William Desmond

Dr Desmond’s research centres on intellectual history, particularly in the Greek Classical period and certain modern receptions of antiquity; recurrent areas of interest include ethics, political thought, historiography and metaphysics. In addition to individual articles on a range of subjects, he has published five monographs and edited (or co-edited) three volumes.

His doctoral dissertation on Classical Greek ideas about wealth was awarded a Whiting Dissertation Fellowship. Its published version, The Greek Praise of Poverty: Origins of Ancient Cynicism (Notre Dame, 2006), was awarded the NUI Centennial Prize in Academic Publishing in Languages, Literature & Linguistics (2008), a unique award. Exploring prevalent associations of poverty with the canonical virtues in various spheres—work (temperance, justice), war (courage), and philosophy (wisdom)—it argues that the strands of a latent Classical “praise of poverty” converged and became explicit in the Socratic schools, and most radically in the first Cynics.

A second monograph, Cynics (Acumen & University of California Press, 2008), surveys the most important “dog philosophers” of antiquity, relating typical Cynic ideas and rhetoric (about "nature" and "custom" for instance) to other ancient philosophies, and tracing Cynic influence on later writers such as Shakespeare, Nietzsche and Foucault.

Philosopher-Kings of Antiquity (Bloomsbury/Continuum, 2011, pbk. 2013) explores the Platonic political ideal—the union of power and wisdom—and its more important variations, refractions, and perversions in antiquity and beyond. It includes chapters on sacred kingship, Plato, Plutarch, Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor Julian, and concludes with a survey of later figures such as Frederick the Great, Thomas Jefferson and others who have been variously associated with Plato’s ideal.

Hegel's Antiquity (Oxford, 2020) summarizes, contextualizes, and criticizes Hegel's understanding and treatment of major aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world, approaching each of the major areas of his historical thinking in turn: politics, art, religion, philosophy, and history itself. The discussion excerpts relevant details from a range of Hegel's works, with an eye both to the ancient sources with which he worked, and the contemporary theories which coloured his readings. What emerges is that Hegel's interest in both Greek and Roman antiquity was profound and is essential for his philosophy, arguably providing the most important components of his vision of world-history.

Ancient Greece in 30 Hours (Amazon, 2024) introduces the world of ancient Greece—its mythology, literature, politics, history, and art—from Homer to Alexander the Great and offers an interdisciplinary survey of a civilization that remains foundational for much of Western culture. Written in accessible prose, supplemented with maps, illustrations, suggestions for further reading and appendices, it is intended for students and general readers who would like a comprehensive yet compact overview of the period.

Dr Desmond’s current research remains interdisciplinary, focusing on receptions of Plato and Platonism in the "long" nineteenth century, particularly in English- and German-language literature and philosophy. Other active areas of research include Homer and epic, Herodotus, Whitehead and modern process thought. He has edited (with Michel Weber) the two-volume Handbook of Whiteheadian Process Thought (de Gruyter, 2008), a major reference work in process philosophy.