Visiting Speaker: Dr Emily Thomas

Talk title: 'Hilda Oakeley on Time and History'

Talk synopsis by Dr Emily Thomas:

In the first half of the twentieth century, the British idealist Hilda Oakeley set out a systematic metaphysics of time and history. This paper explores that system, focusing on her views concerning the reality of the past and the idealist nature of history. I present a reading of Oakeley’s novel argument for the ‘growing block’ account of time, the view that holds the past and present to be real whilst the future is unreal.

Further, I compare her account of history with that offered by her contemporary R. G. Collingwood, and I suggest various ways that Oakeley’s account could resist the problems levelled at it by Collingwood.

More information about the work of Dr Emily Thomas.