Dr Jon Phelan

Associate Supervisor
Email: jp555@cam.ac.uk

An Associate Supervisor for postgraduate supervision at Westcott House, Jon’s areas of specialism include:

• The philosophy of literature and literary criticism (for instance, what we learn from literary art; and the relation between morality and literature)
• Iris Murdoch

With academic interests in:

• Theology and literature; the definition of abuse; and the hard problem of consciousness

Jon is a College Lecturer, Fellow and Director of Studies in Philosophy at Homerton College, where he also directs studies in Theology, Religion and the Philosophy of Religion (TRPR). He is an undergraduate tutor and an academic skills advisor. In addition, he is Director of Studies in Philosophy and a Teaching Associate at Wolfson College. As Director of Studies, he co-ordinates the teaching and exam entries for students and provides some of this teaching – mainly in Aesthetics. Jon also works for The University of Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education.

He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a member of The Iris Murdoch Society, The British Society of Aesthetics, and The Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.

Outside of academic pursuits, Jon has an allotment, enjoys spending time with friends and is a keen horse rider.

Publications

Phelan, J. (2025) ‘The Virtue in Literature’ in Garry Hagberg ed. Fictional Worlds and Philosophical Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan.

Phelan, J. (2025) ‘Divided by a Common Thread: a comparative study of close reading in literature and philosophy’ in Z. Nalewajk, M. Czardybon & A. Lockwood, eds. Literature and Philosophy. Research Methods, Forms and Categories of Thought. Brill Fink.

Phelan, J. (2021): ‘A. I. Richards: can artificial intelligence appreciate poetry?’ Philosophy and Literature. Spring edition, 45: 71-87.

Phelan, J. (2021) Literature and Understanding. London: Routledge.

Photo credit: Wolfson College.