Patricia Sheridan

Patricia Sheridan is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph's College of Arts. Her research focuses on early modern philosophy, particularly John Locke, early modern empiricists, and 17th- and 18th-century women thinkers such as Catharine Trotter Cockburn, Damaris Masham, and Mary Astell. She co-leads a SSHRC-funded partnership grant on 'Extending New Narratives in the History of Philosophy.' Her work examines virtue theory, moral philosophy, and the role of passions in forming virtuous agency.

Her publications span edited volumes, journal articles, and guides, including John Locke: A Guide for the Perplexed (2010) and entries in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. She actively engages with graduate students on early modern philosophy, historical women philosophers, and the history of ethics. Her research bridges metaphysical foundations of morality, sentiment's role in ethics, and the recovery of marginalized voices in philosophical history.

Key grants include the SSHRC partnership grant (with Lisa Shapiro) and collaborations on early modern women philosophers' contributions. Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to historical philosophy, linking metaphysics, ethics, and social theory.