Desmond Clarke facts for kids

Desmond M. Clarke (born January 17, 1942 – died September 4, 2016) was an Irish author and a professor. He taught Philosophy at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland.

Professor Clarke was very interested in the history of ideas and how science developed. He especially studied the writings of a famous thinker named René Descartes. He also looked at how governments and churches work together today, human rights, and the idea of nationalism.

His Early Life and Studies

Desmond Clarke was born in Dublin, Ireland. He finished his secondary school studies at Synge Street CBS.

He went on to earn several university degrees. He got a Bachelor of Science from University College Cork. Then, he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy from KU Leuven in Belgium. Finally, he completed his PhD at the University of Notre Dame in the United States.

His Work as a Professor

Desmond Clarke became a professor of philosophy. He helped edit a special book series called Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. This series publishes important writings from history.

He also translated a famous book by René Descartes called Meditations on First Philosophy. Professor Clarke wrote an introduction for the Penguin edition of this book. He retired from teaching in 2007.

Professor Clarke was also the person who started and led the Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy series. This project has published 76 books. These books include new translations of old texts from many languages. These languages include ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, French, Italian, and German.

About Desmond Clarke

Desmond Clarke passed away on September 4, 2016. He was 74 years old. He died at Our Lady's Hospice in Harold's Cross, a part of Dublin.