Known especially for his work on philosophical skepticism, he wrote about David Hume, Ludwig Wittgenstein, the metaphysics of color, and many other topics.

[3] With a thesis titled Two Conventionalistic Theories of Logical Truth, written under the direction of Morton White, he received his Ph.D. there in 1962.

[8] Though officially retiring at the end of the 2015-2016 academic year, he continued his research, teaching and advising as a professor of the Graduate School.

[4] He returned to Brazil, where several of his works have been translated into Portuguese and discussed in print,[18][19] in 2014 to participate in the 16th ANPOF conference in Campos do Jordão,[20][21][22] Stroud's first book Hume (1977),[23] which received positive reviews from R. F. Atkinson in Hume Studies[24] and Donald W. Livingston[25] amongst others,[26][27] won the Matchette Prize in 1979.

[1] It included essay contributions from Robert Fogelin, Ernest Sosa, John McDowell, Sarah Stroud[33] and UC Berkeley colleague Hannah Ginsborg[34] amongst others.

[37][6] Having been diagnosed with advanced stage brain cancer just two months prior, Barry Stroud died on 9 August 2019.

[38] A memorial by former student, and fellow philosopher, John Schwenkler was published by 3 Quarks Daily on 19 August 2019.