The College is greatly saddened to learn of the death of Sir Anthony Kenny, MA DPhil DLitt Oxf, FBA, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy 1964–1978, Master of Balliol 1978–1989 and Honorary Fellow from 1989. Sir Anthony died on 3 August 2026.
Professor Seamus Perry, Master, said: ‘Tony Kenny was a remarkable person. As a thinker and writer, he brought his brilliantly lucid mind to an immense range of intellectual endeavour. He was as enlightening a guide to Aristotle and St Thomas Aquinas as he was to Descartes, Frege, and Wittgenstein: indeed nothing seemed beyond his scope, as his four-volume Oxford history of Western Philosophy showed so magnificently. Beyond philosophy, he wrote memorably about the Balliol poets Gerard Manley Hopkins and Arthur Hugh Clough, that great figure of Victorian agnosticism whose Oxford diaries Tony edited. He was also a gifted memoirist: A Life in Oxford remains one of the most affectionate and evocative accounts of life in the modern university. And besides all this, he contributed nobly to a wider life, including senior roles at the British Library and the British Academy and, not least of course, in his capacity as one of the greatest Masters of our College.’
A distinguished philosopher, Sir Anthony was widely regarded as an authority on Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, and Wittgenstein. He published extensively throughout his career. Among his best-known works are Wittgenstein (Penguin Press 1973), The Oxford History of Western Philosophy (Oxford University Press 1994), What I Believe (Continuum 2006), and A New History of Western Philosophy (Oxford University Press 2010). Beyond his scholarly work, Sir Anthony served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, Chairman of the Board of the British Library, and President of the British Academy.
Memorial arrangements will be announced in due course, and a full obituary will be published in the Balliol College Annual Record 2027.
If you would like to share your own memories of Sir Anthony, please use the form below. All tributes will be reviewed prior to publication and will appear in the order in which they are received.
Tributes
Jordan Giddings (1985)
A man who expanded my ideas way beyond physics, and has left me with ideas I’m still working with. And that was just from his influence as Master, not as my tutor. I have a lot to thank him for.
Peter Andrews (1976)
Senior-junior relations were occasionally fraught in the late 1970s and early 80s, and Tony was keen to bring the two sides closer together. He was instrumental in my becoming, as the most junior of JRFs, a member of the college's Executive Committee, and also wanted an MCR rep there, to try to create a "middle". And he encouraged extra curricular senior-junior contests. As with the even more important Irish reconciliation sessions in the summer vacations at that time, he was always keen to understand both sides' points of view, even if not always convinced of their logic.
Richard Susskind (1983)
I arrived late and dishevelled at the Master's Lodgings one rainy day at the start of October 1983. Tony was not at all bothered. What he wanted to discuss was my proposed DPhil on AI in law. It transpired—and this was and is little known—he was an expert in the use of data processing techniques to analyse philosophical texts, especially those of Aristotle. His range was astonishing. He helped me throughout my research, commenting at length and so helpfully on the entire final draft. I was profoundly struck both by his intelligence and his humanity.
D Graham J Shipley (Fellow 1983)
I was 'only' a research fellow at Balliol and had not studied at the College; I was also rather young for my age (late twenties). Despite this, 'Tony', as we knew him, showed great interest in my work and well-being. He was the kindliest of mentors: unfailingly polite and measured in what he said, as well as the source of wise advice on many occasions. It's only in my later career that I have come to appreciate quite what it means for someone to be elected PBA (President of the British Academy) and what it says about the vast esteem in which they are held. I look forward to revisiting some of his books to remind myself of his wisdom and learning.
Michele Gamburd (1987)
Some Balliol friends and I decided, a decade after finishing our degrees, to participate in the graduation ceremony. We gathered at the College, donned our borrowed robes, and walked over to the Sheldonian Theatre. In the course of conversation, we learned that one of the other Balliol members, a Muslim, was not keen to participate in the part of the ceremony that involved the Bible. As it happened, Sir Anthony Kenny, the past Master of Balliol College and at that time a Vice Chancellor of the University, was presiding over the ceremony that day. Before the event began, we let him know of our conundrum. Sir Anthony arranged for this student and three others of us from Balliol to line up as the last group of graduates. We approached him during the event. On the spot, in front of the entire Theatre full of friends and family, he improvised in Latin an alternative, Bible-free version of the ritualwords for us! I remember Sir Anthony gratefully for his linguistic prowess, his cultural sensitivity, his decisive leadership, and his willingness to help out a group of Balliol alumni.
Nicola Horlick (1979)
I am very sad to hear of Tony's death. He was Master during my undergraduate years at Balliol and the college had a real sense of calm during that period. The year that I arrived was momentous as Balliol admitted women for the first time. Tony and Nancy invited 'the girls' to their house and Nancy told us of how Tony had been a priest and had abandoned that for love. He was kind, took the time to talk to each of us and remained a presence over the years as other Masters took the helm.
Nik Chmiel (1980)
I had just started my D.Phil in the Department of Experimental Psychology, and so many of the college's rituals were as yet unknown to me. 'Handshaking' with the Master was one of them. I was anticipating it keenly though as I had just read in the newspapers that Anthony Kenny had been on an adventure in Czechoslovakia, then still behind the iron curtain. Since my father was born Polish, and I'd visited both Czechoslovakia and Poland previously, I was curious about what had gone on. The Master though was not overly amused about that line of questioning, but we did duly shake hands. I look back at that moment very fondly, and despite my focus on Experimental Psychology I made sure to acquire Anthony Kenny's 'Brief History of Western Philosophy' when it came out.
Bob Rae (1969)
I did my BPhil (as it then was) at Balliol, and throughout my time there, and later visiting Oxford as Premier of Ontario when Tony was Warden of Rhodes House, I was constantly struck by his wry sense of humour and complete humility. He was immensely wise but never pompous or overbearing. When I once confessed to him that Wittgenstein was beyond me, he said “don’t worry, Bob, he’s beyond all of us.” Unlike many academics, he understood and appreciated other vocations. Above all, he was a kind man, with an open door and an open heart. Such sweetness of temper.
Bob Watt (1990)
I first met Tony Kenny long before I came to Balliol. From 1980 until 1986 I was Secretary of the Oxford University Technicians' Group of the OU Branch of ASTMS and sat opposite him on the Employees' Side of the Joint Committee for Technical Staff - Tony, of course, was on the University Side. However, whilst upholding the University's position, he listened carefully and with his characteristic courtesy and urbanity he respected even the least credible arguments we put from time to time. Later, as a BCList I read The Metaphysics of Mind and I think it was only then that I appreciated just how fortunate we were to have him sit on the Committee distilling some sense out of some fairly ill-thought out and aggressive stuff.
Whilst I have profound doubts, I can only hope that in any hereafter he is able to have the discussion he desired with David Hume.
Daniel Nanavati (1979)
I was terrified to be alone in tutorials with Dr Anthony Kenny but his kindness in tutoring someone who was not 'a natural philosopher' and his words and thoughts have stayed with me my entire life. Not just a teacher but a lovely man.
Neil Harris (1977)
Since I read English, my acquaintance with Tony Kenny was as Master, where he showed infinite kindness, and as a rather poor oarsman. It was probably one of the few things he did badly, but he was inveigled into it by Jonathan Barnes, who was determined to form a Dons' Eight in the summer, with Carol Clark as cox.
One rather wonderful episode occurred in the 1980 (I cannot remember the precise date, but I think it was the Saturday of 6th week in Trinity term), when following the conclusion of Eights week, in which the Boat Club had done reasonably, if not spectacularly well, a tubbing competition was organised down at the boathouse, with two boats racing each other over a short distance on an elimination basis. Jonathan and Tony turned up with one of the latter's sons as cox. In the first race they were all over the place, because the steering was too light; so Simon Orme (ex-Light Blue cox) was persuaded to lie in the stern of the boat to make the rudder bite.
The handicapping system devised by Nick Gillham, who had organised the event, was heavily in favour of the Dons' Tub, so that in one way or another they scraped through to the final, where they came up against the inexorable stroke pair of the second VIII. Despite a substantial advantage, they were a fraction behind at the finish. Nick, however, put the question to the gallery on the roof of the boathouse, who voted unanimously. When their tub came in, Jonathan asked the outcome, receiving the answer "They came first, but you won!". Both philosophers appreciated the distinction.
Alan K Henrikson (1962)
Sir Anthony's moderation of the debate in the Sheldonian Theatre between Professor Richard Dawkins and Archbishop of Canterbury Williams, about the origins of the world, of mankind, and, in particular, of the nature of consciousness is a tribute to him and his deep understanding, religious as well as philosophical. And, of course, it was a proud moment for Balliol, as the Chancellor perhaps irresistibly noted in his introduction.
Adrian Moore (1978)
I arrived at Balliol as a philosophy postgraduate student the same year as Anthony Kenny became Master. I remember with great affection my 'handshaking' with him, in which we discussed where my work was taking me. As though his own philosophical work was not inspiration enough, the warmth and genuine interest that he showed in what I was doing did an enormous amount to inspire me further.
David Apgar (1978)
How sorry I am for Balliol's loss. In addition to running the college, Anthony Kenny had a palpable impact on our understanding of his subject. I tried to give a sense of this in my book 'Disagreeing despite the Data: The Destruction of the Factual Commons' (Bloomsbury 2024): "But what’s so hard about remembering a sensation, even one that’s perfectly private? Sometime in the spring of 1980, the philosopher Anthony Kenny gathered students after dinner at the college he oversaw for port – lots of port – and a talk about the private language argument. He spoke simply and passionately about why the argument has nothing to do with remembering sensations. What’s hard or impossible is having a standard to tell whether you remember the connection between a sign and a private sensation right." He helped us understand that what seems private to us arises only from what's public.
Carl Schmidt (1962)
Tony was easily the most intelligent human being it has been my privilege to know. Although we sometimes disagreed and I found his tendency to be right rather infuriating, his kindness was unforced and genuine. When I’d had a back operation he found an obscure College fund that enabled me to have a week’s recuperation in Suffolk. He was always quick to handle a situation. When Harold Macmillan (in pyjamas) threatened to disrupt a party in George Malcolm’s honour, he said, Carl, keep him quiet on the sofa, will you? The last time we spoke he mentioned that a co- religionist David Lodge had lapsed. Have you ? He asked with a mischievous smile and didn’t object to my negative answer. You can read his translation of Job in the Jerusalem Bible. I think we shall not see his like again.
Andrew Carstairs-McCarthy (1963)
In 1965, starting on Greats philosophy, I commented to Tony that what I was really interested in was linguistics rather than philosophy. 'You might like to have a look at this, then,' he said, and lent me a slim volume called 'Syntactic Structures' by someone I had never heard of called Noam Chomsky. So Tony was remarkably well informed not only about philosophy but also about new developments in a discipline that was almost totally ignored at Oxford in those days!
R.S. Katz (1967)
I was grateful that Tony Kenny was my moral tutor and moral philosophy tutor 1967-69, and I am grateful that he accepted a visit from my wife, Libby, and me at his home in June, 2026. Not only did I benefit from his teaching during that decades-long relationship, but also from of his example of how to live a good life.
Paul Davies (1963 )
I was a fellow of the College throughout Tony's mastership. Apparently at the flick of a switch, he could move from administration to academic work. So, he might chair a rumbustious executive committee meeting from 2-3 and then have another meeting starting at 4. In the intervening hour, one could see him from the quad in his study working away on his latest project. Most of us would have spent half the time recovering from the previous meeting and the other half simply thinking oneself back into the project, thus achieving nothing. So, all was well with the Balliol world. There was a very distinguished academic at the helm and the College was administered with the maximum of humanity, insight and efficiency and a minimum of fuss.
Mary Board (1982)
I am so sorry to hear of the death of Tony Kenny but so grateful to have been an undergraduate during his incumbency as Master. He showed a great warmth and interest across the diversity of subjects taught at the college, sufficient to engage with students whatever their background. It still astonishes me that, on my first meeting with him which I suspect was during a candidate gathering for admissions interviews, he was able to refer to an interest I had expressed in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer as part of the personal statement section of the application. I remain fundamentally appreciative of the level of investment that he showed. I won't be the only undergraduate to recall the instruction we were given regarding the "effortless superiority" of Balliol students, less a description, more a directive.
Giridhar Kalamangalam (1989)
Anthony Kenny was Warden of Rhodes House when I arrived in 1989. I remember his reassuring and gentle manner, and helpful availability. He epitomized the word 'unassuming'; it was only much later I realized how eminent he was. An honor to have met and known Sir Anthony.
Roly Keating (1979)
For all of us who came to study at Balliol under his term as Master it was clear that Tony was a person of rare humanity and warmth. But for me it was only many years later, during my time at the British Library, that I came to appreciate fully both his kindness as a person - he could not have been more generous with support, enthusiasm and enlightening anecdotes - and his skill in navigating the worlds of politics and cultural institutions. Tony had been Chair of the Library during a tumultuous period in the early 1990s when the new St Pancras building was under not just construction but also a merciiless barrage of criticism from parliamentarians and media, who had unanimously declared it a failure before it had even opened. Tony famously held his ground, with a characteristic mix of charm, tough-mindedness and eloquence - and his faith in the design was rewarded in 2015 when it became one of the youngest buildings ever to receive a Grade 1 listing. His love for the BL and all who worked there was as evident as it was infectious, and he continued to bring his mix of mischievous twinkle and scholarly brilliance to events and celebrations at the Library well into his nineties.
Heeraman Tiwari (1987)
I am very sorry to learn of the passing of Sir Anthony Kenny. Sir Anthony was The Master when I joined Balliol as a Graduate student in 1987, and I fondly remember my first meeting with him in his Study, when he was very generous and welcoming, and then many times later in the following years in the college lawns, lecture halls and in Graduate Centre at the Holywell Manor, when he would visit there on special occasions. He was extremely welcoming and generous at the annual students gatherings at the Masters' Lodge. The world of Classical philosophy in particular and the Humanities in general is richer with Sir Anthony's singular contribution and will forever remain grateful for his outstanding scholarship and for his academic leadership. Anyone who came to know him became Sir Anthony's instant admirer. Balliol became synonymous with Sir Anthony Kenny. I send my deepest condolences to his family.
Michael Sadgrove (1968)
Tony Kenny was my philosophy tutor 1970/71 when I was one of the tiny cohort reading for the new degree of maths and philosophy. His rooms were at the front of the college. During one tutorial the Oxford Revolutionary Socialist Students were parading noisily outside in the Broad. Tony went to the window and peered out. “Ah,” he said rubbing his hands with glee. “There’s a big banner down there demanding: ‘Prove there are no files’. Let’s discuss this, Mr Sadgrove. As a matter of logic, how could such a demand to prove a negative ever rigorously be satisfied? And to think there are Balliol men out there leading the charge!” I cherish the memory of a great tutor and a great man.
Hans-Johann Glock (1986)
Tony Kenny was Master when I matriculated for a D.Phil. in philosophy, and contributed greatly to the intellectual vibrance of the college. He later joined a weekly discussion group we organized at St. John's, with participants including Peter Strawson and Joseph Raz. Even in this illustrious company he stuck out through his immense learning, his clarity of thought and engaging style in discussion. I profited enormously from both his writings and our conversations. Another unforgettable highlight was his contribution to a workshop at the European Centre for Translation on Paros. It was devoted to discussing drafts of the new translation of Wittgenstein's Philosophische Untersuchungen by Peter Hacker and Joachim Schulte, with a team of international experts in attendance. Tony was assigned the role of chairing proceedings. And the way he fulfilled it could not possibly have been bettered. He was magisterial, inspiring and incisive. And when we started in the morning, Tony had already been out for 15 km walk, reporting his perambulatory reflections on questions left open the day before. What a great scholar, astute philosopher and generous person he was! His death marks the end of an era in both Oxford philosophy and analytic philosophy.
Alice Bateman (1981)
When Sir Anthony's portrait was first hung in Hall it was not considered a particularly successful work of art prompting the joke that it had been painted during his interrogation by the Czechoslovak secret police. This was the autumn of 1981 and he, together with Bill Newton-Smith and Kathy Wilkes of St Hilda's, had been arrested in Prague where they had been giving clandestine lectures and seminars to students and academics banned from the country's universities under the post 1968 repressions known as normalisation, when cultural and intellectual life was stifled by a Stalinist permafrost. This was not his only visit and I am disappointed that his obituaries mostly fail to mention this aspect of his work. For reaching out in this way to fellow scholars, persecuted and isolated behind the Iron Curtain, was a profound act not only of intellectual courage, but also moral courage and he should be remembered for this as much as his distinguished academic work at Oxford. He was described to me the other day by someone who knew him rather better than I did as a good egg. There are many in Prague who will agree.
Andrew Reed (1976)
Anthony was on my interview panel in 1975 and asked me whether the ransom should be paid in the Herrema kidnap. I said it should and must have argued a difficult case to his satisfaction. I was a fish out of water at Oxford but Anthony (along with Oswyn Murray) was endlessly kind, for which I shall always be grateful. Sincere condolences to his loved ones
Tom Brown (1969)
A possibly off the beaten track reminiscence, from about 55 years ago, is that Tony attended the Victirian Society, certainly once, and maybe twice, and entertained the company with a spirited performance, in Italian, of the (not very Victorian) "Bandiera Rossa". He included a verse - not included in the usual version - which went "e Mussolini il se pissera" (x3) before concluding "Evviva il comunismo e la liberta". This was received with rapturous cheers, and shows that as well as being a mighty intellect he could do fun.
John Jones (1961,Fellow 1966)
Tony Kenny was an intellectual giant who wrote and spoke with distinction on diverse subjects. He was also an efficient and fair administrator, an urbane host, and a formidable debater. How he managed to combine everything he did with all his travelling and family life is staggering. Above all he was a nice man. I enjoyed the privilege of his friendship for well over fifty years. For fifteen of those years I was Dean while he was Senior Tutor and then Master, so I saw him most days in the College Office.He was wise and decisive in College business ; a good listener and kind in private matters. When I told him I hoped he would stand as Master, he said I was the first to speak to him directly on the subject. I am now the only survivor of the trio who led his campaign .The others were Jasper Griffin and Bill Newton-Smith. In 1983 he appointed me College Archivist and put me up to writing a fresh Balliol history . I told him some years later how grateful I was to him for giving me a second academic identity in this way .He responded by presenting me with a handsomely inscribed copy of his book on Frege, “in case I was thinking of starting a third.” He knew of course that Frege was , well, all Greek to me. I last saw him two years ago for a quiet pub lunch. He was a little unsteady on his feet and took my arm as I walked him to his door afterwards, but his parting handshake was firm, and his conversation was as sharp and lively as ever.
Paul Crittenden (1965)
I had the privilege of having Anthony Kenny as the supervisor of my graduate studies in the years 1965-68. He subsequently served as a referee for me at various stages of my University career.
Some philosophers say that he published too much. But I would say that everything he published was of high quality. He will stand among the most eminent philosophers of his generation.
Philip McDonagh (1970)
My friendship with Tony and Nancy is one of the great privileges of my life. In College, Tony was both friend and teacher. Tony mentioned my countryman Ralph FitzRalph, the future Archbishop of Armagh, a fellow of Balliol a mere 650 years previously. In the chalet, where I went twice, Tony and Nancy were a model of gentle hospitality. We walked and talked – students and eminent philosophers together. Tony never imposed. Somehow his extraordinary intellect became a lifelong touchstone of truth. My friendship with Tony continued down all the years. My posting in the Irish Embassy in London was connected with the peace process. It coincided with the work of the British-Irish Association (the BIA). Through the BIA, Tony and Nancy, with Maurice and Mary Keen, carried forward Balliol’s unique contribution to peace in Ireland and in these islands. Of course, the BIA was only one of several ways in which Tony engaged creatively with current issues throughout his life. One summer twenty years ago, when I was serving in Rome, I encountered Tony on the Gianiculum. We wandered a long distance and returned to the English College; it was like meeting Socrates in the agora. Later, I visited Tony and Nancy to mark Tony’s acquisition of Irish citizenship. We went together to the Radcliffe to visit Jasper Griffin in the last days of his life. In recent years, Tony helped me to understand how he as a philosopher and Denis Noble as a physicist have challenged the dogmatic atheism of Dawkins and others. In our very last conversation, in late June, Tony recalled Archbishop Thomas Roberts of Bombay, the courageous postwar advocate of nuclear disarmament and the right to conscientious objection. I find it easy to picture Tony, like Belloc’s Peter Wanderwide, entering the company of heaven:
Then shall I spread my native wings
And tread secure the heavenly floor,
And tell the blessed doubtful things
Of Balliol and Haute Savoie.
Martin Kettle (1967)
In 1970, Oxford dons gathered in the Sheldonian to debate the university’s proposals to permit some very modest junior member representation and consultation in Oxford governance. As the then president of the Student Representative Council, who had been involved in drawing up these plans with the vice-chancellor Sir Alan Bullock, I was denounced (notably by Max Beloff, who compared me with Hitler and Bullock with Chamberlain in 1938) as a threat to all that Oxford should hold dear. I will never forget how Tony went to the rostrum and defended me against these ridiculous and intemperate claims. We became close friends, and he and Nancy joined a group of us in the Lake District to mark the turn of the year at the start of 1971. I shall miss Tony and his decency greatly.
Philip McDonagh (1970)
My friendship with Tony and Nancy is one of the great privileges of my life. In College, Tony was both friend and teacher. Tony mentioned my countryman Ralph FitzRalph, the future Archbishop of Armagh, a fellow of Balliol a mere 650 years previously. In the chalet, where I went twice, Tony and Nancy were a model of gentle hospitality. We walked and talked – students and eminent philosophers together. Tony never imposed. Somehow his extraordinary intellect became a lifelong touchstone of truth. My friendship with Tony continued down all the years. My posting in the Irish Embassy in London was connected with the peace process. It coincided with the work of the British-Irish Association (the BIA). Through the BIA, Tony and Nancy, with Maurice and Mary Keen, carried forward Balliol’s unique contribution to peace in Ireland and in these islands. Of course, the BIA was only one of several ways in which Tony engaged creatively with current issues throughout his life. One summer twenty years ago, when I was serving in Rome, I encountered Tony on the Gianiculum. We wandered a long distance and returned to the English College; it was like meeting Socrates in the agora. Later, I visited Tony and Nancy to mark Tony’s acquisition of Irish citizenship. We went together to the Radcliffe to visit Jasper Griffin in the last days of his life. In recent years, Tony helped me to understand how he as a philosopher and Denis Noble as a physicist have challenged the dogmatic atheism of Dawkins and others. In our very last conversation, in late June, Tony recalled Archbishop Thomas Roberts of Bombay, the postwar advocate of nuclear disarmament and the right to conscientious objection. I find it easy to picture Tony, like Belloc’s Peter Wanderwide, entering the company of heaven:
Then shall I spread my native wings
And tread secure the heavenly floor,
And tell the blessed doubtful things
Of Balliol and Haute Savoie.
Wayne Henderson (1981)
I matriculated in 1981, and I was a poor student. The Fellows stood behind me (or underneath me, lifting like Hercules for a few years) until I managed a good 2nd. All with Tony Kenny at the helm of the college, no doubt supporting Bill Newton-Smith and David Brink, who were my tutors. Since then, Balliol has always shone bright in my mind, and Tony has stood as an emblem of its values of academic excellence, intellectual enquiry and attention to the health of society. I own, and have read, his books on Descartes and Wittgenstein, and my children have his History of Western Philosophy (so much better than Russell's). Those three - Tony, Bill, David - really gave me the foundation of any intellectual life I have.