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The Institut supérieur de philosophie (ISP) (French for: Higher Institute of Philosophy) is an independent research institute at the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Louvain-la-NeuveBelgium. It is a separate entity to the UCLouvain School of Philosophy.

It was founded in Louvain (Leuven) in 1889 and split in 1968, when the French-speaking part moved to Louvain-la-Neuve.

History

The ISP was founded by Cardinal Mercier on 8 November 1889. The institute initially taught programs in French and started courses in Dutch in 1933. After the language split of 1968, the French-speaking Institut supérieur de Philosophie moved to the new city of Louvain-la-Neuve while the Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte is today a faculty of the KU Leuven, in Leuven.

Programs offered

With the UCLouvain's School of Philosophy, the institute offers both taught and research degrees (B.A., M.A., MPhil and PhD) as well as pre-doc and post-doc programs, in French and English.

Research

The Institute's research projects are developed and carried out by its research centres :

  • Centre for Philosophy of Science and Society (CEFISES)
  • The "PHIGOV" cell of the Centre for Legal Philosophy (CPDR)
  • Centre Europè (CEUR)
  • Centre for Studies and Research in Contemporary Philosophies (CERPhiCo)
  • Centre De Wulf-Mansion (CDWM)
  • Centre for Economic and Social Ethics (ETES/Hoover Chair) 
  • Centre for Phenomenological Studies (CEP)

Ressources

  • Archival fonds of literature, philosophy and the arts (Fonds-Alpha)
  • Husserl-Archives
  • International Philosophical Bibliography
  • Philosophy Library

Publications

  • The Revue philosophique de Louvain; created in 1894 as the Revue néo-scolastique, it takes its present name in 1946.
  • The International Philosophical Bibliography / Répertoire bibliographique de la philosophie, founded in 1934, published jointly with the Hoger Instituut voor Wijsbegeerte between 1981 and 2008, published only by ISP UCLouvain since 2009.
  • Phenomenological Studies, a biannual journal founded in 1985, which was completed in 2008.
  • The Hedegerian Bulletin, an annual review founded in 2011.

The Higher Institute of Philosophy (ISP) is currently the entity overseeing philosophical research at UCLouvain. It stands as one of the research institutes within the Faculty of Humanities.

More info

Last news

  • 18 September 2024
    Dominique Bourg | Dévastation. La question du mal aujourd'hui
    Avec " Dévastation.
  • 17 September 2021
    Mercier Prize 2025
    The Cardinal Mercier Foundation of the UCLouvain, created in 1974, awards the Mercier Prize annually.This prize is intended to reward work relating to metaphysics, "first" philosophy or ontology in it
  • 3 September 2024
    New members
    This September 2024, the Higher institute of philosphy welcomes new professors, assistants, and researchers. A warm welcome to each and every one of them! Discover their profiles below:

Key figures

  • 51

    Researchers
    13 academics 9 assistants 20 researchers 9 scholars
  • 72

    PhD
    72 PhD students
  • 7

    Research centers
    Centre Philosophie des sciences et Sociétés (CEFISES) Centre Europé Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches en Philosophies Contemporaines (CERPhiCo) Centre De Wulf-Mansion (CDWM) Centre d'Etudes Phénoménologiques (CEP)
  • 23

    Research projects
    23 research projects