Sami Syrjämäki

Sami Syrjämäki, born 1968, is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Tampere, Finland.

His main interests are anachronisms and the concept of liberty. He is writing his doctoral thesis ”Sins of A Historian” on the concept of anachronism applying Quentin Skinner’s methodological writings. Demarcating between different kinds of anachronisms he aims to construct a productive view on anachronisms that will have practical value for historians, especially for conceptual historians, and enlarge theoretical understanding of questions related to the concept of anachronism in general. The main classification between types of anachronisms is between sin and original sin. Anachronisms, which can be avoided – at least in principle – belong to the first group and those types of anachronisms that stem from our being inescapably tied to the present belong to the latter class. In his research special attention is given to the history of concepts and ways of analysing discontinuities and continuities within different levels of concepts under investigation.

As well as being a member of the CONCEPTA board, he is involved with the “Freedom as an historical, moral and economical concept” –project. He is also editor of the Finnish philosophical journal niin & näin; an editor of the philosophy portal www.filosofia.fi and editor in chief of the Finnish internet encyclopaedia of philosophy Logos.

He has published articles on concept the of liberty, Quentin Skinner, the historiography of philosophy and the relation of history and philosophy. His articles include ”An Exercise in Philosophy – Danto on Nietzsche” (Rivista di estetica) and encylopedia article on  ”Quentin Skinner” (together with Petri Koikkalainen). His publications also include translations (e.g. Quentin Skinner’s “Third Concept of Liberty”) and interviews (e.g. with Quentin Skinner, Philip Pettit).

Sami Syrjämäki is the webmaster of the Concepta-pages.