Our Research
Each member of the Department of Philosophy has a special and distinctive interest and approach to the subject, and our research as a department is reflective of this variety rather than narrowly focused on a particular topic or area of philosophy.
We are actively engaged in a range of collaborative and communal activities and projects, even while we consider the 'individual scholar' as the ground and foundation of our research activity.
We have an on–going research–collaboration with the School of Philosophy at UCD (in association with the research–network Aporo), as well as particular links with other departments in Ireland and abroad, and this is testament to the value we place on inter–institutional and inter–disciplinary initiatives.
The interests of the individual members converge on three major themes.
- Analytic Philosophy and its History
- Ancient Philosophy, especially Plato and the History of Platonism (in association with the Plato Centre)
- Kant and his Influence.
In addition, the Department has a long and distinguished tradition in
4. The Philosophy of Berkeley
And while this is currently in a state of transition, it is an area in which we have particular expertise through younger scholars (Adjunct Lecturers) and which we consider a priority to preserve and develop. Indeed, hard as it is to imagine what the odds would have been, two of our current Adjunct Lecturers and recent Ph.D. students, Dr. Stefan Storrie and Dr. Thomas Curtin, have, in consecutive years, won the prestigious Colin and Alisa Turbayne International Berkeley Essay Prize.