From 1968 until his death in 2003, Gerald Hanratty was professor of philosophy at University College Dublin. In this volume dedicated to his memory, Fran O'Rourke has assembled twenty-six essays reflecting Hanratty's broad philosophical interests, dealing with central questions of human existence and the ultimate meaning of the universe. Whether engaged in historical investigations into Gnosticism or the Enlightenment, Hanratty was concerned with fundamental themes in the philosophy of religion and philosophical anthropology.

Human Destinies brings together a wide range of approaches to these central questions. Included are historical studies of classical thinkers of the ancient and medieval periods (Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Aquinas) and studies of numerous modern authors (among them, Kant, Husserl, Heidegger, Marcel, Adorno, Derrida, Plantinga, Scruton, and many others).

Contributors: Fran O'Rourke, Peter L. P. Simpson, Rowland Stout, Andrew Smith, Eoin G. Cassidy, Cyril O'Regan, Michael Nolan, Patrick Masterson, Tim Lynch, James R. O'Shea, Ciarán McGlynn, Maria Baghramian, Mark Dooley, Brendan Purcell, Brendan Sweetman, Ciarán Benson, Richard Kearney, Dermot Moran, Belinda McKeon, Brian Elliott, Eileen Brennan, Liberato Santoro-Brienza, Brian O'Connor, Timothy Mooney, David Walsh, and Gerard Casey.