Dennis Klimchuk
Associate Professor
Cross Appointment with Faculty of Law
Member, Rotman Institute of Philosophy
Philosophy of Law, History of Political Philosophy
BA, MA Manitoba; PhD Toronto
Phone: 519-661-2111 ext. 85758
Office: Stevenson Hall 4150
E-mail: klimchuk@uwo.ca
Website:
My main research interests are in philosophy of law (especially but not only private law theory) and the history of political philosophy (especially but not only in the early modern period). I am particularly interested in issues in which these two overlap, for example, in questions of the foundations and limits of rights in property. Something I’ve been pursuing from a few directions is the idea that there is a category of actions taken within but in abuse of right, which idea suggests interesting conceptual links among a number of doctrines in private and public law and all of those with principles of the rule of law. I’m also been working on some questions in Hobbes and am thinking of writing a book about an idea in Grotius’s account of property.
I’d be happy to supervise nearly any topic in philosophy of law or the history of political philosophy. I’m also able to serve in advisory roles on theses in some other areas of the history of philosophy and in some topics in philosophy of the human sciences (including psychiatry).
Recent publications
Articles
"State Estoppel." In Law and Philosophy 39 (3):297-323 (2020).
"Grotius on Property and the Right of Necessity." In Journal of the History of Philosophy 56 (2):239-260 (2018).
"Limiting Leviathan: Hobbes on Law and International Affairs, by Larry May." In Mind 124 (495):941-945 (2015).
