Since 1998, the Institute has held an annual lecture, bringing a philosopher of international standing to London to give a talk on the topic of his or her choosing.  In 2014 and in partnership with the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a new annual lecture was established in Edinburgh. In 2018, Michael P. Lynch gave the first Royal Institute of Philosophy / University of Cardiff Annual Lecture. The Inaugural Royal Institute of Philosophy and University College Dublin Annual Lecture was given by Martha Nussbaum in 2018. 

 

You can find out what's coming up here:

 

• Cardiff
• Dublin
• Edinburgh
• London

 

 

The Cardiff Annual Lectures

2021 Richard Moran, 'The Philosophical Retreat to the Here and Now'

2020 Havi Carel,'Phenomenology of Social Distancing'

2019 Ruth Chang, 'Hard Choices'

2018 Michael P Lynch, 'Fake News and the Politics of Truth' 

 

The Dublin Annual Lectures

2019 Elizabeth Anderson, 'The Work Ethic: Its Origins, Legacy and Future'

2018 Martha Nussbaum, 'Fear, Anger and the Politics of Blame'

 

The Edinburgh Annual Lectures

2020 Dale Jamieson, 'The Misunderstood Risks of Climate Change'

2019 Susan Neiman, 'Justice and History'

2018 Melissa Lane, 'The Idea of Accountable Office in Ancient Greece and Beyond'

2017 Peter Singer, ‘Living an Ethical Life’

2016 Simon Blackburn, ‘Feelings, Judgment and the Common Pursuit’ 

2015 Nancy Cartwright, ‘Scientific Generalisations: What’s so Good about Missing out all the Differences?'

2014 Michael Ignatieff, ‘Liberal Democracy and the Challenge of Authoritarian Capitalism‘

 

The London Annual Lectures

2020 Patricia Churchland, 'Good Natured'

2019 Philip Pettit, 'My Three Selves'

2018 Kwame Anthony Appiah, ‘What is a Science of Religion?’

2017 Rae Langton, ‘What’s the Point of Immortality?’

2016 Timothy Williamson, ‘Speculative Philosophy’

2015 Amartya Sen, ‘Justice and the Idea of Objectivity’

2014 David Chalmers, ‘Why isn’t there more progress in philosophy?’

2013 Tyler Burge, ‘Perception: Where Mind Begins’

2012 Christine Korsgaard, ‘On Having a Good’

2011 Derek Parfit, ‘Is Personal Identity What Matters?’

2010 Ned Block, ‘Attention and Mentalism’

2009 Simon Blackburn, ‘The Sovereignty of Reason’

2008 T. M. Scanlon, ‘Reassessing Reasons’

2007 Sir Anthony Kenny,‘Knowledge, Belief and Faith: Is Religion Really the Root of all Evil?’

2006 Jerry Fodor,‘The Revenge of the Given: Mental Representation without Conceptualization’

2005 John McDowell, ‘Intention in Action’

2004 Noam Chomsky,‘Simple Truths, Hard Choices: Some Thoughts on Terror, Justice and Self-defence‘

2003 Jürgen Habermas,‘Religious Tolerance? The Pacemaker for Cultural Rights'

2002 Mary Warnock,‘What is Natural and Should We Care About It?’

2001 John Searle,‘Freedom of the Will as a Problem in Neurobiology’

2000 Bernard Williams, ‘Philosophy as a Humanist Discipline’

1999 Alasdair MacIntyre, ‘Social Structures and their Threats to Moral Agency’

1998 Thomas Nagel,‘Conceiving the Impossible and the Mind-Body Problem’