Philosophy at New College

The number of students studying philosophy at New College is unusually large in comparison with other Oxford colleges, and we have a correspondingly large number of college fellows working in the subject.

Undergraduate students

Each year, we take twenty or more undergraduates to study for a degree involving Philosophy; we accept applications in all the joint degree schemes in which philosophy is involved, with the exception of Philosophy and Theology. For more specific information about these joint degrees see the respective subject pages for:

Classics
Computer Science and Philosophy
Mathematics and Philosophy
Philosophy and Modern Languages
Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Physics and Philosophy
Psychology and Philosophy

Graduate Students

The number of graduate students in Philosophy varies from year to year, but there are usually 8 to 9 students working towards a B.Phil, M.St, or D.Phil in the subject. A fellow of the college is assigned to every student as a college advisor. For further information see Graduate study at New College.

Academic staff

Dr Paolo Fait – Stipendiary Lecturer (Philosophy)

Professor Volker Halbach – Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy; Reader in Philosophy. Dr. Halbach specializes in Logic, Philosophy of Mathematics, Philosophy of Language, and Formal Epistemology. His current research focusses on the theory of truth.

Dr Joseph Melia – Departmental Lecturer

Dr Daniel Morgan – Juliana Cuyler Matthews Junior Research Fellow

Professor Stephen Mulhall – Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy; Professor of Philosophy. Prof. Mulhall's research interests include Wittgenstein, Post-Kantian Philosophy (especially Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre), Post-Analytic Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy and Literature, Philosophy and Film.

Dr Elizabeth Frazer (Politics) – Fellow and Tutor in Politics, Tutor for Undergraduate Admissions; University Lecturer in Politics. Dr Frazer teaches Political Theory (which is a philosophy option paper) and Philosophy of the Social Sciences; her research is in the field of politics and ethics.  

Professor Timothy Williamson – Professorial Fellow; Wykeham Professor of Logic. Prof. Williamson is working on topics in Logic, Philosophy of Language, Epistemology, and Metaphysics.

All of the above (with the exception of Prof. Williamson) are usually involved in undergraduate teaching.

The history of Philosophy at New College

Philosophy has played an important role at New College from the beginnings of the college, though it was not an own subject in the earlier days. In more recent times, past tutorial fellows in philosophy have included HWB Joseph, Isaiah Berlin, H.L.A. Hart, Anthony Quinton, Bernard Williams, Stuart Hampshire, David Wiggins, Jonathan Glover, Christopher Peacocke, John Campbell, and Catherine Atherton. Alan Ryan was a fellow in Politics and warden of the college. The Wykeham Chair in Logic has been attached to the college since 1859; Previous holders include John Cook Wilson, Harold Joachim, H.H. Price, Alfred Ayer, Michael Dummett, and David Wiggins.  

For a brief history of Philosophy at Oxford see the Faculty web site.