Do we have a moral obligation to be polite? What can Hegel tell us about the nature of philosophy itself? And what does shame really reveal about how we see one another? These are just some of the questions taken on in Volume IV of the Trinity Student Philosophical Review (TSPR), launched on Friday 27 March in the Hist Conversation Room at the GMB.
The evening opened with a talk by Dr Sebastian Stein, a postdoctoral researcher based at Heidelberg University. Drawing on Hegel’s engagement with the Kantian and Fichtean traditions, Dr Stein explored what philosophy is, and what it could be, a fitting way to mark the launch of a publication that takes ideas seriously.
A huge congratulations to James Ryan, winner of the Iris Murdoch Prize for best undergraduate essay, for his paper The Genesis of Shame. Volume IV features seven essays ranging across ethics, logic, metaphysics, and aesthetics - and for the first time, submissions were open to students from all disciplines.
Congratulations to Editor-in-Chief Shane Burke and the full 2026 TSPR Committee - Nina Stremersch, Lara Smith, Eva Hendley, Tomasz Balcerkiewicz, Giorgia Carli, Odhran Killally and Eva Stylianides - for the tremendous work involved in bringing this publication to life.
The TSPR is an entirely student-run journal dedicated to showcasing the best undergraduate essays in philosophy from Trinity College Dublin. Now in its fourth volume, it provides a platform for emerging scholars to share original philosophical work, and is available to read online.
