pyDQhszI
— J. Davila-Ashcraft (@revjackashcraft) January 12, 2020
RIP Roger Scruton – a brave, great man https://t.co/mtgUKbTp7a
— Totally Fake 'President' James Delingpole (@JamesDelingpole) January 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/Tim_R_Dawson/status/1216424885381206017
Roger Scruton has died; another light of philosophy fades back into the darkness. He was, in the end, perhaps the most important political philosopher of his time, our time, and we still need his teachings.
Godspeed, Sir Roger. I trust your last questions about God are answered. pic.twitter.com/dmUjla4nzJ
— Eve Keneinan 𝛗☦️ن (@EveKeneinan) January 12, 2020
We are very sad to announce that Sir Roger Scruton, who helped to found underground academic networks in Eastern Europe among many other things and who was a trustee of the Museum of Communist Terror, has died. pic.twitter.com/2p2CxWi85p
— Communist Terror (@CommunistTerror) January 12, 2020
“It has been a grand adventure to be so hated by those who I hold in such contempt.”
—Sir Roger Scruton, God rest his soul. pic.twitter.com/HBGUPbAmCf— Andrew Beck (@AndrewBeckNYC) January 12, 2020
RIP Sir Roger Scruton, a man of immense courage, intellect and fortitude, whose loss we can ill afford in these narrow, conformist times.
— Peter Hitchens (@ClarkeMicah) January 12, 2020
Even some on the political left were saddened by his passing:
Ohhhh. Roger Scruton has died. I disagreed with him about almost everything, but I think he was an honourable man.
— Helen Pluckrose (@HPluckrose) January 12, 2020
Roger Scruton (1944-2020). Of all the writers I disagree with, Scruton was among the most eloquent. A gifted exponent of the Tory sensibility, heir to Burke & Oakeshott. Much to disagree with (notably his shilling for tobacco companies) but still a fine writer, especially on art
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) January 12, 2020
Others, however, were quick to post vile messages celebrating Scruton’s death:
roger scruton died lol
— пётр великий (@zynrise) January 12, 2020
Roger Scruton was at best, a joke, and at his worst, a racist and an advocate of date rape.
See ya
— 𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐅𝐀 𝐏𝐇𝐏𝐁𝐁 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐔𝐌 🅰🅳🅼🅸🅽 (@TypingOfTheRed) January 12, 2020
rip roger scruton, down there in hell now with Thatcher, Jimmy Snuka, Milton Friedman and the rest of the lads
— wariotifo (@wariotifo) January 12, 2020
Roger Scruton is a dead piece of shit
— Rosewood Shoehorn (@apiarism) January 12, 2020
https://twitter.com/thiccastley/status/1216423680361881600
Scruton had faced a difficult 2019. In April, he was subject to a vicious hit piece by the leftist magazine, the New Statesman, where their deputy editor George Eaton took a number of quotations from an interview with him out of context.
Sir Roger was slandered as being an Islamophobe, anti-semite, and overall bigot, despite the complete lack of evidence.
He was sacked from his position on the Conservative government’s housing program, designed to build more beautiful dwellings, and decried in Parliament and in the media, before the tapes of the interview was released and the truth was outed.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done.
With his passing, many were reminded of the article he wrote for the Spectator last Christmas, summing up his year:
During this year much was taken from me — my reputation, my standing as a public intellectual, my position in the Conservative movement, my peace of mind, my health. But much more was given back: by Douglas Murray’s generous defence, by the friends who rallied behind him, by the rheumatologist who saved my life and by the doctor to whose care I am now entrusted. Falling to the bottom in my own country, I have been raised to the top elsewhere, and looking back over the sequence of events I can only be glad that I have lived long enough to see this happen. Coming close to death you begin to know what life means, and what it means is gratitude.
