Born in London in 1944 and educated at Alleyn's School and University College, Oxford, Michael Inwood studied classics and specialised in philosophy. Most of Inwood's publications were on German philosophy, especially Hegel and Heidegger, but occasionally on Greek philosophy. Inwood was a Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Trinity College, Oxford, from 1967 until 2011, and was later an Emeritus Fellow of the College.