Michael Beaney

Michael Beaney is the Regius Professor of Logic at the University of Aberdeen, holding a joint half-time position as Professor of History of Analytic Philosophy at Humboldt University in Berlin. His academic journey includes professorships at King's College London, the University of York, and others. He specializes in the history of analytic philosophy, particularly Frege, Wittgenstein, and Chinese philosophy, and has held visiting roles at institutions in China, including Tsinghua University. He is President of the Society for the Study of the History of Analytical Philosophy (SSHAP) and has served as Editor of the British Journal for the History of Philosophy from 2011–2020. His research spans comparative philosophy, philosophical methodology, and translation studies, with a focus on integrating Chinese and Western philosophical traditions. Recent work includes a new translation of Wittgenstein's Tractatus (Oxford World's Classics) and collaborative projects on ancient Chinese epistemology. He leads editorial boards for multiple journals and book series, including the Palgrave series on analytic philosophy history and Oxford's 'New Texts in the History of Philosophy.'

Education: B.Phil. (1985) and D.Phil. (1990) in Philosophy from the University of Oxford, MA from the University of Keele (1983).
Research Interests: History of Analytic Philosophy, Chinese Philosophy (ancient and modern), philosophical historiography, comparative philosophy, and translation studies.

Publications Overview: Over 50 publications, including monographs, edited volumes, and articles on Frege, Wittgenstein, and cross-cultural philosophy. Recent works emphasize creativity in philosophy, translation challenges, and the methodology of analytic historiography.

Awards & Affiliations: Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, member of AHRC Peer Review College, and chair of British Committee of the Summer School in China Programme. His editorial roles and leadership in academic societies reflect his influence in shaping contemporary philosophy discourse.

Labs/Teams: Involved with the Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Medicine at Aberdeen, and collaborates internationally on projects like the Wittgenstein translation and Chinese analytic philosophy studies.