University of Hertfordshire

Faculty Member, Philosophy

Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion

About

Probably best known for his work on Kierkegaard, John Lippitt is currently working on a monograph on "Kierkegaard and the problem of self-love" (due out from Cambridge University Press in 2013) and related papers. He is also co-editing, along with Professor George Pattison, the Oxford Handbook of Kierkegaard, which is due out from Oxford UP in early 2013. Other research interests include the virtues, the philosophy of love and friendship, and the relevance of philosophy to psychotherapy. He is also interested in various aspects of the interface between philosophy, theology, literature and film.

John studied maths and philosophy at Manchester before pursuing postgraduate work in philosophy at Durham and Essex. He joined Hertfordshire in the early nineties, and was promoted to Reader in 2001 and Professor in 2008. In 2009, he was appointed Head of the Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Research Institute (SSAHRI).

John's books include Humour and Irony in Kierkegaard’s Thought (2000) and the Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Kierkegaard and Fear and Trembling (2003). His articles have been published in such journals as the British Journal of Aesthetics, Continental Philosophy Review, Inquiry, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, The Monist, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society and Religious Studies.

He has been awarded research grants by the AHRC, the British Academy, the HE Academy and the Kierkegaard House Foundation (USA). He is currently 'scientist in charge' of the EU-funded Marie Curie project on 'Selves in Time', working with Dr Patrick Stokes. He is a member of the AHRC Peer Review College and the editorial boards of 'Oxford Research Directions' (formerly Oxford Handbooks Online) and 'Ars Disputandi: the online journal for philosophy of religion'.

During his time at Hertfordshire, John has served as Director of the Centre for Normativity and Narrative, Subject Leader for Philosophy, Secretary of the Søren Kierkegaard Society of the UK, and Treasurer of the Friedrich Nietzsche Society. He has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Hong Kierkegaard Library at St Olaf College, Northfield, MN, USA.

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