Philosophy

Nicholas D. Smith

James F. Miller Professor of Humanities and Professor of Philosophy

Nicholas D. Smith

J.R. Howard Hall

“My goal in every class I teach is to try to infect my students with the same fascination and passion for philosophy and the classics that I have always felt for them. Teaching, for me, is an attempt to share my love for these subjects.”

I am the James F. Miller Professor of Humanities. Prior to 1999, I taught at Virginia Tech, the University of Hong Kong, and Michigan State University. I received my BA (High Honors) from the University of Rochester in 1971, and my PhD from Stanford in 1975. I am author, co-author, editor or co-editor of over 15 books, includingPlato’s Socrates (with T. C. Brickhouse), which won the “Outstanding Academic Book for 1994” award from Choice. I am also the author of more than 80 journal, encyclopedia, or dictionary articles, reviews, and translations, including three of the translations of works by Plato and Pseudo-Plato that appear in the new Plato: Complete Works from Hackett. In 1985, I won the American Philological Association Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics.

During my free time, I like to hike, travel, cook (and eat!), and read fiction.

Specialty

Ancient Greek philosophy and literature, Aristophanic comedy, ethics

Teaching

Fall 2020 Courses:

CLAS 201: Thought and Culture (Introduction to Ancient Greek Thought and Culture)
TTH 2:15-3:45

Introduction to ancient Greek archaeology, architecture, art, history, literature, philosophy, and religion. Special emphasis on the core values of ancient Greek culture, and how these compare and contrast to our own.

Prerequisites: None.

PHIL 103: Ethics
MWF 11:40-12:40

Fundamental issues in moral philosophy and their application to contemporary life.

Prerequisites: None.

Professional Experience

Professor Smith is the James F. Miller Professor of Humanities. Prior to 1999, he taught at Virginia Tech, the University of Hong Kong, and Michigan State University. He received his BA (High Honors) from the University of Rochester in 1971, and his PhD from Stanford in 1975. In 1985, Smith won the American Philological Association Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Classics.

Research

He is author, co-author, editor or co-editor of over 15 books, including Plato’s Socrates (with T. C. Brickhouse), which won the “Outstanding Academic Book for 1994” award from Choice. He is also the author of more than 80 journal, encyclopedia, or dictionary articles, reviews, and translations, including three of the translations of works by Plato and Pseudo-Plato that appear in the new Plato: Complete Works from Hackett.