“We should have great gratitude to those who have contributed even a little of the truth, for they have shared with us the fruits of their thought . . . If they had not lived, these true principles would not have been assembled for us, even with intense research throughout our time.”—al-Kindī
The “history of philosophy” is the history of the great human quest to understand our world and our place in it, through the use of reason. It encompasses a vast sweep across times, places, and cultures, from the Vedic literature of India, to the Neoplatonism and Aristotelianism of the Islamic world, to the Confucian and Daoist traditions of China, to the Scholastic projects of medieval Europe and Latin America, to the Enlightenment and onward.
The History of Philosophy Forum is Notre Dame’s hub for research activity in the history of philosophy, drawing on our exceptionally large research community on campus in interlinked areas including Christian, Jewish, and Muslim intellectual traditions, intellectual history, history of political thought, history of the study of the natural world, and more. In its activities, the Forum aims to stimulate conversation and collaboration across the boundaries that artificially restrict scholarship: time-periods, intellectual traditions, disciplinary methodologies, and geographical location.
Our Team Join Our Mailing List
Announcing the Wisdom Project
The Wisdom Project at Notre Dame explores the various dimensions of Wisdom, both in and beyond religious traditions. Through presentations and discussion with leading scholars of theology, philosophy, and the humanities, we consider together the relationship of wisdom to beauty, human flourishing, and truth.
