"reason rules the world, and world history has proceeded rationally" Hegel

Philosophy news

Essex Autonomy Project

Major AHRC Grant awarded to the Philosophy Department

RAE Results

Essex Philosophy Department in the top ten philosophy
research departments in the UK

55% of our research was ranked as 'internationally excellent' and a further 20% as 'world-leading' in the recent Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The results also confirm Essex as the top UK university for Continental philosophy.

NSS results

Essex philosophy students gave the department a score of 100% for overall satisfaction with the quality of their courses in the 08/09 National Student Survey.

It also received the top score of 100% for:

   'Staff are good at explaining things.'
   'Staff are enthusiastic about what they teach.'
   'The course is intellectually stimulating.'
   'The course is well organised and is running smoothly.'
   'The Library resources and services are good enough for my
    needs.'

This once again places the department second in the national league table for Philosophy in the UK. See here for more detailed results:  http://www.unistats.co.uk/.

Dotun Adebayo

Dotun AdebayoBBC Broadcaster and Writer, Dotun Adebayo, a former philosophy graduate (BA Philosophy, 1987)

Dotun Adebayo - Alumnus of the Year 2008, was awarded the MBE on the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2009.  He was born in Nigeria in 1960 and came to Britain five years later. After graduating from the Universities of Essex and Stockholm he became a music journalist for publications including NME, Melody Maker, Time Out and Echoes. Today, he combines presenting on Radio Five Live and BBC London with guest slots on BBC 2’s Culture Show and Newsnight Review. Dotun is also an accomplished writer and publisher and founded the publishing company X Press.

In summer 2007, Dotun launched Britain’s first general interest black internet television station, colourtelly.tv, which aims to represent under-served or neglected minority viewers.


Professor Mark Sacks       
(1953 - 2008)

The Department of Philosophy is greatly saddened to report the death of Professor Mark Sacks on 17 June 2008.

Professor Mark SacksMark joined the Philosophy Department in January 1992 and was Head from 2004 to 2006. He was an internationally known scholar and the founding editor of the European Journal of Philosophy. All of us who worked with Mark were constantly impressed not just by his great intelligence and subtlety but also by his kindness, his warmth and his light sense of humour. He was an intellectual beacon in the Department to both staff and students alike and a great friend to those who were close to him. He was also very much a family man and our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife and children. His untimely death is a great loss for us all and it is regretted beyond words.

Obituary, The Guardian, 27 June 2008
Obituary, The Times, 8 July 2008