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Interview

Alexander McCall Smith

Alexander McCall Smith is a former professor of medical law and now a popular novelist. Patricia Cleveland-Peck asks him about his interest in philosophy.

When did your interest in philosophy begin?

I began to be interested in philosophy when I was studying law as an undergraduate. I found jurisprudence – the philosophy of law – a very stimulating subject, and that was when I began to read more widely in philosophy.

Did you make a formal study of the subject, or did your interest arise in another way?

My study was formal to an extent, in that my PhD thesis was a joint criminal law/philosophy of action thesis. Thereafter my study of the subject was undertaken at my own pace, and was probably not very systematic as a result.

You were for many years Professor of Medical Law and served on bioethical bodies.

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