Stephen Ogden

Stephen Ogden serves as the Tracey Family Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters. He joined Notre Dame in 2021 after teaching at The Catholic University of America and completing a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. His academic credentials include a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University (2015), an M.A.R. in Philosophy of Religion from Yale Divinity School, and a B.A. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Rhodes College, with additional experience living and teaching in Egypt after undergraduate studies.

• Education: Yale University (Ph.D., 2015), Yale Divinity School (M.A.R.), Rhodes College (B.A.)
• Previous Positions: The Catholic University of America, Johns Hopkins University (Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow)
• Office: 306 Malloy Hall, Phone: 574-631-7046

Ogden's research centers on classical Islamic philosophy, with special emphasis on Averroes (Ibn Rushd) and Avicenna (Ibn Sīnā), exploring their contributions to psychology, metaphysics, and epistemology. His scholarly work extends to medieval and ancient philosophy broadly, as well as philosophy of religion. His recent monograph Averroes on Intellect: From Aristotelian Origins to Aquinas's Critique (Oxford University Press, 2022) offers a comprehensive analysis of Averroes's unicity thesis regarding the human intellect.

Analysis of Ogden's publications reveals a consistent focus on tracing philosophical concepts across cultural and historical boundaries, particularly examining how Islamic philosophical traditions interacted with and influenced Western thought. His work demonstrates methodological rigor in textual analysis while making significant contributions to contemporary philosophical discourse through historical insights. The recurring themes in his scholarship include the nature of intellect, essence-existence distinctions, divine knowledge, and metaphysical frameworks across different philosophical traditions.

Dr. Ogden is available to direct doctoral dissertations and maintains an active research agenda that bridges historical philosophical inquiry with contemporary concerns. His interdisciplinary approach connects philosophy with religious studies, demonstrating how philosophical concepts evolved across different cultural contexts while maintaining conceptual integrity.