Philosophy Department, UCC

17/09/2026

The Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce the first event in this term’s Boole Lectures in Philosophy series. On 22 September, 14:00-16:00, Dr Julie Reshe (UCC/UCD) will launch her latest book, Negative Essays: On Death, Love, and Depressive Realism (Negative Press, 2026), with a talk entitled “Death, Love, and Depressive Realism.” Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.

Title: Death, Love, and Depressive Realism

Abstract: Death is often claimed to be central to philosophy, yet it is frequently approached as something to be overcome, or subordinated to life. This lecture explores what changes when death, instead of being redeemed, is allowed to remain central, and when love is understood, instead of as its opposite, as one of the forms through which finitude becomes most painfully intimate. Drawing on my new book Negative Essays, I propose depressive realism as a perspective that resists consolation and attends instead to the tragic entanglement of love, mortality, and existence.

Venue and Time: CACSSS Seminar Room (O’Rahilly Building, G27) | Tuesday, Sept 22, 14:00-16:00

(Talks typically last 45–60 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session; participants are free to leave at any time.)

Everyone is welcome!

07/09/2026

How can philosophers contribute to society and policy? Dr Mintz-Woo has been thinking about this and summarises his views in this new overview https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.70128 (for more details, you can see his https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.70047 and https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-025-05382-z ). Enjoy!

What role should philosophers play in public policy, especially in structured contexts like policy commissions? The commission paradigm is a formal governmental setting for discussion aimed at policy...

01/09/2026

Welcome back philosophers: we're looking forward to getting started next week!

Canvas pages will become available soon, with timetables, handbooks, and contact details here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/philosophy/modules/

Introductory meetings will take place next week, as follows:
- 2nd Year Philosophy: Tuesday 8th September, 11am, CE-G10
- 3rd Year Philosophy: Tuesday 8th September, 12noon, ORB212

Whether you're planning on doing 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 credits in philosophy, do come along. We will explain everything you need to know about your options and the modules on offer, and of course we will answer any questions you may have.

If your friends are thinking of taking a module in philosophy, but have not registered yet, tell them to come along too. And if you are a visiting student from abroad, you are most welcome to come along and meet all the other philosophers in UCC.

We look forward to seeing you there!

09/07/2026

A moving piece just published by Dr. Julie Reshe:

The testimonies of Ukraine’s war widows reveal the mortal risk of love and the possibility of dying while alive: a black pain

29/06/2026

Please support our Philosophy colleagues at the University of Dundee by signing this petition. The continued erosion of the humanities is a loss for us all. The proposed closure of Philosophy at the University of Dundee threatens a department with a long tradition of teaching and research. Please sign and share!

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Humanities, University of Dundee

Save the Philosophy Programme at Dundee University

04/06/2026

Philosophy Department, UCC is pleased to announce that climate philosopher Dr Kian Mintz-Woo has been elected to the Young Academy Ireland, where he will contribute to inititiaves advancing sustainability and climate action in Ireland: https://www.ucc.ie/en/research/news/2026/ucc-researcher-selected-as-member-of-the-young-academy-of-ireland.html . His YAI profile is here: https://www.ria.ie/yai-member/dr-kian-mintz-woo/ .

Latest research news from Univeristy College Cork

04/06/2026

UCC Philosophy is pleased to announce climate ethicist Dr Kian Mintz-Woo has been elected to the Young Academy Ireland, where he will contribute to inititiaves advancing sustainability and climate action in Ireland.

More details here:

Latest research news from Univeristy College Cork

23/03/2026

UCC Philosopher Dr. Kian MW will be presenting at a Roman climate ethics workshop and it is hybrid (sign up for a link) so anyone can listen in. Register for the WebEx link using the sign up below! More details in the attached image.

https://luiss.webex.com/wbxmjs/joinservice/sites/luiss/meeting/download/8f1fa800698148aebef14fa3c852f0d7?MTID=m2eb08adccc6ab8eda355dc06d5fd0065 .

22/03/2026

The last talk in this term’s Boole Lectures Series in Philosophy will be given by Dr Denis Dzanic (Graz) on Wednesday, 25 March. Please note that this talk will not take place in G27 (as Boole Lectures usually do), but in SHTEPPS (the Hub).

Title: How to Husserl a Bayes

Abstract: Formal epistemology of broadly Bayesian persuasion and contemporary phenomenology have little to say to each other. This is a missed opportunity, I argue, for some dialogue could be healthy and beneficial to both. I first provide some general background and outline a few programmatic thoughts; in particular, I probe the question of normative and descriptive commitments of formal modeling. Despite initial appearances, it will be argued, the phenomenological focus on essential analysis and the formal-epistemological focus on idealized models are not entirely dissimilar or incompatible. I then target a specific problem: how should we articulate the core Bayesian notion of credence? Here, I suggest, phenomenological analysis provides useful input. I motivate and develop an experiential account of credence which frames it as a proto-doxastic attitude rooted in the experience of uncertainty. I conclude by briefly exploring the implications of this account for epistemology, phenomenology, and decision theory.

Venue and time: SHTEPPS (The Hub) | Wednesday, March 25th, 1500-1700. (Talks typically last 45–60 minutes and are followed by a Q&A session; participants are free to leave at any time.)

Everybody is welcome!

15/03/2026

The next talk in the Boole Lectures Series in Philosophy will be given by Prof. Crescente Molina (Rutgers). CACSSS Seminar Room (ORB G27) | Wednesday, March 18th, 1500-1700.

Title: Normative Powers and Permissive Right

Abstract: To have a normative power is to have a distinctive kind of ability, namely the ability to bring about a change in the normative world by an act of will. Some philosophers are comfortable maintaining that our set of moral entitlements includes normative powers. Others, however, resist this idea on grounds that stem from more general views about the structure of morality. In this article, I examine these reasons for doubt and defend the claim that morality does indeed make room for normative powers. I build on Joseph Raz’s influential account of normative powers, while ultimately proposing a different account of their foundations. I argue that the principle conferring normative powers is grounded in one of our most basic moral rights: a liberty-right to perform or omit any act whose performance or omission is morally unobjectionable. I call this right Permissive Right.
I contend that if we have a Permissive Right, such a right must include a power-conferring moral principle. If an agent can bring about a certain normative change, or refrain from doing so, without violating others’ rights or moral requirements, then she is at moral liberty to bring about that change. And when certain conditions hold, from such moral liberty to effect a normative change at will, we may infer possession of the corresponding moral normative power to effect that change. This account vindicates a longstanding liberal claim: that the place of normative powers in morality lies within our entitlement to a sphere of interpersonal freedom as extensive as morality allows.