CURRICULUM
VITAE
Hugh H. Benson
Department of Philosophy
(H) 405/366-7233; (W)
325-6324
HBENSON@OU.EDU
http://www.ou.edu/cas/ouphil/
EDUCATION:
M.A. in Philosophy, Apr. 1982
M.A. in Greek, Dec. 1983
Ph.D. in Philosophy, Dec. 1984
Thesis: An Account of Platonic Epistemology
ACADEMIC WORK EXPERIENCE:
Teaching Assistant, Fall 1979 - Winter 1983;
Adjunct Lecturer, Spring 1984;
Institute
for Advanced Study,
Research Assistant, Fall 1984 -
Winter 1985
Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 1988
- Winter 1989
Assistant Professor, Fall 1985 - Spring 1992
Associate Professor (with tenure), Fall 1992 -
Spring 2002
Professor, Fall 2002 -
Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Fall 1996 -
BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS,
ANTHOLOGIES, & TEXTBOOKS:
[1] Essays on the Philosophy
of Socrates.
[2] History of Philosophy
[Harper College Outline Series], coauthored with D. Scott-Kakures,
S. Castagnetto,
[3] Socratic Wisdom: The Model of Knowledge in Plato’s Early
Dialogues.
[4] Plato’s Charmides for the
Archelogos Project: 2001.
[5] Blackwell Companion
to Plato. Blackwell Publishing:
forthcoming.
JOURNALS ARTICLES & BOOK
CHAPTERS:
[1] “The Problem of the Elenchus Reconsidered.” Ancient
Philosophy 7, 1987, pp. 67-85.
Reprinted in Socrates, ed. W.
Prior (Routledge 1996).
[2] “Universals as Sortals in the Categories.” Pacific
Philosophical Quarterly 69, 1988, pp. 282-306.
[3] “A Note on Eristic and the Socratic Elenchus.” Journal
of the History of Philosophy 27, 1989, pp. 591-599.
[4] “Misunderstanding the ‘What is F-ness?’
Question.” Archiv fur Geschichte der Philosophie
72, 1990, pp. 125-142. Reprinted in Essays on the Philosophy of Socrates,
below.
[5] “The Priority of Definition and the Socratic Elenchos.”
[6] “Meno, the Slave Boy, and the Elenchos.” Phronesis 35, 1990, pp. 128-158.
[7] “Why is there a Discussion of False Belief in the Theaetetus?” Journal
of the History of Philosophy 30, 1992, pp. 171-199.
[8] “The Aims of the Elenchos.” In Knowledge, Teaching, and Wisdom (Kluwer: 1995), eds. K. Lehrer, B.J. Lum,
B. Slichta, and N.D. Smith, pp. 21-33.
[9] “The Dissolution of the Problem of the Elenchos.”
[10] “Socrates and the Beginnings of Moral Philosophy.” Routledge History of
Philosophy: From the Beginning to Plato (Routledge:
Feb. 1997), ed. C.C.W. Taylor, pp. 323-355.
[11] “Socratic Dynamic Theory: a Sketch.” Apeiron 30, 1997, pp. 79-94.
[12] “Natures, Capacities, and Final Causes.” Internationale Zeitschrift für Philosophie 2, 1998, pp. 242-258.
[14] “A Note on Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides.”
Ancient Philosophy 23,
2003, pp. 31-48.
[15] “The Method of Hypothesis in the Meno” Proceedings
of BACAP 18, 2003, pp.
95-126.
[16] “Plato: The Republic” in Central
Works of Philosophy 1: Ancient and
Medieval Philosophy, ed. J. Shand (2005), pp.
18-45.
[17] “Plato’s Rationalistic Method” in Blackwell
Companion to Rationalism, ed. Alan Nelson (2005), pp. 85-99.
[18] “Plato’s Method of Dialectic” to appear in Blackwell
Companion to Plato, ed.
[1] “Socratic Learning” (draft available)
[2] “Meno’s Paradox” for the tentatively titled Philosophy in
Antiquity, ed. Nicholas White, Oxford University Press. (under review)
[3] “The Socratic Elenchos”
to appear in Cambridge Companion to Socrates, ed. D. Morrison (under
review)
[4] “Knowledge, Virtue, and Method in Republic 6” to appear in festschrift for
Jerry Santas (under review)
[5] “Dialectic in the Republic”
[6] Platonic
Dialectic: The Philosophical Method in Plato’s Classical Dialogues
[1] Review of Robin Waterfield’s Plato Theaetetus. Ancient
Philosophy, 1990, pp. 285-289.
[2] Review of Walter T. Schmid’s On Manly Courage: A Study of Plato’s Laches. Ancient
Philosophy 14, 1994, pp. 383-386.
[3] Review of Richard Kraut’s (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Plato.
Ethics, 1994, pp. 202-204.
[4] Review of Julia Annas’ Platonic Ethics: Old and New.
The Classical Journal, 2000, pp.
276-279.
[5] Review of Alexander Nehamas’ Virtues
of Authenticity. International Journal
of the Classical Tradition, 2001/2002 8, pp. 454-459.
[6] Review of Jill Gordon’s Turning Toward Philosophy. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research,
2003, pp. 743-745.
[7] Review of Rod Jenks’ The Contribution
of Socratic Method and Plato’s Theory of Truth to Plato Scholarship, Review
of Metaphysics, 2003.
PRESENTATIONS:
[1] “Eristic and the Socratic Elenchus” at the Workshop in Ancient
Philosophy at the
[2] “Eristic and the Socratic Elenchus” at the Eastern Division
Meetings of the APA 1986.
[3] “Eristic and the Socratic Elenchus” at the
[4] “The Justice-Holiness Argument Again” at the Workshop in
Ancient Philosophy at the
[5] “Comments on
[6] “Socratic Practice and the Priority of Definition” at the
[7] “Misunderstanding the ‘What is F-ness?’
Question” at
[8] “Meno, the Slave Boy, and the Elenchos” at
[9] “Comments on Smith’s ‘Aristotle’s Rout’” at the Central
Division Meetings of the APA, April 1989.
[10] “Comments on Rudebusch’s ‘Callicles’ Hedonism’” at the Pacific Division Meetings of
the APA, March 1990.
[11] “Why is there a Discussion of False Belief in the Theaetetus?” at
[12] “Comments on Calhoun’s ‘Cooperative Inquiry in Socrates’ Elenctic Method’” at the Pacific Division Meetings of the
APA, March 1991.
[13] “Why is there a Discussion of False Belief in the Theaetetus?” at
the Central Division Meetings of the APA, April 1991.
[14] “Socratic Elenchoi
in the Apology” at the Workshop in
Ancient Philosophy at the
[15] “How Socrates Understands his Method” at the Workshop in Ancient
Philosophy at the
[16] “How Socrates Understands his Method” at the Pacific Division
Meetings of the APA, March 1992.
[17] “Diluting the Problem of the Elenchos” at the Pacific Division
Meetings of the APA, March 1993.
[18] “Comments on Morrison’s ‘Xenophon’s Socrates on the Just and
Lawful’” at the Central Division Meetings, April 1993.
[19] “Socrates and the Priority of Definition” at NEH Summer
Institute for University Teachers on Knowledge, Teaching, and Wisdom, June
1993.
[20] “Knowledge, Wisdom and Teaching in Plato’s Theaetetus” at NEH Summer Institute for University
Teachers on Knowledge, Teaching, and Wisdom, June 1993.
[21] “Reason
in Socratic Philosophy” at the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology,
April 1994.
[22] “Comments on Reshotko’s ‘Plato’s
Refutation of Protagoras: A More Conservative, More Charitable Interpretation
of Theaetetus
179c-183c’” at the Central Division Meetings, May 1994.
[23] “The Sufficiency of Definitional Knowledge” at the Pacific
Division Meetings of the APA, March 1995.
[24] “A Framework for a Socratic Dynamic Theory” presented at the
Arizona Colloquium on Socrates, February 1996.
[25] “Comments on Pagen’s ‘The Over-Intellectualization
of Socrates” presented at Pacific Division Meetings of the APA, April 1996.
[26] “Aristotelian Teleology” presented at ‘Colloquium on the
Aristotelian-Leibnizian Inheritance in the Current
Debate about Methods of Explanation’ in
[27] “Socrates and the Beginnings of Moral Philosophy.” Keynote address at the fall meeting of the
Eastern Pennsylvania Philosophical Society, November 1996.
[28] “Critique of Brickhouse and Smith’s Plato’s Socrates” presented at Pacific Division Meetings of the APA, April
1997.
[29] “Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides” presented at the
Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 1998.
[30] “Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides” presented at The
International Plato Society Symposium Platonicum IV,
[31] “Socratic Self-Knowledge in the Charmides” presented at
[32] “Comments on Wagner’s ‘Supervenience
and the Thesis that the Soul is a Harmonia’”
presented at the Eastern Division Meetings of the APA, December 1998.
[33] “Problems with Socratic Method” presented at the Arizona
Colloquium on Plato, February 1999.
[34] “Comments on Rebecca Pagen’s ‘Against Vlastos on Cheating in the Socratic Method’” presented at
the Pacific Division meetings of the APA, April 1999.
[35] “Comments on Mark McPherran’s
‘Socrates and Zalmoxis on Drugs, Charms, and
Purification’” to be presented at the Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February
2000.
[36] “Comments
on Michael Beltz and Joel Martinez’s ‘Rethinking
Plato’s Conception of Knowledge: The Non-Philosopher and the Forms’” presented
at the Pacific Division meetings of the APA, April 2000.
[37] “Comments on David O’Connor’s ‘Socrates and the Gift’” presented
at the Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2001.
[38] “The Philosophical Method After the Elenchos in the Meno”
presented at the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy, February 2002.
[39] “Socratic Philosophy after Vlastos” presented at
[40] “Comments on Mary Margaret McCabe’s
‘Protean Socrates: Mythical Figures in the Euthydemus’
presented at the Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2002.
[41] “Comments on G. Scott Graylee’s
‘Hope, Memory, and the Immortality of the Soul in Plato’ presented at the
Pacific Division meetings of the APA, April 2002.
[42] “Socratic Learning” presented at the
Eastern Division Meetings of the APA, December 2002.
[43] “Comments on John Beversluis’
‘Socrates after Vlastos’” presented at the Eastern Division
Meetings of the APA, December 2002.
[44] “Comments on Thomas Brickhouse’s
and Nicholas Smith’s “Socrates on Why Wrongdoing Damages the Soul” presented at
the Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2003.
[45] “Response to Critics” presented at the Pacific
Division Meeting of the APA, April 2003.
[46] “Socratic Learning” presented at the
Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2004.
[47] “The Socratic Method” presented at the
[48] “Socratic Learning” presented at the TCU
International Socrates Symposium, April 2004.
[49] “The Socratic Elenchos”
presented at joint graduate seminar at the
[50] “Plato’s Dialectic Method” presented at the
Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2005.
[51] “The Socratic Method” presented at the XVIth International Symposium of the Olympic Center for
Philosophy and Culture,
[52] “Comments on Paul Woodruff’s “Plato’s Use
of Rhetoric” presented at the Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2006.
[53] “Knowledge, Virtue, and Method in Republic 6” presented at a conference in
honor of Jerry Santas, Pyrgos,
Greece, July 2006.
[54] “Knowledge,
Virtue, and Method in Republic 6” to be
presented at the Arizona Colloquium on Plato, February 2007.
FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND
AWARDS:
[1]
[2] Rackham Predoctoral Fellowship,
1983-1984 (
[3] Junior Faculty Summer Research Fellowship, 1988 (
[4] Summer Seminar for
College Teachers in the Philosophy of Socrates, 1988 (National Endowment for
the Humanities)
[5] University Research Grant (under $750), 1989 (
[6] Junior Faculty Summer
Research Fellowship, 1991 (
[7] American Council of
Learned Societies Fellowship, 1991-1992 (American Council of Learned Societies)
[8]
[9] University Research Grant (under $750), 1991 (
[10] University Research Grant (over $750), 1991 (
[11] Faculty Enrichment Grant, 1993 (
[12] Summer Institute for University Teachers on Knowledge, Teaching, and
Wisdom, 1993 (National Endowment for the Humanities)
[13] University Research Grant (under $750), 1993 (
[14] Faculty Enrichment Grant, 1994 (
[15] Howard Foundation
Fellowship, 1994-1995
[16] Faculty Enrichment Grant, 1995 (
[17] University Research Grant (under $750), 1996 (
[18] University Research Grant (over $750), 1997 (
[19] Institutional
Enhancement Grant, 1999 (Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation
for International Scholarly Exchange)
[20] University Research Grant (under $1000), 1999 (
[21] Samuel Roberts Noble
Presidential Professor, 2000-2004 (
[22] Proposal Development Support Grant ($1000),
2002 (
[23] Faculty Enrichment Grant, Sept. 2002
(University of
[24] Faculty Enrichment Grant, Nov. 2002
(University of
[25] President’s Distinguished Faculty Mentoring
Program: Outstanding Faculty Mentor 2003 (
[26] Faculty Enrichment Grant, Sept. 2003
(University of
[27] Faculty Enrichment Grant, Sept. 2004
(University of
[28] Honorary Commendation of the Olympic Center
for Philosophy and Culture, 2005
[29] Faculty Enrichment Grant, November 2005
(University of
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
AND ACTIVITIES:
American Philosophical
Association
Society for Ancient Greek
Philosophy
International Plato Society
Southwestern Philosophical
Society
Preliminary Referee for the
Referee for
Referee for
Referee for
Referee for
Referee for W. W. Norton,
and Co.
Referee for Philosophy and Phenomenological Research
Referee for Ancient Philosophy
Referee for
Referee for Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie
Referee for Apeiron
Referee for Journal of the History of Philosophy
Referee
for Dialogue
Referee
for JPR
Referee for Southwestern
Philosophical Society
Co-Director for the
Sixteenth Annual Workshop in Ancient Philosophy held at the
Member of 1996 Program Committee for the Central Division Meetings of
the American Philosophical Association
Tenure referee
Promotion
referee
Member
of Program Committee for TCU Socrates Symposium, Spring 2004
Member of 2005 Program
Committee for the Central Division Meetings of the American Philosophical
Association
Department
Member of Undergraduate Studies Committee (Fall
1985-Spring 1991; Acting Chair, Fall 1986)
Undergraduate Advisor for Philosophy
Majors (Fall 1985-Spring 1991)
Departmental Library Liaison (Spring
1986)
Member of a variety of Departmental
Search Committees
Member of Departmental Computer
Committee (Spring 1988, Fall 1993)
Member of Departmental Grants
Committee (Spring 1988)
Director of Graduate Studies (Fall 1992-Spring 1996)
Director of Graduate Placement (Fall
1992-Spring 1996)
Member of Committee A (Fall
1992-Spring 1994)
Faculty sponsor for OU Philosophical Society (Fall
1995-)
Chair of Departmental Undergraduate Philosophy Colloquium
Committee (Fall 1998-)
Member of Departmental Promotion Committee (Fall
1998-Fall 1999)
Member of the Departmental Self-Study Committee
(Fall 1998-Spring 2000)
Member of Departmental Tenure and Promotion
Committee (Spring 2001-Fall 2001)
Member of Departmental Graduate Assessment
Development Committee (Fall 2003)
Co-chair of Search Committee for specialist in
Chinese Philosophy (Fall 2003-Spring 2004)
Member of Departmental Faculty Awards Committee
(2004-
Member Search Committee (Fall 2004-Spring 2005)
Member Search Committee (Fall 2005-Spring 2006)
Member of the Department of Classics Chair Review
Committee (Fall 1987)
Member of the
Member of the
Member of Ruby Brakebill Scholarship Committee (Spring 2002 - )
Panel Presentation at CAS
Chairs and Directors Retreat (May 2002, May 2006)
Pre-Med and Pre-Dental
Interview Committee (2004-
Planning Committee for CAS
Chairs and Directors Retreat (Spring 2005)
Member of the
University
Member of Academic Appeals Board
(Fall 1987-Spring 1988)
Participant in OU Rhodes Scholarship
Preparation (Fall 1991)
Member of Faculty Senate (Fall 1995-Spring 1998)
Academic Programs Council (Fall 1996-Spring 1997)
Member of Faculty Senate
Executive Committee (Fall 1997-Spring 2000)
Participant in Faculty Senate sponsored Committee A
Workshop (Spring 1998)
Chair-elect of Faculty Senate (Fall 1998-Spring
1999)
Chair of Faculty Senate Committee on Committees
(Fall 1998-Spring 1999)
Faculty Senate Representative on Deans Council (Fall
1998-Spring 2000)
Participant in Dee Fink’s New Faculty Seminar
concerning Faculty Senate (Fall 1998 & 1999)
Appointed member of international studies faculty
(Fall 1998)
Chair of Faculty Senate
(Fall 1999-Spring 2000)
Member of the University Shared Leave Committee
(Fall 2000- Spring 2001)
Member of Search Committee
for Director of Human Resources (Summer 2001- Spring 2002)
Member of Research Council
(Fall 2001 – Spring 2004)
Chair of Research Council (Fall 2003 – Spring 2004)
Member of Ad Hoc Committee
on Legislative Relations (Spring 2002 - )
Member of Ad Hoc Committee
On Revisions to Regents’ Policy Manual (Fall 2003)
Member of Budget Council
(Fall 2004-Spring 2007)
Chair of Budget Council
(Fall 2005-Spring 2006)
Member of Dissertation
Award Committee (Spring 2005)
Member Faculty Senate
(Fall 2005 - )
Faculty Senate
Parliamentarian (Fall 2005-Spring 2006)
Faculty Advisory Council
to the
Panel Presentation on Shared Governance at
Assistant Recreational Soccer Coach (Fall
1995-Spring 1997)
Cub Scout Pack Committee Chair – Pack 239 (Fall
1995-Spring 1998, Fall 2000-Spring 2003)
Assistant Scoutmaster – Troop 217 (Fall 1998 –
Spring 2003)
Assistant Scoutmaster – Troop 245 (Fall 2003 - )
Board Member, Parents Helping Parents