Goodbye George Berkeley, hello Eavan Boland: why has Trinity renamed its biggest library?
Trinity College Dublin this week announced the library would be renamed after the celebrated Irish poet
George Berkeley
Eavan Boland, who wrote about women’s lives, is a better fit for Trinity than slave-owning Berkeley
Names and their meanings are philosophically complex. It would be unwise to re-name everything called after a figure whose troubling personal legacy comes to light. The TCD library was different
Making Empire: Incisive study of Ireland’s complex role in the British empire
TCD historian skilfully traces a history of conquest, assimilation and defiance that came to shape not just Ireland but Britain and its global empire
Thinking Anew: Removing Berkeley’s name raises important issues
Changing the name of a library matters little when what we desperately need is a change of heart, mind and lifestyle
Trinity wanted to avoid sense of ‘winners and losers’ in renaming of Berkeley library
Records show review group concerned about ‘reputational impact’ of changing name due to slavery links
Michael McDowell: Why stop with Berkeley? Cicero was a slave owner too
There is a difference between Americans adorning their cities with statues of Confederate generals and the decision of the Fellows of Trinity 60 years ago to name their library after George Berkeley
Don’t get too exercised on his behalf. Berkeley was a big fan of cancel culture
Opinion: After extensive investigation and consultation, Trinity has decided to de-name its Berkeley Library. But studies of his philosophy are thankfully flourishing
What does the ‘denaming’ of Trinity’s Berkeley Library mean?
University decided this week that use of the philosopher’s name – which has been linked to slavery – was inconsistent with its core values
Trinity College library: ‘Man of his times’ argument does not get Berkeley off hook
The philosopher after whom the main library in Trinity College Dublin is named would have been well aware of contemporaneous criticisms of slavery
Inside the battle to ‘save’ private schools as funding is questioned
Principals, fearing an end to State subsidies for the sector, plan a rear-guard action
Short of staycation ideas? Try a pilgrimage to Irish philosophy sites
Unthinkable: Ireland has a rich philosophical heritage – some more plaques would be nice
Was Ireland’s greatest philosopher a hero, villain or ‘man of his time’?
Unthinkable: A new biography of George Berkeley brings out the complexity of his character
Should we cancel Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche?
Unthinkable: Famous philosophers are being reappraised in light of their prejudices
Trinity to examine colonial legacy in reply to Black Lives Matter
TCD’s history from the Plantation of Ulster to the Atlantic slave trade under scrutiny
Defacing statues is not all mindless, but it’s all still vandalism
If we were to remove statues and rename streets in Ireland, where might we start?
What to do about George Berkeley, Trinity figurehead and slave owner?
Unthinkable: Ireland’s most celebrated philosopher was ‘also extremely morally fallible’
Ten philosophers to help us through the coronavirus crisis
Unthinkable: Sartre and Schopenhauer make the list but Peig Sayers deserves inclusion too
Is your ‘true self’ a kind of ghost?
Unthinkable: One of philosophy’s great debates may be down to a misunderstanding
Can you really love a dog? and life’s other big questions
Unthinkable: You can do philosophy anywhere. Even while walking your dog
Ireland does philosophy: A new guide for the perplexed
Unthinkable: A philosophy book designed for younger readers takes inspiration from Kerry sage John Moriarty
To infinity and beyond: The numbers game behind God’s ‘existence’
Unthinkable: The nature of reality may depend on whether the infinite is comprehensible
Explaining consciousness: the mind-matter connection
The old answer to the problem of how the world existed before the advent of conscious observers was that God was watching it
Why is there no intellectual tradition in Irish Christianity?
A nation of brilliant failures and greatest talkers since the Greeks
Unthinkable: Should we give up on utopian politics?
Utopian visions work because they are fictional, says sociologist Deirdre Ní Chuanacháin
ADiff review: Notfilm lets Samuel Beckett speak
Ross Lipman’s doc makes interesting connections and assertions
Is bitter better? The philosopher’s coffee quest
Are you a sourist, a bitterist or an Americano? A Trinity College professor has turned his attention to the ancient beverage as part of an intellectual exercise
Does Ireland’s ‘greatest’ philosopher stand the test of time?
Ever wondered whether a falling tree heard by no one makes a sound? George Berkeley has an answer for you
Unthinkable: Irish radical’s challenge to notion of God still relevant
As the Richard Dawkins of the early Enlightenment, John Toland created a pantheist outlook that’s still relevant today
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices