Crittenden studied philosophy and theology at the Catholic Institute of Sydney (CIS),where he completed a doctorate in 1962 with a thesis entitled The Concept of Virtue from Socrates to Thomas Aquinas. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at Yale Divinity School (1964–65),and later earned a B.Litt. from Balliol College,Oxford (1965–68) with a thesis entitled Intentional Action and Causes.[3]
Academic career
He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1959 and served concurrently with his academic work until resigning in 1983. His first full-time appointment was at the University of Canterbury,New Zealand (1971–76). In 1978,he joined the University of Sydney as a lecturer,advancing to Senior Lecturer (1983),Associate Professor (1990),and Professor (1991).[2]
Crittenden served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1990 to 1996. During his tenure,he worked to support collaboration across departments,including the Philosophy programs.[4]
Philosophical approach and public engagement
Engaging with both analytic and continental traditions,Crittenden’s work examines historical philosophical developments and their modern relevance. He edited the journal Critical Philosophy (1984–88).
His book *Sartre in Search of an Ethics* was reviewed in Sophia by Steven Churchill (2010),who refers to him as "Emeritus Professor Paul Crittenden (University of Sydney)" and discusses his exploration of Sartre’s ethical development.[5][6]
He further contributes to clinical ethics as a former member of the Sydney Local Health Medical Ethics Review Committee at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (1990–99). In retirement,he continues to publish extensively and referees for journals such as Sophia.[7][8]
Selected works
Books
Learning to be Moral:Philosophical Thoughts about Moral Development (Humanities Press,1990).[9]
Changing Orders:Scenes of Clerical and Academic Life (Brandl &Schlesinger,2008).[2]
Sartre in Search of an Ethics (Cambridge Scholars Publishing,2009).[10]
Reason,Will and Emotion:Defending the Greek Tradition against Triune Consciousness (Palgrave Macmillan,2012).[11]
Life Hereafter:The Rise and Decline of a Tradition (Palgrave Macmillan,2021).[12]
(ed. with John Grumley &Pauline Johnson) Culture and Enlightenment:Essays for György Markus (Ashgate,2002).[13]
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