Presented at Le Collège de France, April 6th 2006, translated into English by Barbara Nelson.

Unpublished paper, still a work in progress
In this paper I will discuss three related theses about the possible roles of the philosopher in public life: (1) He tries to make sense of the world; (2) he tries to educate people to appreciate true values; and (3) he criticizes his own time in light of ideals of practical reason.

A talk for the Philosophy Society
in the University of Aberdeen February 22, 1994

On the contemporary philosophical scene, Derrida holds a remarkable posi­tion. Some people take him to be the most original thinker of our times. Others take him to be the greatest charlatan of 20th century philosophy. And maybe he is both. Or neither.

The Aims and Institutional Structure of the University

How is the university to be organized institutionally? This question has been much discussed recently, and many universities have been reorganized according to certain models which are now in fashion. But there has perhaps been too little systematic recognition of the fact that different institutional models are ordered to different ends; that is to say, it is the ends that are to be served that determine – or anyway should determine – the structure of an institution dedicated to those ends. If this is so, it is a mistake to focus too intensively on any one institutional model and to try to re-form every important institution according to a single paradigm.

In this paper, which gives its name to a collection of articles in English published in 1999, I argue that we need to bring narration and philosophy together in order to understand our historical world. I take as an exemple the philosophies of Hegel and Marx to show how they require realistic narrations to give substance to their theories.

Role and Importance of Universities,NUAS (the Nordic Association of University Administrators)Conference  in Reykjavik May 2013

Lecture delivered April 15th 2008 at Ohio Northern University, by invitation of the Working Group on Religion, Ethics and Nature.

What is the connection between body and soul, thought and spirit? The body is living flesh that has a certain psychic form, as Aristotle thought. Every living thing has a psyche, or soul. The soul is the seat of sensibility; the point at which the living being reacts to the things that impinge upon it and that it senses or feels. Thought, is, on the other hand, the part of the soul that is least constrained by the body. "Thought carries me half of the way / to new worlds," writes the poet, Theodóra Thoroddsen. Spirit, as I understand it, is the confluence of body, soul and thought at a given moment—intimately involved with the way in which temper develops and moods are created. Joy and jubilation, grief and mourning, are phenomena of spirit that influence all of the perceptions, feelings and actions of individuals and groups. Dullness or insensibility are among the worst disabilities of the human spirit and probably the most common root of evil.

Paper delivered at a Colloquium in honor of Michael M. Karlsson at the University of Akureyri on April 19th 2013.

I argue that the Icelandic terms jafnrétti (equal rights), jafnræði (equal position) and jöfnuður (equality) may help us understand  better the concept of Justice.

New book - published january 2015

Whart sort of institution should the university aspire to be? What role should it be playing in the present? How should it be governed? Are universities taking proper care of the knowledge that they are responsible for? These questions, along with others, are pursued by Páll Skúlason in the present volume on the basis of many years of reflection and experience of university administration. His main thesis is that universities need to be more dedicated to critical thinking and to cultivate the moral dimension of scientific, and technical knowledge.

  This paper was originally delivered at Hólar at a conference celebrating the 900^th anni­versary of the School of Hólar on the 29th of April 2006.

This paper deals with the question why universities have become so important in our societies. In answering this question, the author discusses the cosmopolitan nature of universities and describes their activity as the exercise of theoretical thinking. He distinguishes such thinking from political, religious and commercial modes of thinking,

Let me begin by telling you what I am not going to do in this paper. I will not be discussing various philosophical theories about responsibil­ity. My purpose is much more specific. I want to try to map out the main areas where our responsibility for the future is at stake and thus indicate how we may assume our responsibility.

Professor of Philosophy Páll Skúlason on the economic crisis.
Interview in Grapevine 4.12.2008

A Grapevine reporter sat down with Páll to discuss the philosophical sides of the current economic crisis, and to investigate if the current economic bankruptcy was perhaps preceded by a moral bankruptcy.

Professor of philosophy at the University of Iceland and former rector of that university

Born: June 4, 1945 in Akureyri, Iceland. Married to Auður Birgisdóttir and they have three children.

I

Can critical thinking be taught?[1] From the perspective of science and scholarship this is an extremely important question; nor is it less important from the viewpoint of education and instruction.

Lecture in Hanoi November 25th, 2008 at the First Round Table on “Autonomy, Governance and Management in Higher Education in Asia and Europe”, organized by EAHEP (EU-Asia Higher Education Platform) 25 and 26 of November 2008.

Whart sort of institution should the university aspire to be? What role should it be playing in the present? How should it be governed? Are universities taking proper care of the knowledge that they are responsible for? These questions, along with others, are pursued by Páll Skúlason in the present volume on the basis of many years of reflection and experience of university administration. His main thesis is that universities need to be more dedicated to critical thinking and to cultivate the moral dimension of scientific, and technical knowledge.

Whart sort of institution should the university aspire to be? What role should it be playing in the present? How should it be governed? Are universities taking proper care of the knowledge that they are responsible for? These questions, along with others, are pursued by Páll Skúlason in the present volume on the basis of many years of reflection and experience of university administration. His main thesis is that universities need to be more dedicated to critical thinking and to cultivate the moral dimension of scientific, and technical knowledge.

Whart sort of institution should the university aspire to be? What role should it be playing in the present? How should it be governed? Are universities taking proper care of the knowledge that they are responsible for? These questions, along with others, are pursued by Páll Skúlason in the present volume on the basis of many years of reflection and experience of university administration. His main thesis is that universities need to be more dedicated to critical thinking and to cultivate the moral dimension of scientific, and technical knowledge.

Introduction by Paul Ricoeur
A collection of original essays by Páll Skúlason on diverse topics, philosophically challenging, but accessible to the ordinary intelligent reader. The focus is upon issues which are relevant to daily existence; morality and values, science and technology, politics and the state, and the meaning of life. An introduction by one of France's leading philosophers, Paul Ricoeur is included.