Thomas Moore (he/him)
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
PhD Student
GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistant)
Full contact details
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
9 Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 4DT
- Profile
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Thomas Moore is a UKRI-funded PhD researcher in Philosophy at the University of Sheffield. His doctoral thesis examines how Classical Confucian ideas about the self can inform contemporary responses to excessive individualism in Western societies. Drawing on both Western and Chinese traditions, he uses a methodology of 'philosophical reconstruction' to develop a relational account of personhood that challenges the atomistic assumptions of neoliberalism, and explores how such a model can reshape political and ethical debates around identity, care, and social recognition.
Thomas has published in the journal Asian Studies and his work has been recognised with international awards, including the $3,000 Charles Fu Foundation Prize for Best Paper in Chinese Philosophy and the European Association for Chinese Philosophy Young Scholar Award. He has presented at major international conferences, including delivering a plenary address at the 2025 International Society for Chinese Philosophy Conference. His award-winning research has also been featured as an example of exemplary comparative philosophy on a graduate course at San Diego State University.
Beyond academia, he writes for public audiences, contributing to the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute blog. He also has policy research experience from working in the Office of Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP, an internship he secured after winning a national policy proposal competition judged by Mr Miliband. His work there focused on social enterprises and inequality, producing research that informed Mr Miliband’s public engagement and policy initiatives.
Dr Joshua Forstenzer - Primary Supervisor
Professor T. Ryan Byerly and Dr Sarah Flavel - Secondary Supervisors
- Qualifications
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University of Sheffield, PhD in Philosophy, 2022-2026
University of Sheffield, MA (Distinction, 2nd place in Cohort) in Philosophy, 2021-2022
University of Nottingham BA (1st Class, 1st place in Cohort) in Politics and Economics 2018-2021
ESB Level 4 Award in Professional Presentation Skills – Distinction
- Research interests
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Thomas Moore is a PhD researcher in comparative philosophy at the University of Sheffield, exploring how the Classical Confucian conception of the relational self can offer fresh resources for addressing the problem of excessive individualism in the contemporary West. His work employs the methodology of philosophical reconstruction to bring ancient Confucian insights into dialogue with modern political and ethical concerns. He aims to clarify and defend a relationist interpretation of the Confucian self, distinct from both atomistic individualism and collectivism, and to demonstrate its practical relevance for issues such as political alienation, social care, and recognition in modern societies. By bridging Chinese philosophy, Western communitarian thought, and political theory, his research seeks to expand the conceptual tools available for rethinking personhood and community in a fragmented age.
- Research group
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Professor James Lenman
Dr Joshua Forstenzer
- Grants
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£99568: 2022-2026 AHRC White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities (WRoCAH) £99568 Studentship (£76,370 four-year stipend, £14,578 Tuition Fees, £8620 Extra Grants to Fund Language Training and Conference Attendance). Ranked in the top 1% of 600+ applications, my application was made available to future applicants as one of six examples of an outstanding grant application.
≈ £99568: 2022-2026 AHRC Midlands 4 Cities (M4C) Studentship (Declined)
£900: 2025 University of Sheffield Research Training Support Grant (Language Training)
£1214: 2024 Confucius Institute Scholarship to Fund 1 Month Visiting Studentship at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU, 北京语言大学) (4-Weeks Tuition, Accommodation and Comprehensive Medical Insurance)
£5089.74: 2023-24 WRoCAH Student Led Forum Funding for Oral History Collective Seminar Series (Grant Co-Applicant)
- Teaching activities
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Truth, Reality and Virtual Reality Spring 2025 (Delivered 12 Seminar Tutorials)
Ancient Chinese Philosophy Spring 2023 (Designed and Delivered Two Lectures and Four Seminar Tutorials on Daoism)
History of Ethics Spring 2023 (Delivered 16 Seminar Tutorials)
Foundation Year Supervisor Spring 2023: Dan Garrity ‘Death, Grief and Collective Loss’ (Delivered Two 1-1 Supervisions)
- Professional activities and memberships
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Thomas is a member of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy and the European Association for Chinese Philosophy. He has given the following presentations at the following conferences and events:
'The Confucian Conception of Self: Collectivist or Relational?'
Invited Plenary presented to an audience of 143 people at the International Society for Chinese Philosophy Conference, 20th–23rd June 2025
'Can the Confucian Relational Conception of the Self Provide an Alternative to Excessive Individualism?'
Presented to a Panel at the International Society for Chinese Philosophy Conference, 20th–23rd June 2025'Whatever Happened to Botton Village: An Explanation of a Split'
Invited Speaker at an Esk Valley Camphill Community Event in Honey Bee Hall, 2nd December 2024'Can the Confucian Emphasis on the Family Help to Address the Decline of Social Capital in the Modern West?'
Presented to RIFCH (International Conference of the Iberoamerican Network of Chinese Philosophy), 19th–20th December 2023'Should Economics Increase the Value it Puts on Place'
Presented at Social Ontology 2023, 16th–18th August 2023'The Value of Place and Climate Change: A Conservative Argument for Climate Action'
Presented at Brave New World MANCEPT Conference, 28th–29th June 2023'Is Confucianism Compatible with a Laclauian Conception of Democracy?'
Presented at the European Association of Chinese Philosophy 4th Biennial Conference, 16th–18th June 2023'The Phenomenology of the Relational Self: A Japanese Critique of Heidegger’s Conception of Authenticity'
Presented at the Warwick Continental Philosophy Conference, 8th–9th June 2023'Anti-Meat-Freeganism: An Argument Against Promoting the Consumption of Meat that Would Otherwise go to Waste'
Presented at SaARC Tales 3, a two-day symposium hosted by the Sheffield Animal Studies Research Centre, 10th–11th May 2023'The Value of Place and Climate Change: A Conservative Argument for Greater Climate Action'
Presented at the WRoCAH Annual Festival of Research, 20th October 2022'How Does the Concept of the Relational Self Impact the Egoism-Altruism Debate?'
Presented at the Fordham Philosophical Society Graduate Conference on Self and Society, 16th February 2022