Education

Supported by over 55 years of experience in academia, Rev. Dr. Thomas R. Flynn is a prominent figure within the realms of philosophy and theology. Since 1987, he has served as a Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Philosophy at Emory University in Atlanta. Commencing his employment at Emory University in 1978 as an assistant professor, he advanced through the ranks to associate professor and full professor in 1981 and 1985, respectively. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and instructor of philosophy at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, beginning in 1962.

Notably graduating first in his class at Gregorian University in Rome with a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1962, Dr. Flynn is fluent in Latin language and is an ordained priest. Starting out his career as a road show singer, he subsequently developed a faith in religion, as well as a passion for philosophy. Writing more than 100 essays throughout the course of his career, he most recently authored “Sartre: A Philosophical Biography” in 2014. Prior to this publication, he authored “Existentialism: A Very Short Introduction” in 2006, which has been translated into Chinese, German and Arabic.

In light of his profound contributions to his alma mater, Carroll College, the college awarded Dr. Flynn with an honorary LHD in 2006 in recognition of his immense contributions to the college. He had previously established a grant at Carroll College, where he contributed to the endowment chair within the Department of Philosophy with a financial gift of $3 million.

Lending his expertise to myriad organizations, Dr. Flynn is a past president of the American Catholic Philosophy Association, past senior faculty fellow of the Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry at Emory University, past Andrew W. Mellon fellow of the National Humanities Center in North Carolina, past fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University and past executive director of the Sartre Society of North America. Likewise, he sat on the executive committee of the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, the board of directors of the American Philosophical Association, and the executive committee of the International Association for Philosophy and Literature. Furthermore, he is a senior fellow of the American Council of Learned Societies.

Dr. Flynn has accrued several accolades since the inception of his career. The recipient of the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award in 1981 and Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award in the Humanities in 1990, he also earned the United Methodist Church Award for University Scholar Teaching in 1986. In recognition of his success, he was highlighted in the 17th edition of Who’s Who in the World in 1999.