“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, broadly construed to include Christian, Jewish, and Muslim intellectual traditions, intellectual history, history of political thought, history of the study of the natural world, and more. At the University of Notre Dame, an exceptionally large community of scholars in these interlinked areas makes us one of the top locations in the United States for research and studies of the traditions of human reason. As a central priority, the Forum seeks to stimulate conversation and collaboration across the boundaries that artificially hem in scholarly research in this field: the boundaries of different time-periods, intellectual traditions, disciplinary methodologies, and geographical location.
The Forum’s signature activities include an annual cross-period, cross-tradition Colloquium; a program offering small grants for international researchers; and a works-in-progress discussion group. The Forum hosts many visitors each year, anchors collaborative research projects, and organizes and promotes on-campus academic events. Join our mailing list to stay connected!
The History of Philosophy Forum has its home in the Notre Dame Philosophy Department and collaborates closely with many academic units such as the Program of Liberal Studies, the Medieval Institute, the Center for the Aristotelian Tradition, the Notre Dame Workshop in Ancient Philosophy, Notre Dame International, the History and Philosophy of Science program, the Maritain Center, and the Notre Dame Political Theory Colloquium.
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