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26Language. Vol. 3 of Companions to Ancient ThoughtPhilosophical Review 105 (2): 241. 1996.Language is the third in a series of volumes edited by Stephen Everson devoted to the examination of a special topic in philosophy from its origins in the pre-Socratic thinkers through to Late Antiquity. In keeping with its predecessors, Epistemology and Psychology, this is a collection of essays whose audience is primarily Anglo-American philosophers of an analytic bent. “This new series of Companions is intended particularly for students of ancient thought who will be reading the texts in tran…Read more
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Chapter two. Socratic metaphysics?In The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 28-48. 2009.
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27The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's MetaphysicsPrinceton University Press. 2002.The Dialectic of Essence offers a systematic new account of Plato's metaphysics. Allan Silverman argues that the best way to make sense of the metaphysics as a whole is to examine carefully what Plato says about ousia (essence) from the Meno through the middle period dialogues, the Phaedo and the Republic, and into several late dialogues including the Parmenides, the Sophist, the Philebus, and the Timaeus. This book focuses on three fundamental facets of the metaphysics: the theory of Forms; the…Read more
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AppendixIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 299-310. 2009.
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IntroductionIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 1-12. 2009.
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14Commentary on Sauvé MeyerProceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium of Ancient Philosophy 29 (1): 70-74. 2014.This short comment on Professor Sauvé Meyer’s paper attempts to draw attention to two issues that influence our understanding of Divine responsibility in the Timaeus. The first concerns the question of the literalness of the argument. If there is no creation, per much of the ancient tradition of commentators on the Timaeus, then there can be no divine responsibility. The second is the Timaeus’ account of the origin of non-human animals. Since they come from ‘fallen humans,’ and since they are ne…Read more
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50Timaean ParticularsClassical Quarterly 42 (01): 87-. 1992.At 47e–53c of the Timaeus Plato presents his most detailed metaphysical analysis of particulars. We are told about the construction of the physical universe, the ways we can and cannot talk about the phenomena produced, and about the two causes – Necessity and Intelligence – which govern the processes and results of production. It seems to me that we are told too much and too little: too much, because we have two accounts of the generation of phenomenal particulars – one, the ‘formal account’, w…Read more
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BibliographyIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 367-378. 2009.
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38Plato on Perception and 'Commons'Classical Quarterly 40 (01): 148-. 1990.On the face of it, Plato's treatment of aisthesis is decidedly ambiguous. Sometimes he treats aisthesis as a faculty which, though distinct from all rational capacities, is nonetheless capable of forming judgments such as ‘This stick is bent’ or ‘The same thing is hard and soft’. In the Theaetetus, however, he appears to separate aisthesis from judgment, isolating the former from all prepositional, identificatory and recognitional capacities. The dilemma is easily expressed: Is perception a judg…Read more
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59Meaning, Relation, and Existence in Plato’s Parmenides (review)Ancient Philosophy 10 (1): 131-135. 1990.
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Chapter three. The emergence of formsIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 49-103. 2009.
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1Chapter five. Forms and languageIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 137-181. 2009.
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1The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's MetaphysicsPhilosophical Quarterly 55 (220): 507-510. 2005.
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109Ascent and descent: The philosopher's regretSocial Philosophy and Policy 24 (2): 40-69. 2007.The aim of this long essay is to explain why the philosopher-ruler of Plato's Republic descends “with regret” or having been “compelled” from his contemplation of the Forms to rule the state. It offers a new, optimistic interpretation of his goal in so descending, namely to try to make everyone into a philosopher. After a brief introductory section, I turn to the argument of the Republic to show both that the philosopher's understanding of the Good causes him to try to maximize the amount of goo…Read more
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Index LocorumIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 379-386. 2009.
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Chapter six. Not-beingsIn The Dialectic of Essence: A Study of Plato's Metaphysics, Princeton University Press. pp. 182-217. 2009.
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27Timaean ParticularsClassical Quarterly 42 (1): 87-113. 1992.At 47e–53c of the Timaeus Plato presents his most detailed metaphysical analysis of particulars. We are told about the construction of the physical universe, the ways we can and cannot talk about the phenomena produced, and about the two causes – Necessity and Intelligence – which govern the processes and results of production. It seems to me that we are told too much and too little: too much, because we have two accounts of the generation of phenomenal particulars – one, the ‘formal account’, w…Read more
Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Metaphysics |
Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Metaphysics |
Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy |