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Authority and the dialectic of SocratesIn Jenny Bryan, Robert Wardy & James Warren (eds.), Authors and Authorities in Ancient Philosophy, Cambridge University Press. 2018.
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14Some Aspects of Aspect: Reflections on M.M. McCabe’s ‘First Chop Your Logos: Socrates and the Sophists on Language, Logic and Development’Australasian Philosophical Review 3 (2): 151-154. 2019.ABSTRACT McCabe is right on one thing and wrong on another. She is right to draw our attention to the different aspects that a verb might have—and not only because attention to aspect helps us understand what is going on in Plato’s Euthydemus. Getting straight on aspect promises benefits for our philosophy of action, and for our metaphysics more generally, comparable to those of getting straight about modality and about excuses. The same is true of getting straight on the active, middle, and pas…Read more
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23The Master Argument of Diodorus CronusHistory of Philosophy & Logical Analysis 2 (1): 239-252. 1999.
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86Ethics in Plato's RepublicRoyal Institute of Philosophy Lecture Series 20 19-32. 1986.Why should I be just? What have I to gain if I am decent, honest, moral, upright, fair and truthful? Other people benefit if I am just, but do I? And doesn't it seem clear that sometimes the benefit that other people receive from my being just is a benefit received at my expense? Perhaps then I have no adequate reason to be just. Perhaps if I have any sense I will not bother.
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Reading Platonic Writing: A Discussion of Christopher Rowe, Plato and the Art of Philosophical WritingIn Brad Inwood (ed.), Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, Volume Xxxvi, Oxford University Press. 2009.
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72J.-F. Pradeau : Platon: Alcibiade. Pp. 243. Paris: G. F. Flammarion, 1999. Paper, frs. 39. ISBN: 2-08070988-7The Classical Review 50 (1): 278-279. 2000.
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15Plato: The Apology of Socrates and Xenophon: The Apology of Socrates (edited book)Cambridge University Press. 2019.In 399 BC Socrates was prosecuted, convicted, sentenced to death and executed. These events were the culmination of a long philosophical career, a career in which, without writing a word, he established himself as the figure whom all philosophers of the next few generations wished to follow. The Apologies by Plato and Xenophon are rival accounts of how, at his trial, Socrates defended himself and his philosophy. This edition brings together both Apologies within a single volume. The commentary a…Read more
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The Seventh Letter: A Discussion of Myles Burnyeat and Michael Frede, The Pseudo-Platonic Seventh LetterOxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 51 283-292. 2016.
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52The Master Argument of Diodorus Chronus: A Near MissHistory of Philosophy & Logical Analysis 2 (1): 239-252. 1999.Diodorus' Master Argument was intended to show that whatever is possible either is or will be true. The intended conclusion does not follow from the extant premisses of the Master Argument. The Near Miss argues however, from those premisses alone, that nothing can be more than momentarily an exception to the Master Argument's intended conclusion. Strong arguments support even the most contentious of those premisses . We therefore cannot easily ignore the Near Miss. Moreover, there are various su…Read more
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74Plato's Theory of StuffsPhilosophy 58 (225). 1983.The theory of forms makes a very poor theory of universals. It-or at least the "phaedo's" version of it-makes excellent sense as a theory of the elemental stuffs from which everything is made. This is shown by a detailed examination of all that this "phaedo" has to say about forms
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89Why Do Mirrors Reverse Left/Right and Not up/down?Philosophy 69 (268). 1994.Imagine a child′s toy arrow, sticking by its rubber sucker to a mirror′s reflective surface. We can call the direction in which such an arrow would point the finwards direction ; and we can call the opposite direction boutwards . When we look at things in a mirror, their images are apparently just as far finwards of the mirror as the things themselves are boutwards of it. For example, if we look at the tail of our arrow and cast our glance finwards, we see first the tail, then the head, then the…Read more
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64Truth, etc.: Six lectures on ancient logic – Jonathan BarnesPhilosophical Quarterly 58 (230). 2008.
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54V*—Chess and Life: The Structure of a Moral CodeProceedings of the Aristotelian Society 82 (1): 59-68. 1982.Nicholas Denyer; V*—Chess and Life: The Structure of a Moral Code, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, Volume 82, Issue 1, 1 June 1982, Pages 59–68, https
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52The Republic (D.) Cairns, (F.-G.) Herrmann, (T.) Penner (edd.) Pursuing the Good. Ethics and Metaphysics in Plato's Republic. (Edinburgh Leventis Studies 4.) Pp. xii + 340. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. Cased, £75. ISBN: 978-0-7486-2811- (review)The Classical Review 59 (2): 381-. 2009.
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The Phaedo's final argumentIn Dominic Scott (ed.), Maieusis: Essays in Ancient Philosophy in Honour of Myles Burnyeat, Oxford University Press. 2007.
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38Just warRoyal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 46 137-. 2000.The innocent are immune. We must never, that is, make the object of any violent attack those who bear no responsibility for doing wrong to others; and only with grave reason and in extreme circumstances should we be prepared to cause them any incidental harm as we press home a violent attack against those who are its legitimate objects. This principle of the immunity of the innocent seems almost self-evidently true. This is not to say that the principle is incapable of further development and ar…Read more
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71Names, verbs and sentencesPhilosophy 73 (4): 619-623. 1998.Metaphysicians often declare that there are large ontological differences (properties versus individuals, universals versus particulars) correlated with the linguistic distinction between names and verbs. Gaskin argues against all such declarations on the grounds that we may quantify with equal ease over the referents of both types of expression. However, his argument must be wrong, given the massive differences between first- and second-order qualification. Its only grain of truth is that these…Read more
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9Philoponus, Diodorus, and PossibilityClassical Quarterly 48 (1): 327-327. 1998.The definition here ascribed to Philo is entirely in line with what we know of Philo from else where: Alex. Aphr. in APr. 184.6–10; Simp, in Cat. 195.33–196.5; Boethius, in de Int. 234.10–15. The same is not true of the definition here ascribed to Diodorus. For Diodorus, we are told elsewhere, defined the possible as that which either is or will be so: Cic. Fat. 13, 17; Plu. de Stoic rep. 1055d-e; Alex. Aphr. in APr. 183.42–184.5; Boethius, in de Int. 234.22–4,412.16–7. Something has therefore g…Read more
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1Plato: Alcibiades (edited book)Cambridge University Press. 2001.The Alcibiades was widely read in antiquity as the very best introduction to Plato. Alcibiades in his youth associated with Socrates, and went on to a spectacularly disgraceful career in politics. When Socrates was executed for 'corrupting the young men', Alcibiades was cited as a prime example. This dialogue represents Socrates meeting the charming but intellectually lazy Alcibiades as he is about to enter adult life, and using all his wiles in an attempt to win him for philosophy. In spite of …Read more
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181Language, thought, and falsehood in ancient Greek philosophyRoutledge. 1991.CONTRASTING PREJUDICES TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD How can one say something false? How can one even think such a thing? Since, for example, all men are mortal, ...
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62Names, verbs and quantification againPhilosophy 74 (3): 439-440. 1999.There are enormous differences between quantifying name-variables only, quantifying verb-variables only, and quantifying both. These differences are found only in the logic of polyadic predication; and this presumably is why Richard Gaskin thinks that they distinguish names from transitive verbs only, and not from verbs generally. But that thought is mistaken: these differences also distinguish names from intransitive verbs. They thus vindicate the common idea that on the difference between name…Read more
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Trinity CollegeFellow, Senior College Lecturer, Director of Studies
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Cambridge UniversitySenior Lecturer
Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America
Areas of Interest
History of Western Philosophy |