Contact
Biography
I have a MA in Mathematical Sciences from St Anns College Oxford (1997 - 2000). I did a Postgraduate diploma with the OU in 2003/4 in Philosophy. After a long break since 2004 when I was able to carry on some independent research in Plato, I completed my Masters in Philosophy here at Nottingham last year (2022-23) gaining a distinction. I am now in my second year of PhD study, with a focus on Plato's Parmenides.
Expertise Summary
Ancient Philosophy especially Plato.
Teaching Summary
I am a tutor with The Brilliant Club, teaching philosophy to secondary school pupils, and teach ESOL part time in a local community college.
Research Summary
My current research is around the question of whether a metaphysical principle in the Parmenides 146b provides a key for the method of how the deductions of the second part of the Parmenides are in… read more
Current Research
My current research is around the question of whether a metaphysical principle in the Parmenides 146b provides a key for the method of how the deductions of the second part of the Parmenides are in fact constructed, providing an alternative to Meinwald's (1991) pros heauto and pros ta alla principles that are meant to fulfill that constructive role, unsucessfully I argue.
Past Research
Here is the abstract from my recently completed Master thesis:
Scholars have thought that the speeches of the Symposium either represent character types or a philosophical ascent to Platonic philosophy. This would mean that Agathon's speech is either the speech of the poet type or of a potential philosopher. However, I will present a novel theory of Platonic character types that includes nine different classifications (from Phaedrus 248d-e) - the eighth includes the sophist and demagogic orator. In this dissertation I will argue that Agathon's speech has more in common with how Plato elsewhere characterises the demagogic orator and this therefore supports my controversial claim that Plato wrote Agathon's speech to this type.
My evidence is textual evidence from the Gorgias, Phaedrus, Sophist, Republic, and Hippias M., and other sophists depicted in the dialogues. Most relevant are the principles and techniques explicitly referenced by Socrates in the second half of the Phaedrus in his discussion of the oratory of Gorgias, Polus and others - these techniques are exemplified throughout the entire speech of Agathon as my commentary demonstrates.
Future Research
The principle at Parm. 146b is also relevant in interpreting the highly influential first deduction of the One. Using this principle I can challenge the almost universal judgment of this deduction as being entirely negative.