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2ProtagorasBloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc. 2015.From humble beginnings to celebrated teacher -- Protagoras and Pericles -- Protagoras' secret teaching.
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Socrates on Trial: Strategies for Teaching Ancient Thought DialecticallyClassical World: A Quarterly Journal on Antiquity 100 (3). 2007.
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18Socrates on Trial: Strategies for TeachingClassical World: A Quarterly Journal on Antiquity 100 (3): 283-295. 2007.
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61Philosophy in fragments: Cultivating philosophic thinking with the presocraticsMetaphilosophy 40 (5): 689-701. 2009.Abstract: This article presents a strategy for introducing Presocratic thought to students in a manner that is both engaging and relevant. The first section addresses students' reactions to the claim that the Presocratics were the first philosophers. The second section considers how the fragmentary state of Presocratic thought does not hinder its comprehension. The third section proposes a classroom exercise for testing the scientific merits of each of the Presocratic theories. The final section…Read more
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ThrasymachusIn Patricia F. O'Grady (ed.), The Sophists: An Introduction, Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 93-100. 2008.Provides an overview of the life and thought of the sophist and rhetorician Thrasymachus of Chalcedon.
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The Double ArgumentsIn Patricia F. O'Grady (ed.), The Sophists: An Introduction, Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 147-153. 2008.Provides an overview of the anonymous work of sophistic rhetoric known as Dissoi Logoi or Double Arguments.
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“Plato’s Supposed Defense of the Division of Labor: A Reexamination of the Role of Job Specialization in the Republic.”History of Political Economy 42 (4): 747-772. 2010.This article challenges the long-standing belief that Plato is an early proponent of the division of labor on account of the political proposals advanced in the Republic. In contrast, I contend that the Republic offers a radical critique—rather than any endorsement—of job specialization and its accompanying psychological orientation toward acquisitiveness. The article begins with a methodological section that attempts to explain the origin of the common misreading of Plato's works and forwards a…Read more
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1“Ousting Cephalus: The Role of the Foreigner in Athenian Politics and Plato’s Republic.”Ancient World 41 (1): 43-56. 2010.Despite initiating the discussion and introducing the first definition examined in Plato’s Republic, Cephalus is quickly compelled to leave the discussion. Many scholars read the dramatic action of this opening exchange as a coup d’ tat in which Socrates overthrows Cephalus’ reign over the community and usurps his ancestral command over the conversation. In contrast, I contend that Cephalus presents a competing moral claim as a representative of the class of moneymakers.
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“Socrates’ Critique of 21st Century Neuroscience.”Scientific American 1. 2019.This essay explores Socrates’ rejection of early materialist attempts to explain human behavior leading to his revolutionary development of an ethical based approach to psychology.
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21Reading Philosophy with FriendsTeaching Philosophy 29 (3): 237-243. 2006.Many students are overwhelmed when encountering a primary work of philosophy. Since their previous studies have not prepared them for the demands of reading a philosophic work, the philosophy instructor must be responsible for instilling in them the necessary skills to approach the subject matter. This article details the use and benefits of reading groups as a means of cultivating analytical reading skills. Students who participate in reading groups are reported to be more confident when engagi…Read more
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1“Plato and Food.”In Paul B. Thompson & David M. Kaplan (eds.), Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Ethics, Springer Verlag. pp. 1495-1502. 2012.This essay provides an overview of Plato’s contribution to food ethics. Drawing on various Platonic dialogues, the discussion includes an analysis of the problem of gluttony and the correlate virtue of moderation, the diet of the Republic’s ideal city, and the harmonious order of the tripartite soul.
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7“Cheaters Win When They Make the Rules: Sophistic Ethics in Protagoras’ Prometheus Myth.”.Electra 4 153-174. 2018.Despite Protagoras’ infamous reputation for corrupting his students, his “Great Speech” (Plato, Protagoras 320c-328d) presents one of the most important arguments in the history of ethics. Refuting Socrates’ contention that virtue must be unteachable since even the best of men cannot raise good children, Protagoras argues that everyone is capable of learning the difference between right and wrong.
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13Protagoras: Ancients in ActionBloomsbury Academic. 2015.The presocratic philosopher Protagoras of Abdera (490–420 BC), founder of the sophistic movement, was famously agnostic towards the existence and nature of the gods, and was the proponent of the doctrine that 'man is the measure of all things'. Still relevant to contemporary society, Protagoras is in many ways a precursor of the postmodern movement. In the brief fragments that survive, he lays the foundation for relativism, agnosticism, the significance of rhetoric, a pedagogy for critical think…Read more
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University of Houston, Clear LakeAssociate Professor
Areas of Specialization
History of Western Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
History of Western Philosophy |
Philosophical Traditions |