Welcome to the Department of Philosophy

The Department of philosophy is one of four constituent departments of the School of Social Science and Philosophy. The Chair of Moral Philosophy was established in 1837, but philosophy has been an important part of the Trinity College curriculum since its foundation in 1592. The most notable philosophers to have been associated with Trinity are George Berkeley (1685-1753) and Edmund Burke (1729-1797).

The Department currently consists of seven full–time faculty members, twenty graduate students and over two hundred undergraduate students. The varied research interests of the faculty and graduate students make for a rich and vibrant community. In addition, the many scholars who visit the department throughout the year, in the form of both visiting speakers and lecturers, contribute the the depth of knowledge and philosophical acumen therein. Starting in 2009 the Trinity College Department of Philosophy has joined forces with the School of Philosophy of University College Dublin, providing yet another outlet for the sustained and organised exchange of ideas as well as general philosophical collaboration.

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Trinity Philosophy News

 

Colin and Alisa Turbayne International Berkeley Essay Prize Winner

Congratulations to Dr. Thomas Curtin the 2013 winner of the Colin and Alisa Turbayne International Berkeley Essay Prize. A copy of Dr. Curtin's winning essay, "Berkeley's Conception of Causal Power" will be kept permanently in the George Berkeley Library Study Center located in Berkeley's home in Whitehall, Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

Dr. Curtin, who graduated with his PhD from the Department of Philosophy in 2011, is the second consecutive winner of the Turbayne Prize from the Department. He follows Dr. Stefan Storrie who won in 2011 for his essay "Berkeley's Apparent Cartesianism in De Motu".

 

New PhD

The Department of Philosophy would like to congratulate Ross Inman for successfully defending his PhD thesis on Substantial Priority. An Essay in Fundamental Mereology. The thesis was examined by Professor Jonathan Lowe and Professor Vasilis Politis. Professor Peter Simons was the supervisor