Remembering Daniel N. Robinson

9/27/18

Prof. Daniel N. Robinson, a long-time friend, and faculty member at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences passed away at age 81 on September 17, 2018.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family during this time.

 

Commencement Address for the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in 2000.

Daniel N. Robinson, a distinguished philosopher, was published in a wide variety of subjects, including moral philosophy, the philosophy of psychology, and the history of psychology.  He was a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Georgetown University and a Fellow of the Faculty of Philosophy, Oxford University, among other prestigious faculty appointments over the years. He came to the Institute of the Psychological Sciences (IPS)  in the early 2000’s when invited to teach the course on History and Systems of Psychology. Recognized as one of the greatest historians of psychology and having written one of the definitive books on the subject, Prof. William Nordling and then Dean, Gladys Sweeney, who believed that the Holy Spirit would not settle for anything but the best for the education at IPS, reached out to Dr. Robinson to inquire about the possibility of teaching a course. Professor Robinson, to the surprise of Drs. Nordling and Sweeney replied that it would be a privilege for him to teach one or more courses at IPS. Thus began a remarkable collegial relationship that lasted for over a decade. Dr. Robinson retired from his faculty appointment at IPS in 2011. 

Dr. Robinson with Fr. Richard Gil, first president of IPS, Dean Gladys Sweeney and other guest.

“During the early days of the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, when we were new and unknown in the field of psychology, and even less known in the broader Catholic intellectual world, Dr. Daniel Robinson served as a great ambassador for the IPS and its mission, opening many doors for us.  The IPS (and now Divine Mercy University) could not have asked for a better friend, or a more faithful and generous one, during our early formative years,” shares Dr. William Nordling, IPS Professor. 

 

 

In addition to his role as a faculty member, Prof. Robinson delivered seven public lectures for the Newman Lecture Series, which seeks to promote an international conversation among various disciplines that treat the human person.  He was also the Commencement Speaker at our first Commencement September 5, 2000, and the recipient of our first Honorary Degree, Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

 

Dr. Robinson on a panel discussion with Martin Seligman, with whom he had assembled previously to help develop the framework for Positive Psychology

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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