James McEvoy (philosopher) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Joseph McEvoy
Born	14 October 1943 Larne, Northern Ireland
Died	2 October 2010 Belfast
Alma mater	Queen’s University of Belfast St Patrick's College, Maynooth Université catholique de Louvain
Era	Contemporary Philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Christian Neo-Platonism
Thesis	(1974)
Influences Augustine of Hippo, Eriugena, Robert Grosseteste, Thomas Aquinas

James J. McEvoy (born October 14, 1943, in Larne, Northern Ireland – died October 2, 2010) was an important Irish philosopher and a Catholic priest. He spent a lot of time studying old ideas from the Middle Ages. He was especially interested in the works of thinkers like John Scotus Eriugena and Robert Grosseteste. He also wrote about the meaning of friendship.

A Life of Learning

James McEvoy studied philosophy at Queen’s University of Belfast. He wrote his first big paper, called an MA thesis, about Robert Grosseteste. This paper looked at Grosseteste's ideas on a book called Celestial Hierarchy.

He also studied to become a priest at St Patrick's College, Maynooth. He became a Catholic priest in 1968. Later, in 1974, he earned his PhD from the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium. His PhD paper was also about the philosopher Robert Grosseteste.

Teaching and Recognition

McEvoy became a professor of philosophy at several universities. He taught at The Queen’s University Belfast from 1975 to 1988. Then he moved to Louvain-la-Neuve from 1988 to 1995. Finally, he taught at Maynooth from 1995 to 2004.

He was also the dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. In 1982, he was chosen to be a member of the Royal Irish Academy. In 2004, he received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Leicester. That same year, a special book about friendship, called Amor amicitiae, was published in his honor.