I write about ancient philosophy and its influence. My published work focuses on the late Platonic dialogues and Aristotle's ethics.
I have recently developed an interpretation of the political theory of the Statesman according to which true statesmen do not govern at all. The role of the statesman is, instead, to create those social conditions that allow citizens to govern themselves well. One of the important upshots of this interpretation is that Plato quite clearly abandons the ideal of the philosopher-king in the Statesman.
I am currently working on a book-length project concerned with the history of social justice. The term ‘social justice’ was coined by Luigi Taparelli SJ who employed it to describe and to extend what Aquinas called “general” or “legal” justice, a notion which Aquinas himself inherited from Aristotle’s discussion of justice in the Nicomachean Ethics. My aim is to recover this Aristotelian account of social justice, by tracing its development from Aristotle, through Aquinas, and into Taparelli.
In addition, I am also interested in ancient ethics generally. Recently I have been exploring how various ancient philosophers understood the relationship between ethical theorizing and living a good life. Some of my recent work on Aristotle is in this vein, as is my work on the Stoics.
I have recently developed an interpretation of the political theory of the Statesman according to which true statesmen do not govern at all. The role of the statesman is, instead, to create those social conditions that allow citizens to govern themselves well. One of the important upshots of this interpretation is that Plato quite clearly abandons the ideal of the philosopher-king in the Statesman.
I am currently working on a book-length project concerned with the history of social justice. The term ‘social justice’ was coined by Luigi Taparelli SJ who employed it to describe and to extend what Aquinas called “general” or “legal” justice, a notion which Aquinas himself inherited from Aristotle’s discussion of justice in the Nicomachean Ethics. My aim is to recover this Aristotelian account of social justice, by tracing its development from Aristotle, through Aquinas, and into Taparelli.
In addition, I am also interested in ancient ethics generally. Recently I have been exploring how various ancient philosophers understood the relationship between ethical theorizing and living a good life. Some of my recent work on Aristotle is in this vein, as is my work on the Stoics.