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Philosophy

#2 in Australia
#25 in the world
2020 QS World University Rankings

University_

Department of Philosophy

Explore fundamental and important questions

We use the tools of logic and reason to analyse the complex social and material nature of the world and our place in it.

Philosophy is about learning to think rigorously for yourself so you can defend your positions with considered reasons and cogent arguments. The study of philosophy improves an individual's ability to speak and write clearly, logically and convincingly. These broad skills, along with capacity for independent thought, are highly transferable, powerful aids to success in any profession.

In philosophy we ask deep, often counter-intuitive questions, and don’t mind if they lead to further, even more difficult questions. We encourage critical reflection and debate.

We are highly regarded for our research and teaching as well as our breadth and diversity. The Department of Philosophy at the University of Sydney is home to leading thinkers in a wide range of areas of philosophy, and we offer a rich and varied array of units taught by dedicated and enthusiastic scholars whose outstanding research informs their teaching at every level.

Our study offering

Philosophy

Philosophy formulates and explores questions of fundamental importance to us as human beings. For example: What is consciousness? Are we free agents? What makes an action right? What makes an action wrong? What is truth, and how can we come by it? How should we form beliefs about the world? Is it possible for machines to think? Studying philosophy will equip you with a disciplined capacity for critical analysis and dramatically enhance your communication skills.

Undergraduate

*Available to all students studying the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Visual Arts, as well as all combined Bachelor of Advanced Studies degrees.  

Philosophy guide and planner

Research

Outreach and engagement

Critical thinking workshops for IB High Schools

The Department of Philosophy offers critical thinking workshops for International Baccalaureate (IB) students.

In the interests of public health and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and staff during the current COVID-19 health alert, we have decided to postpone the March 20 and 27 Critical Thinking workshops

We apologise for any inconvenience.

If you would like more information or to enquire regarding future workshops, please feel free to contact us.
E | toner.stevenson@sydney.edu.au
P | +61 2 9351 2271

Our research

Aesthetics, art, literature and film
Philosophy of science (biology and cognitive science)
History of philosophy
Logic
Metaphysics
Philosophy of mind
Epistemology
Decision theory
Philosophy of mathematics
Philosophy of law
Philosophy of language
Pragmatism
Moral, social and political philosophy

David Harold Tribe Philosophy Award

The aim of the David Harold Tribe Philosophy Award is to promote interest in philosophy and to help the recipient further their education, enabling them to develop their insights and to advance the general public’s understanding of philosophy.

The award is for the sum of $20,000 payable as a one-off payment

The David Harold Tribe Philosophy Prize for 2020 announced

Congratulations to Dr Millicent Churcher

The School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry at the University of Sydney takes pleasure in announcing the winner of the 2020 David Harold Tribe Philosophy Prize. Dr Millicent Churcher will receive the $20,000 prize for her book Reimagining Sympathy, Recognizing Difference (London: Rowman and Littlefield, 2019).

This year the judging panel comprised Professor Dominic Murphy (School of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Sydney), and Professor Douglas Moggach (University of Ottawa).

Of the winning work, the judging panel said:

Millicent Churcher’s Reimagining Sympathy, Recognizing Difference is a brilliant critical retrieval of ethical resources for relations among persons and communities in the work of Adam Smith, and a highly original application to contemporary issues.

The award will be celebrated at a ceremony at the University of Sydney in May.

This is the third David Harold Tribe Philosophy Award, with the first awarded to Tom Conley and John Forge in 2010 and Karen Green and Colin Klein in 2016.

The Philosophy Award forms part of an awards program that supports a number of different cultural pursuits at the University of Sydney, and is made possible through a generous donation from David Harold Tribe through the David Harold Tribe Charitable Foundation.

Research centres

Centres and institutes_

Centre for Time

Time is central to human life yet remains profoundly mysterious. As St Augustine noted, in analysing time, it slips through our grasp. We conduct multidisciplinary research to help us tighten our grip.

Anderson Visiting Fellowships

About the fellowships

Anderson Fellowships are bestowed through a bequest of the estate of John Anderson (1893-1962), influential Australian philosopher and Challis Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sydney from 1927 to 1958.

The Anderson Bequest funds travel and expenses up to $17,500, consisting of $2500 airfare and $2500/week living allowance. Anderson Fellows will be provided with office space, library borrowing rights and other resources.

Anderson Fellows are expected to be present at the University of Sydney for the duration of their Fellowship and to make a substantial contribution to the academic life of the Department of Philosophy through collaborative research and contributions to the teaching program.

For further information, please contact our Research Support Officer.

List of fellows

2019: David Bronstein, Carrie Figdor
2018: Amie L Thomasson, Lisa Shapiro
2017: Anna Marmodoro, Natalie Stoljar
2016: Nikk Effingham, Eric Watkins

Our people

Academic staff

Professor Peter Anstey

Professor David Braddon-Mitchell

Professor Mark Colyvan

Dr Luara Ferracioli

Professor Paul Griffiths

Professor Duncan Ivison

Professor Alexandre Lefebvre

Dr Kate Lynch

Associate Professor David Macarthur

Professor Kristie Miller

Dr Dalia Nassar

Dr Michael Nielsen

Associate Professor Luke Russell

Dr Sebastian Sequoiah-Grayson

Dr Samuel Shpall

Professor Nick Smith

Professor Anik Waldow

Dr Caroline West

Key academic contacts

Undergraduate coordinator
Dr Dalia Nassar

Honours coordinator
Dr Sam Shpall

Higher Degree Research coordinator
Professor Peter Anstey

Aademic Advisor
Dr Michael Nielsen

Honorary Professors

Professor Rick Benitez
Professor Keith Campbell
Professor Paul Crittenden
Professor Robert Dunn
Professor Moira Gatens
Emeritus Professor Stephen Gaukroger
Professor Gavin Kitching
Professor Douglas Moggach
Professor Philip Pettit, FASSA, FAAAS, MRIA, FBA, FAHA
Professor Huw Price, FBA, FAHA
Professor Paul Redding
Professor Paul Thom, FAHA

Honorary Associates

Dr Thomas Besch
Dr Pierrick Bourrat
Dr Peter Bowden
Heather Browning
Dr Ross Burns
Dr Brett Calcott
Dr Millicent Churcher
Dr Ryan Cox
Dr Timothy Dean
Dr Luke Fischer
Dr David Glick
Associate Professor John Grumley
Dr Laura Kotevska
Associate Professor Michael McDermott
Associate Professor David Miller
Mr Tibor Molnar
Dr Julie-Ann Robson
Dr Peter Rollings
Dr Helena Rosenblatt
Dr Kerry Sanders
Dr Edward Spence
Dr Roderick Sutherland
Dr Omid Tofighian
Hayden Toppeross

Events

International Workshop: German Poetry and Philosophy: Hölderlin, Rilke, Celan

30 September | Online via Zoom | Free event: Registration essential

Hosted by the Goethe-Institut, Sydney, and the University of Sydney

This international workshop will explore the relationship between poetry and philosophy by focusing on three German-language poets whose work spans the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Friedrich Hölderlin, Rainer Maria Rilke and Paul Celan. Hölderlin is recognized as a major poet of the Romantic era and a key figure in the development of post-Kantian philosophy.

Only belatedly recognized for his genius, Hölderlin also played a crucial role in the developments of twentieth-century poetry (including Rilke) and philosophy (Heidegger and Adorno, among others). Rilke has been one of the most influential and widely translated European poets and an important interlocutor for Continental philosophers, particularly within the traditions of phenomenology, existentialism and hermeneutics (Heidegger, Gadamer, Ricoeur, among others). Celan is one of the defining figures of post-WWII German-language poetry and has been central to philosophical attempts to address the Holocaust (including interpretations by Adorno and Derrida).

Click here for more information

Philosophy seminars

The Deparment of Philosopy's seminars are moving online. If you would like to sign up for the Department's seminar series, please follow the link below.