My mother, Brenda Almond, who has died aged 85, was a brilliant philosopher, author and ethicist.
He was born into a poor, working-class family in Birkenhead, Merseyside. His father, Edward, a painter and decorator, was called up during World War II and died soon after; her mother, Margaret (nee Potter), died of respiratory disease when Brenda, the only child, was five years old.
Despite this difficult start, after high school in Birkenhead, Brenda went to University College London, where he studied philosophy under AJ Ayer, who became a lifelong friend, helping him in his efforts to promote “practical wisdom” as he himself was a critic. He was awarded the Rosa Morison prize for philosophy and completed his undergraduate studies, and received a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of London for moral theory and reasoning.
While at UCL, Brenda met Des Cohen, who was a student at the London School of Economics; they married in 1959 and had four children. Brenda was anxious to bring us the first steps of her work. Brenda and Des separated in 1982, and later divorced.
His first job was teaching philosophy at the University of Exeter in 1959, later he taught at the University of Ghana in Accra (1960) and Keele University (1962-63) and worked in philosophy of education at Brighton College of Education (1964-74). .
In 1974 he became a professor of philosophy at the University of Surrey, where he was caught up in a national political controversy due to the closure of the philosophy department.
Then, in 1986, he became a reader and, later, a professor of social philosophy and ethics at the University of Hull, where he founded, from 1992 to 2002, he led the Social Values Research Center. From 1988 to 2001, Brenda served on the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, and, after retiring in 2002, became a member of the Human Genetics Commission (2002-08).
In his first book, Educational Thought (1969), he argued that, with education, one size should not fit all. He is deeply concerned that, given the opportunity, the government wants to force citizens to follow it, an idea that Plato shared all those years ago – and only he agrees.
Of her many other books, perhaps Brenda’s most authoritative statement can be found in her best-known title, The Philosophical Quest (1990), published in the Penguin edition. The book is a mixture of short, mostly academic, summaries of major philosophical topics, and extensive, creative passages in which the narrator writes that he is receiving philosophical letters from a mysterious reporter named Sophia.
Brenda’s later writings were about defending the “traditional family”. He identified several current dangers to it, and warned that its distribution would cause serious health problems.
One of the joys of his life was sitting down at the piano and playing music – especially with friends. He will be remembered as a loving and caring person who understood the importance of the simple things that people weave into their daily lives.
Brenda is survived by her children, Anna, Louise, Paula and myself, five grandchildren and a great-grandchild.