Philosophy Department Boston College

10/16/2026

On Thursday, Jeff Bloechl participated in the Academic Symposium “Jesuit, Catholic Education at Boston College: Formation for Wisdom and Hope” yesterday as part of the events surrounding the Inauguration of the 26th President of Boston College (Jack Butler, SJ). https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/sites/inauguration/schedule-v2.html

10/13/2026

On October 8-11, the Boston College Departments of Philosophy and Theology, in collaboration with the Department of Philosophy at Fordham University, organized a conference on Revelation, Hermeneutics, and Phenomenology. Plenary lectures were given by Werner Jeanrond (University of Oslo), Natalie Depraz (University of Rouen), Jean-Luc Marion (Academie Francaise), Brian Robinette (Boston College), Judith Wolfe (St. Andrews University / Boston College), and Richard Kearney (Boston College). The conference welcomed over 100 registered participants from over 15 countries. It was also interlaced with a conference on Religion and Belonging organized by the Boston College Department of Theology. Jeanrond's lecture served as the keynote for both conferences, both of which met in the Connors Family Retreat Center on October 9 and 10. https://events.bc.edu/event/revelation-hermeneutics-and-phenomenology

10/07/2026

Richard Kearney contributes an essay for John Lalor's book "Moment of Surrender". The book is a récit-fiction - somewhere between diary, autofiction, and art criticism - while following the narrative of a man and his inner thoughts and experiences. https://www.thelibraryproject.ie/products/moment-of-surrender-john-lalor

10/06/2026

Philosophy faculty Jeffrey Bloechl, Micah Lott, Tim Muldoon and Eileen Sweeney were part of the Ignatian AI Conference at Fordham University, Lincoln Center from Oct 1-3. The conference, with more than 200 participants, convened Jesuit scholars, AI experts, and industry professionals to develop a shared framework to support reflection, decision-making, and formation at Jesuit institutions worldwide, launching a broader Ignatian AI network. Theology faculty Andrea Vicini and Boyd Coolman were also in attendance. The conference included presentations by BC college grad Kristin Grauman (now a professor in natural sciences in the computer science department at the University of Texas, Austin), and Nithin Monteiro, SJ, an MA student at BC now completing his PhD at XIM University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the first Jesuit University in India. https://www.fordham.edu/ai-for-the-greater-good/ai-conference-2026/

10/05/2026

Professor Andrew Barrette will deliver a talk (Metaphysics as a Science of Love and its Point of Departure with Joseph Maréchal, S.J.) at the upcoming Colloquium at Pontificia Universita Gregoriana in Rome . The Colloquium, titled "Rousselot, Maréchal, Lubac: Actualité des thomismes transcendantaux" will be held October 16-17, 2026.
https://www.unigre.it/en/events-and-communication/events/events-calendar/rousselot-marechal-lubac-actualite-des-thomismes-transcendantaux/

10/01/2026

Now accepting submissions for the 2027 Boston College Graduate Conference, Philosophy of Reading: Reading Philosophy.

09/30/2026

Professors Greg Fried, Richard Kearney and Giovanni Pietro Basile, SJ will participate in the upcoming symposium "Gadamer and/in North America: A Symposium on the Past and Future of Hermeneutics" which will be held on October 2, 2026.

Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002) was one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century and the leading representative of philosophical hermeneutics. His landmark work Truth and Method (1960) reshaped debates across philosophy and the humanities by arguing that understanding is fundam...

09/29/2026

As part of the upcoming Revelation, Hermeneutics, and Phenomenology Conference, Werner Jeanrond (University of Oslo Emeritus) will deliver the Blanchette-Kennedy Lecture in Philosophy and Religion. The lecture is scheduled for October 8, 2026 @ 4:30 PM in the Heights Room, Corcoran Commons, Boston College. This event is sponsored by the Boston College Philosophy and Theology Departments.

09/28/2026

Günter Zöller of the Ludwigs-Maximilians-Universität in Munich has been the Fall 2026 Gadamer Professor of Philosophy. During his visit to the department, he gave a lecture entitled "After Republics and Before Democracies. Kant's Modern Polity" and a seminar on the course of freedom in Hegel's speculative geopolitics. Prof. Zöller also made himself available to extensive discussion with students about their research interests and with faculty members about their scholarly work.
The Spring 2027 Gadamer Professor will be Emmanuel Alloa of the University of Fribourg (specific arrangements TBA).

09/28/2026

On September 22 and 23, Professor Jeff Bloechl, doctoral student Bill Woody, SJ, and Rob Van Alstyne, SJ, PhD '26, spoke at an international conference in Poland. The conference was organized by the Ignatianum, a Jesuit university in Krakow.