Human Rights and Equality - Philosophy

Public Autumn Series 2026

Europe is facing choices it hasn't had to confront in a generation. As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy brings together leading voices from Economics, Philosophy, Sociology and Political Science. Across four evenings, we ask what Europe stands for, how it is responding, and what the decisions being made now will mean for all of us.

01 Oct 2026

'Human Rights and Equality'

🗓️ Thursday 1 October 2026
🕖 7.00–8.30pm
📍 Synge Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin
🎟️ Free - registration required
🎙️ Professor Adina Preda, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Trinity College Dublin

Overview

Human rights and equality.

Two of values on which the EU is founded are respect for human rights and equality. It is often thought that the two are closely connected but it’s not entirely clear if that’s the case and what exactly the connection is. In this lecture, Adina Preda will examine these two values and potential link between them and argue that philosophical justifications of human rights do not rest on a very robust conception of equality. There is, however, room for developing a more egalitarian understanding of human rights.

About the Speaker

Adina Preda is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Trinity College Dublin and founding Director of the Trinity Centre for Justice and Values. Her research sits at the intersection of political philosophy and human rights theory. She holds a PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Manchester and has held positions at the University of Montreal, the Catholic University of Louvain and University College Dublin. She was awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Grant for her project on rights and egalitarianism.

More From The Series

Europe: Values and Choices. Four free public talks, four consecutive Thursdays this September and October.

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