University of Texas at Austin
Department of Philosophy
PhD, 1975
Santa Clara, California, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy
Areas of Interest
Metaphysics
Normative Ethics
  •  11
    Plato of Athens: A Life in Philosophy. By Robin Waterfield
    Ancient Philosophy 44 (1): 247-251. 2024.
  •  6
    The Socratic Problem
    In Hugh H. Benson (ed.), A Companion to Plato, Blackwell. 2006.
    This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction The Reliability of our Sources What our Sources tell us about Socrates The Problem of Socrates’ Doctrines.
  •  11
    Socrates
    Polity. 2019.
    Socrates is one the most important thinkers in western philosophy, yet he remains enigmatic, having left behind no works of his own. Instead, his thought is understood primarily through the work of his followers. In this accessible introduction, William Prior assesses Socrates the man, his famous trial, and the nature of his philosophy.
  •  18
    The Historicity of Plato’s Apology
    Polis 18 (1-2): 41-57. 2001.
    Scholars who seek in Plato’s early dialogues an accurate account of the philosophy of the historical Socrates place special weight on the Apology as a source of historical information about him. Even scholars like Charles Kahn, who generally reject this historicist approach to the early dialogues, accept the Apology as a ‘quasi-historical’ document. In this paper I attempt to raise doubts about the historical reliability of the Apology. I argue that the claims used to support the historicity of …Read more
  • The Portrait of Socrates in Plato's Symposium
    Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 31 137-166. 2006.
  •  21
    Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 37 (1): 221-226. 2017.
  •  6
    Socrates Metaphysician
    Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 27 1-14. 2004.
    Following R. E. Allen I argue, against the view of Gregory Vlastos that the Socrates of Plato's early dialogues was exclusively a moral philosopher, that there is a metaphysics, an early version of the theory of Forms, in the Euthyphro and other early dialogues. I respond to several of Vlastos's objections to this view.
  •  13
    J. B. Skemp, "Plato" (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 17 (4): 460. 1979.
  •  47
    Ancient Concepts of Philosophy (review)
    Teaching Philosophy 18 (1): 78-80. 1995.
  •  48
    Virtues of Authenticity (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 21 (1): 182-188. 2001.
  •  575
    Timaeus 48e-52d and the Third Man Argument
    Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Supplementary Volume 9 123-147. 1983.
    In this article I argue that "Timaeus" 48e-52d, the passage in which Plato introduces the receptacle into his ontology, Contains the material for a satisfactory response to the third man argument. Plato's use of "this" and "such" to distinguish the receptacle, Becoming, And the forms clarifies the nature of his ontology and indicates that the forms are not, In general, self-predicative. This result removes one argument against regarding the "Timaeus" as a late dialogue.
  •  20
    Plato
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 17 (4): 460-460. 1979.
  •  57
    Compassion
    Philosophy and Theology 2 (2): 173-191. 1987.
    I argue that the sentiment of compassion is a factor of the first importance in moral theory. This sentiment, which causes us to act well toward persons in need, is an essential element in the psychology of the morally well-developed person. Moral rationalists such as Epictetus and Kant, who contend that the source of moral value is reason rather than compassion, produce a distorted picture of our moral lives. Hume’s moral psychology gives compassion the place it deserves as a motivating factor …Read more
  •  144
    Plato and the "Socratic Fallacy"
    Phronesis 43 (2). 1998.
    Since Peter Geach coined the phrase in 1966 there has been much discussion among scholars of the "Socratic fallacy." No consensus presently exists on whether Socrates commits the "Socratic fallacy"; almost all scholars agree, however, that the "Socratic fallacy" is a bad thing and that Socrates has good reason to avoid it. I think that this consensus of scholars is mistaken. I think that what Geach has labeled a fallacy is no fallacy at all, but a perfectly innocent consequence of Platonic epist…Read more
  •  60
    The Portrait of Socrates in Plato's Symposium
    In David Sedley (ed.), Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy Xxxi: Winter 2006, Oxford University Press. pp. 137-166. 2006.
    I argue that, when Alcibiades' encomium to Socrates is interpreted in light of Socrates' presentation of Diotima's speech, which immediately proceeds it, it shows Socrates to be at the top level of Diotima's "ladder of ascent" to Beauty. If Alcibiades is correct, Socrates' pretense of ignorance is an ironic sham. Socrates, as Plato's mystagogos, must have experiential knowledge of the Form of Beauty.
  • Techne
    In Audi Robert (ed.), The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge University Press. pp. 789. 1995.
    This is a brief dictionary entry on the Greek word "techne" (art or skill) as used in ancient Greek philosophy, in particular in the work of Plato and Aristotle. A techne may be a manual craft, such as carpentry, or a science, such as medicine. A techne is based on universal principles and is capable of being taught.
  •  45
    Plato’s Analysis of Being and Not-Being in the Sophist
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 18 (2): 199-211. 1980.
  •  12
    Virtues of Authenticity (review)
    Ancient Philosophy 21 (1): 182-188. 2001.
  •  5
    Timaeus 48e-52d and the Third Man Argument
    Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Supplementary Volume 9 (n/a): 123-147. 1983.
    In this paper I examine a much discussed passage of the Timaeus. This passage contains one of the most important descriptions of Plato's ontology to be found in all the dialogues. The ontological scheme there described differs from that presented in the middle Platonic dialogues in that a third sort of entity, the Receptacle or space, is added to the two classes of things familiar to readers of the Phaedo and Republic: Being and Becoming. The introduction of the Receptacle into Plato's ontology …Read more
  •  12
    Socrates: critical assessments (edited book)
    Routledge. 1996.
    This four volume set is a collection of some of the most significant scholarship published on the philosophy of Socrates in the last half century. The contributors include many of the most prominent scholars in this field. As the growth in Socratic studies in the past three decades is due in large part to the influential work of Gregory Vlastos, articles by him figure prominently in the collection, and works by other authors are generally related to his work. The volumes deal with different area…Read more
  •  43
    Platonica: The anecdotes concerning the life and writings of Plato
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 18 (1): 80-81. 1980.