Peter Serracino Inglott

Serracino Inglott speaking at Researchers' Night 2007, at Saint James Cavalier, Malta

Peter Serracino Inglott (April 26, 1936 – March 16, 2012) was Rector of the University of Malta (1987–1988, 1991–1996) and Emeritus Professor of philosophy at the same University.

A Catholic priest, Peter Serracino Inglott was ordained in Milan by Cardinal Montini, later Pope Paul VI.

Studies

Serracino-Inglott studied at the then Royal University of Malta (BA 1951-1955), Campion Hall, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar (MA 1955-1958), the Institut Catholique de Paris (BD cum laude 1958-1960) and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Ph.D. 1960-1963) with a thesis on Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.

Academic career and honours

He was head of the philosophy department at the University of Malta between 1971 and 1996, when he was succeeded by Joe Friggieri. He was also professor in the faculty of theology at the University.

Serracino Inglott was professor of aesthetics at the Instituto Internazionale di Arte e Liturgia at Milan, visiting professor at Panthéon-Assas University (1989–1990), UNESCO Fellow at the Open University, UK (1978) and guest lecturer at the universities of Cincinnati, Milan (Cattolica), Venice (Ca Foscari), Palermo and the College of Europe at Bruges (1989, 1990).

He was conferred honorary doctorates by Brunel University in the United Kingdom, Luther College, Iowa and the International Maritime Organization's International Maritime Law Institute. He was also honoured by the French, Italian, Portuguese and Maltese governments respectively with the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur (1990), Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Ordine al Merito (1995), Gra-Cruz da Ordam (1995) and Companion of the Order of Merit (Malta) (1995).[1]

Public life

Serracino Inglott was an advisor to the former Prime Minister of Malta, Eddie Fenech Adami (1987–1996, 1998–2004). He was one of three Maltese representatives at the Convention on the Future of Europe presided by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, contributing to various aspects of the debate at the Convention ranging from proposed amendments to include a reference to Europe's Christian traditions[2] to procedural proposals to streamline the EU's decision-making process.[3] He was one of the founder members of the Today Public Policy Institute.[4]

Philosophy

Language is at the centre of Serracino Inglott's philosophical work with Thomas Aquinas and Ludwig Wittgenstein as the two critical signposts on his conceptual terrain. From this point of view, one may link him to his friend Herbert McCabe. MacCabe, who was also an acknowledged influence on the thought of Terry Eagleton, Alasdair MacIntyre, Anthony Kenny and Seamus Heaney, was for several years external examiner in philosophy at the University of Malta. A former student of his, Mario Vella, has written one of the few critical assessments of Serracino Inglott as philosopher, Reflections in a Canvas Bag: Beginning Philosophy Between Politics and History Marsa, Malta: PEG, 1989 ISBN 99909-0-234-8.[5]

Apart from his two principal philosophical texts (Beginning Philosophy 1987 and Peopled Silence 1995), Serracino Inglott has written and expressed himself on the media on a variety of subjects (notably on biotechnology and human rights ) but the Mediterranean region stands out as a leitmotiv in his thought and his core interest.

Death

Serracino Inglott died on 16 March 2012. He had been suffering from Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease and was being treated at Mater Dei hospital.[6][7]

Selected bibliography

Notes

  1. Maltese Government
  2. European Convention
  3. Europa
  4. "The Peter Serracino Inglott Award". Times of Malta. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  5. See also Mark F. Montebello, Stedina għall-Filosofija Maltija, Marsa, Malta : PEG, 1995 ISBN 99909-0-060-4, for a general introduction to philosophy in Malta.
  6. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120317/local/Malta-loses-its-most-brilliant-mind-.411431
  7. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120316/local/fr-peter-serracino-inglott.405908

External links

See also

Philosophy in Malta

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