My teaching and research focus on Ancient Greek Philosophy, primarily the epistemological and metaphysical views of Plato and

Hugh H. Benson

Department of Philosophy

University of Oklahoma

Professor & Chair

(Ph.D. University of Michigan 1984)

 

My teaching and research focus on Ancient Greek Philosophy, primarily the epistemological and metaphysical views of Plato and Aristotle. I am currently working on a book length project, tentatively entitled: Platonic Dialectic: The Philosophical Method of Plato's Classical Dialogues. I believe that the philosophical method that Plato endorses in such dialogues as the Meno, Phaedo, and Republic is importantly different than the philosophical method endorsed in Platoís so-called elenctic dialogues. My current project is to carefully display the differences and to explain their motivations.

My work on Aristotle has focused more on his theory of substance, his theory of causation, and most recently his method of philosophical inquiry.

In general my approach to the Ancient Greek philosophy is to assume that the philosophers of this period have something interesting and useful to say, but not to assume that to do so they must be saying something that we would find readily acceptable.

Selected Awards

1.         American Council of Learned Societies Fellowship, 1991-1992 (American Council of Learned Societies)

2.         College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Advising Award, 1991 (University of Oklahoma)

3.         Howard Foundation Fellowship, 1994-1995

4.         Samuel Roberts Noble Presidential Professor, 2000-2004 (University of Oklahoma)

5.         Presidentís Distinguished Faculty Mentoring Program: Outstanding Faculty Mentor 2003 (University of Oklahoma)

Selected Publications

  1. Blackwell Companion to Plato. Blackwell Publishing: forthcoming.
  2. "The Method of Hypothesis in the Meno" BACAP, 2003.
  3. Socratic Wisdom: The Model of Knowledge in Plato's Early Dialogues. Oxford University Press, 2000.
  4. "Natures, Capacities, and Final Causes," Internationale Zeitschrist f¸r Philosophie, 1998.
  5. "The Dissolution of the Problem of the Elenchos" Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 13, 1995, pp. 45-112.
  6. Essays on the Philosophy of Socrates. Oxford University Press, 1992.
  7. "The Priority of Definition and the Socratic Elenchos." Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 8, 1990, pp. 19-65. Reprinted in Socrates and his Contemporaries, ed. T. H. Irwin (Garland Publishing). Also reprinted in Socrates ed. W. Prior (Routledge, 1996).

Recent Courses

            Philosophy 3313 Ancient Greek Philosophy

            Philosophy 5313 Plato

            Philosophy 6313 Republic V-VII

            Philosophy 5313 Aristotle

            Philosophy 6313 Aristotle's 'Organon'

 

Vita