School of Philosophy

Great minds think. Study at our School of Philosophy to bring the riches of ancient wisdom into our contemporary world. 

You’ll explore some of the most fascinating, challenging questions posed by thinkers across the ages, and learn to find wisdom in areas often overlooked. You’ll also develop valuable, transferable skills in abstract thinking, problem-solving and honing in on the issues that matter.

School of Philosophy

Staff profiles

Richard Colledge

Richard Colledge

Head of the School of Philosophy

Dr Richard Colledge has been Head of the School of Philosophy since 2011. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and a teaching degree, his early career involved teaching history, economics and English in Brisbane and London secondary schools. Following postgraduate studies in education, counselling psychology and theology, he completed a Licentiate (MA) in Philosophy from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium), and a PhD through the University of Queensland in 2006. Prior to joining ACU in 2009, he led the philosophy program, and served as Academic Dean, at St Paul’s Theological College in Brisbane. He is currently working on a book manuscript on the idea of the real in the writings of Martin Heidegger.

Teaching and research

  • Contemporary philosophy
  • History of philosophy
  • Phenomenology
  • Hermeneutics
  • History of metaphysics
  • Philosophy of religion
  • Philosophical psychology

Read Dr Colledge's full profile
Steve Matthews

Steve Matthews

Senior Research Fellow at the Plunkett Centre for Ethics

Dr Steve Matthews has been a part of the Plunkett Centre for Ethics since 2011. An important research focus has been at the intersection of moral psychology and applied ethics. Specifically, he is interested in the ethical issues raised by losses in competence arising from impairments that are the result of certain psychiatric conditions. He’s recently been awarded Australian Research Council (ARC) funding for three projects related to this focus, including on mental illness, addiction and dementia. Dr Matthews’ current project on the ethics of dementia is an ARC-funded Discovery Project called Dementia, Moral Agency and Identity: Respecting the Vulnerable. It will run from 2018–2020.

Research interests

  • Theoretical ethics
  • Applied ethics
  • Moral psychology

Read Dr Matthews's full profile

Focus areas

Epistemology and hermeneutics
Ethics and applied ethics
History of philosophy
Logic
Metaphysics
Philosophical anthropology
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of religion
Social and political philosophy

School of Philosophy

Meet our school staff

Connect with School of Philosophy staff, read their profiles and see their publication history and research interests.

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Contact our school office

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Philosophy students discussing their work.

Philosophy research at ACU

Our team of philosophers adds to the legacy of the great thinkers by applying the theoretical frameworks they developed to modern day questions.

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Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry

Researchers from philosophy, theology and history work to better understand religion in a historical and modern context.

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Plunkett Centre for Ethics

The centre examines the ethical standards that have been established across the fields of human health and wellbeing from resource allocation to clinical practice and medical research.

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Queensland Centre for Bioethics

A partnership between ACU and the Archdiocese of Brisbane, the centre examines the questions that arise with the advancement of science and medicine and the intersection of both with religion.

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Western Civilisation program

Within the multi-disciplinary Western Civilisation program, ACU philosophers research across a wide range of topics including history, literature and current events.

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News and events

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Lectures, talks and conferences

We host a range of public presentations throughout the year, including our annual Simone Weil lecture series. See what's on.

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Faculty prizes and awards

Get your hard work recognised with a faculty prize or award. These celebrate outstanding academic performance over the course of your studies.

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Postgraduate alumni rebate

Are you a current or former domestic ACU student wanting to enrol in a postgraduate philosophy program? You may be eligible for a 10% discount. 

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Our faculty research

Explore the important issues we’re investigating and learn more about research at the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy, our institute and centres.

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