Perry Taylor

In the 1960s, at the University of Winnipeg, Perry was caught up in the tidal wave of political activism that characterized the decade. One effect of that activism was to treat philosophy as partisan ideology, best summed up in the slogan: "You are either part of the solution or part of the problem." After 30 years of political and philosophic disillusion, Perry woke up. He realized that philosophy loses its meaning—and its zest—when re-purposed for political ends. Perry now holds to the classical view that philosophy is an ongoing, reflective conversation that enables us to explore our thinking. Like music, dance and friendship, it is an end in itself.

While taking his degree at the University of Winnipeg, Perry pursued a jumble of interests: Victorian novels, film study, poetry and political philosophy. These mixed pursuits equipped him for a happy 35 years of teaching in the School of Humanities at Vancouver Community College. Since retirement, he has continued teaching (also happily), first in Emily Carr’s Continuing Education department and, since 2015, in SFU’s Liberal Arts and 55+ Program.