•  1
    Socrates: Seeker or Preacher?
    In Sara Ahbel‐Rappe & Rachana Kamtekar (eds.), A Companion to Socrates, Blackwell. 2005.
    This chapter contains sections titled: Exhortation, Refutation, and Examination Inquiry – Not Teaching The “What is x?” Question.
  •  57
    Review: Remembering Socrates (review)
    Mind 116 (462): 434-439. 2007.
  •  15
    Good for Anything?
    Ancient Philosophy 42 (1): 83-103. 2022.
    This paper aims to show that in Republic ii Glaucon and Adeimantus contend that being just is not a good of any kind; it is the good consequences of seeming just that place it in Glaucon’s third and lowest class of goods. The brothers challenge Socrates to prove that being just has good consequences. They do not ask him to prove that being just is good for itself apart from its consequences, nor is this something he attempts to prove.
  •  23
    It is argued that the true definition of justice in Plato’s Republic appears not in Book IV but in Book I, where it is clear that justice is other-oriented or external rather than internal as per Book IV. Indeed, on Book IV’s definition, there is virtually no difference between justice and moderation. Considered here is a single argument between Socrates and Thrasymachus, in which Socrates contends that imperfect injustice is “stronger” than perfect. Rather than producing a just group, the justi…Read more
  •  3
    Free to Care: Socrates’ Political Engagement
    In Paul J. Diduch & Michael P. Harding (eds.), Socrates in the Cave: On the Philosopher’s Motive in Plato, Springer Verlag. pp. 165-183. 2018.
    Taking her bearings from Socrates’ remark in Apology that “I always do your business, going to each of you privately, as a father or an older brother might do, persuading you to care for virtue”, Weiss argues that Socrates’ relationship with Alcibiades exemplifies Socrates’ freedom to care. Freedom to care means, in large part, freedom from the desires that might lead a teacher to sexually exploit his student. As Alcibiades testifies, Socrates exhibits the kind of self-control that is an absolut…Read more
  •  43
    Ο 'Αγαθός As ΌΔυνατός in the Hippias Minor
    Classical Quarterly 31 (2): 287-304. 1981.
    This paper is an attempt so to construe the arguments of the Hippias Minor as to remove the justification for regarding it as unworthy of Plato either because of its alleged fallaciousness and Sophistic mode of argument or because of its alleged immorality. It focuses, therefore, only on the arguments and their conclusions, steering clear of the dialogue's dramatic and literary aspects. Whereas I do not wish to deny the importance of these aspects to a proper understanding of the dialogue – on t…Read more
  •  7
    Crescas: Light of the Lord : Translated with Introduction and Notes (edited book)
    Oxford University Press. 2018.
    This is the first complete English translation of Hasdai Crescas's Light of the Lord, a seminal work of medieval Jewish philosophy. Crescas challenges the Aristotelian underpinnings of medieval thought, introduces alternative physical and metaphysical theories, and presents service to the God of love and benefaction as the goal for humankind.
  •  32
    Platonic Writings, Platonic Readings (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 11 (2): 424-427. 1991.
  •  28
    Waiting for Godo... and Godan: Completing Rowe’s Critique of the Ontological Argument
    European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 9 (1): 65--86. 2017.
    In his critique of Anselm’s ontological argument for God’s existence, William Rowe introduces the concepts of “magico” and “magican” — defining “magicos” as magicians that do not exist, and “magicans” as magicians that do exist — to help diagnose what may have gone wrong in Anselm’s argument. As I made my way through Rowe’s intriguing article, I found myself waiting for “Godo” — and for “Godan.” I expected Rowe to invoke these counterparts to his “magico” and “magican” — a non-existing God to co…Read more
  •  44
    Euthyphro's failure
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 24 (4): 437-452. 1986.
  •  14
    Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy, and: The Philosophy of Socrates (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 39 (1): 137-139. 2001.
    In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Journal of the History of Philosophy 39.1 (2001) 137-139 [Access article in PDF] Gareth B. Matthews. Socratic Perplexity and the Nature of Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Pp. 137. Cloth, $29.95 Thomas C. Brickhouse and Nicholas D. Smith. The Philosophy of Socrates. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000. Pp. x + 290. Paper $22.00. Matthews' little book tracks the course of Socrates' perplexity, which, Matthews contend…Read more
  •  3
    Socrates Dissatisfied. An Analysis of Plato's Crito
    Mind 110 (437): 293-296. 2001.
  •  23
    Of Art and Wisdom (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 18 (1): 177-182. 1998.
  •  80
    One of very few monographs devoted to Plato's Meno, this study emphasizes the interplay between its protagonists, Socrates and Meno. It interprets the Meno as Socrates' attempt to persuade his interlocutor, by every device at his disposal, of the value of moral inquiry—even though it fails to yield full-blown knowledge—and to encourage him to engage in such inquiry, insofar as it alone makes human life worth living.
  •  52
    Courage, Confidence, and Wisdom in the Protagoras
    Ancient Philosophy 5 (1): 11-24. 1985.
  •  11
    The Moral and Social Dimensions of Gratitude
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 23 (4): 491-501. 2010.
  •  11
    Plato’s Craft of Justice (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 17 (1): 174-178. 1997.
  •  51
    Killing, Confiscating, and Banishing at Gorgias 466-468
    Ancient Philosophy 12 (2): 299-315. 1992.
  •  133
    The Right Exchange
    Ancient Philosophy 7 (n/a): 57-66. 1987.
  •  7
    Ο 'Αγαθός As ΌΔυνατός in the Hippias Minor
    Classical Quarterly 31 (2): 287-304. 1981.
    This paper is an attempt so to construe the arguments of the Hippias Minor as to remove the justification for regarding it as unworthy of Plato either because of its alleged fallaciousness and Sophistic mode of argument or because of its alleged immorality. It focuses, therefore, only on the arguments and their conclusions, steering clear of the dialogue's dramatic and literary aspects. Whereas I do not wish to deny the importance of these aspects to a proper understanding of the dialogue – on t…Read more
  •  8
    Saadiah on Divine Grace and Human Suffering
    Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 9 (2): 155-171. 2000.