Paul B Woodruff
Professor — PhD, Princeton
Professor; Distinguished Teaching Professor

Contact
- E-mail: paul.woodruff@austin.utexas.edu
- Phone: 471-6788
- Office: WAG 331
- Office Hours: F 1 to 2; by appt.
- Campus Mail Code: C3500
Interests
Ethics, ancient philosophy, ancient Greek tragedy, aesthetics, philosophy and literature
Biography
Well-known for his influential articles on Socrates and Plato, Professor Woodruff has also published a critical edition of Plato's Hippias Major (1982) as well as translations of Plato’s Ion (1983) and (with Alexander Nehamas) Symposium (1989) and Phaedrus (1995). He has also written on topics in aesthetics and ethics and translated works by Euripides, Sophocles, and Thucydides. His recent publications include The Necessity of Theater (Oxford University Press, 2008), The Ajax Dilemma (Oxford University Press, 2011), and Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue (2d Edition, Oxford University Press, 2014). He has contributed to The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy (1999), A Companion to Aristotle (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009), Cambridge Companion to Ancient Skepticism (2010), A Companion to Sophocles (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), and The Blackwell Companion to Ancient Aesthetics (Wiley-Blackwell, 2015). He has been Visiting Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and has twice directed NEH seminars on ancient philosophy. He is currently writing a book on the role of higher education in preparing students for leadership.
Courses
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knwldg/Valuation-Wb
41870-41895 • Spring 2021
Meets MWF 12:00PM-1:00PM
Internet; Synchronous
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
41345-41350 • Spring 2020
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM PAR 201
GC
(also listed as C C 348)
UGS 302 • Discovery Of Freedom
59565 • Spring 2020
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM MAI 220B
EWr
ID
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
41655-41665 • Spring 2019
Meets MWF 12:00PM-1:00PM WAG 420
PHL 610QA • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
42005-42015 • Fall 2018
Meets MWF 1:00PM-2:00PM WAG 420
UGS 302 • Discovery Of Freedom
62020 • Fall 2018
Meets MWF 3:00PM-4:00PM MAI 220B
EWr
ID
CTI 350 • Masterworks Of World Drama
33445 • Spring 2018
Meets MWF 11:00AM-12:00PM WAG 308
EWr
VP
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
41905-41915 • Spring 2018
Meets MWF 9:00AM-10:00AM WAG 201
T C 303D • Plan II World Lit, Part II
42940 • Spring 2017
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM CRD 007A
Wr
HU
T C 303C • Plan II World Lit Part I
42795 • Fall 2016
Meets MWF 10:00AM-11:00AM CRD 007A
GC
C1
UGS 302 • Discovery Of Freedom
61900 • Fall 2016
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM MAI 220E
EWr
ID
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
41580-41590 • Spring 2016
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM PAR 1
PHL 346K • Aesthetics
41747 • Spring 2016
Meets TTH 9:30AM-11:00AM GDC 4.304
PHL 610QA • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
41400-41410 • Fall 2015
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM WAG 420
UGS 303 • Discovery Of Freedom
61705-61735 • Fall 2015
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM GAR 0.102
EWr
ID
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
41780-41790 • Spring 2015
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM PAR 1
UGS 303 • Discovery Of Freedom
62675-62710 • Spring 2015
Meets TTH 9:30AM-11:00AM WAG 101
EWr
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
43190-43200 • Spring 2014
Meets MWF 11:00AM-12:00PM WAG 214
PHL 381 • Plato
43505 • Spring 2014
Meets M 6:30PM-9:30PM WAG 312
(also listed as GK 390)
UGS 303 • Discovery Of Freedom
65440-65465 • Fall 2013
Meets TTH 3:30PM-5:00PM WAG 101
EWr
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
42580-42590 • Spring 2013
Meets MWF 11:00AM-12:00PM JGB 2.218
UGS 303 • Discovery Of Freedom
64420-64945 • Spring 2013
Meets MW 2:00PM-3:00PM FAC 21
EWr
UGS 303 • The Art Of Giving
64132-64133 • Spring 2012
Meets T 3:30PM-5:30PM UTC 1.118
Wr
PHL 381 • Justice In Ancient Philosophy
42600 • Fall 2011
Meets M 6:00PM-9:00PM WAG 312
(also listed as GK 390)
UGS 303 • Self And Soul
64020-64092 • Spring 2011
Meets TTH 9:30AM-11:00AM JES A121A
Wr
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
43000-43010 • Spring 2010
Meets TTH 9:30AM-11:00AM WAG 214
GK 390 • Smnr: Sophocles
32255 • Spring 2009
Meets W 2:00PM-5:00PM FAC 406
UGS 302 • Philosophy Of The Theatre-W
66410 • Fall 2008
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM FAC 406
C1
PHL 301 • Introduction To Philosophy
43570-43625 • Fall 2007
Meets TTH 11:00AM-12:00PM PAI 3.02
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge & Valuation
42865-42880 • Spring 2007
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM WAG 214
PHL 381 • Plato's Middle Dialogues
43100 • Spring 2007
Meets M 7:00PM-10:00PM WAG 210
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
44115-44130 • Fall 2006
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM WAG 302
(also listed as C C 348)
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
42150-42165 • Spring 2006
Meets TTH 11:00AM-12:30PM WAG 302
(also listed as C C 348)
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
42630 • Spring 2006
Meets W 7:00PM-9:15PM GEA 105
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
41085 • Spring 2005
Meets W 7:00PM-9:15PM GEA 105
PHL 381 • Plato's Earlier Dialogues
41880 • Fall 2004
Meets W 7:00PM-10:00PM WAG 210
(also listed as GK 390)
PHL 301 • Introduction To Philosophy
38570-38645 • Spring 2004
Meets MW 10:00AM-11:00AM WEL 1.316
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
39640 • Spring 2004
Meets W 7:00PM-9:15PM GEA 105
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
40200-40215 • Fall 2003
Meets TTH 11:00AM-12:30PM BUR 108
(also listed as C C 348)
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
39330-39345 • Spring 2003
Meets MWF 1:00PM-2:00PM WAG 302
(also listed as C C 348)
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
39840 • Spring 2003
Meets W 7:00PM-9:15PM GEA 105
PHL 381 • Sophists
39485 • Spring 2002
Meets T 3:30PM-6:30PM WAG 210
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
39735 • Spring 2002
Meets T 7:00PM-9:00PM GEA 105
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
40350-40365 • Fall 2001
Meets MWF 11:00AM-12:00PM ART 1.110
(also listed as C C 348)
PHL 610QB • Probs Of Knowledge And Valuatn
38725-38740 • Spring 2001
Meets TTH 2:00PM-3:30PM PAR 1
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
39545 • Spring 2001
Meets T 7:00PM-9:00PM GEA 105
PHL 329K • Hist Of Ancient Philosophy
38455-38470 • Spring 2000
Meets TTH 12:30PM-2:00PM WAG 302
(also listed as C C 348)
T C 125K • Tpcs In The Arts And Sciences
38937 • Spring 2000
Meets T 7:00PM-9:00PM CAL 100
Original Books
Plato: Hippias Major
First Democracy; The Challenge of an Ancient Idea.
The Necessity of Theater: The Art of Watching and Being Watched
Paul Woodruff
The Necessity of Theater: The Art of Watching and Being Watched
2008
Oxford University Press
The Ajax Dilemma; Justice, Fairness and Rewards
Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue
Edited Books
Facing Evil; Light at the Core of Darkness
Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists
Paul Woodruff, Michael Gagarin
Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists
1995
Cambridge University Press
Reason and Religion in Socratic Philosophy
Paul Woodruff, Nicholas D. Smith
Reason and Religion in Socratic Philosophy
2000
Oxford University Press
Loyalty. Nomos LIV
Translations
Plato: Two Comic Dialogues (Ion and Hippias Major)
Plato: Symposium
Thucydides on Justice, Power, and Human Nature
Plato: Phaedrus
Euripides Bacchae
Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus
Sophocles: Antigone
Sophocles: Theban Plays
Sophocles: Four Tragedies
Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles: The Electra Plays
Paul Woodruff, Peter Meineck, and Cecilia Eaton Luschning
Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles: The Electra Plays
2009
Hackett Publishing Co.
Selected Articles
"Socrates on the Parts of Virtue," Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Supplementary Volume 2, New Essays on Plato and the Pre-Socratics, Roger A. Shiner and John King-Farlow, eds., 1977, 101-116. Repr. In Prior, 1997.
"Socrates on Ontology: The Evidence of the Hippias Major," Phronesis, XXIII (1978), 101-117
"Rousseau, Moliere, and the Ethics of Laughter," Philosophy and Literature, 1 (1977), 325-336
"What Could Go Wrong with Inspiration? Why Plato's Poets Fail," in Julius Moravcsik and Philip Temko, eds., Plato on Beauty, Wisdom, and the Arts. Totowa, New Jersey: Rowman and Littlefield, 1982, 137-150
"Justification or Excuse: Saving Soldiers at the Expense of Civilians," Canadian Journal of Philosophy, Supplementary Volume VIII (1982), 159-176
"Didymus on Protagoras and the Protagoreans," Journal of the History of Philosophy XXIII (1985), 483-497
"The Skeptical Side of Plato's Method," Le Revue Internationale de Philosophie 156-157 (1986), 22-37
"Expert Knowledge in the Apology and the Laches: What a General Needs to Know," Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy, Volume III (1987), 79-115
"Engaging Emotion in Theater: A Brechtian Model in Theater History," Monist, issue entitled "Aesthetics and the Histories of the Arts, ed. by Anita Silvers, Vol. 71 (1988), 235-257
"Aporetic Pyrrhonism," Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, VI (1988), 139-68
“Pathei Mathos: the Thought That Learning is by Ordeal,” Medical Humanities Review 5 (1991), 7-23
“Virtue Ethics and the Appeal to Human Nature,” Social Theory and Practice 17 (1991), 307-35
"Eikos and Bad Faith in the Paired Speeches of Thucydides," Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy Volume X (1994), pp. 115-45
"The Paradox of Comedy," Philosophical Topics 25 (1997), 319-35.
"Socrates and Political Courage." Ancient Philosophy 27 (2007). Pp. 1-14.
“Euboulia: How Might Good Judgement Be Taught.” Lampas: Tijdschrift voor Classici 41.3 (2008). Pp. 252-62.
"Aristotle on Character, or, Who is Creon?" Journal of Aesthetics and Arts Criticism 67.3 (2009). Pp. 301-309.
“Lighting up the Lizard Brain: The New Necessity of Theater.” Topoi 30.2 (2011). Pp. 151-55.
“Compassion in Chorus and Audience.” Didaskalia 8 (2011): 185-88.
“Theater as Sacrament.” Ramus, Critical Studies in Greek and Roman Literature 42 (2013): 5-22.
“What is the Question in the Hippias Major?” Philosophical Inquiry: International Quarterly, 39 (2015): 73-79.
Invited Chapters
"Plato's Earlier Epistemology," in Greek Epistemology, Cambridge University Press, ed. by Stephen Everson, 1990, 60-84. Repr. in Hugh Benson, Essays on Socrates, Oxford University Press (1992).
“Aristotle on Mimesis,” in A. Rorty, ed., Essays on Aristotle’s Poetics (Princeton University Press) 1992, 73-95
"Rhetoric and Relativism," in A.A. Long, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Early Greek Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. 290-310.
"Socrates and the Irrational," in Smith, Nicholas D. and Woodruff, Paul, eds. Reason and Religion in Socratic Philosophy (Oxford: University Press, 2000). Pp. 130-50. Translated and abridged for Pierre Destrée, ed., L' Ethique de Socrate, ***.
“Natural Justice,” in Caston, Victor, and Graham, Daniel W., eds. Presocratic Philosophy; Essays in Honor of Alexander Mourelatos. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002. Pp. 195-204
"Justice in Translation: Rendering Tragedy" In Gregory, Justina, ed. A Companion to Greek Tragedy. Malden, Massachusetts and Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Pp. 490-504.
"The Shape of Freedom: Democratic Leadership in the Ancient World." In Joanne Ciulla, Terry L. Price, and Susan E. Murphy, editors, The Quest for Moral Leaders: Essays in Leadership Ethics. New Horizons, 2005.
“Socrates Among the Sophists," in Sara Rappe and Rachana Kamtekar, eds., A Companion to Socrates. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. Pp. 36-47.
“Early Greek Legal Thought,” (with Michael Gagarin), in Fred D Miller, Jr, with Carrie-Ann Biondi, eds. A History of the Philosophy of Law from the Ancient Greeks to the Scholastics. Volume 6 of A Treatise of Legal Philosophy and General Jurisprudence. Dordrecht: Springer, 2007. Pp. 7-34.
"The Sophists." With Michael Gagarin. In Patricia Curd and Daniel Graham, eds., Oxford Handbook to Presocratic Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Pp. 365-82.
"Aristotle's Poetics: The Aim of Tragedy.” In Georgios Anagnostopoulos, ed., A Companion to Aristotle. Malden, Massachusetts and Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. Pp. 612-27.
“Sophocles’ Humanism.” In William Wians, ed., Logos and Mythos: Philosophical Essays in Greek Literature.” Albany, N.Y., SUNY Press, 2009. Pp. 233-53.
“Pyrrhonian Modes.” Richard Bett, ed., Cambridge Companion to Ancient Skepticism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Pp. 208-31.
"Socrates and the New Learning," in Donald R. Morrison, ed., The Cambridge Companion to Socrates. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Pp. 91-110.
“The Philoctetes of Sophocles,” in Kirk Ormand, ed., A Companion to Sophocles. Hobeken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012. Pp. 126-140.
“Justice as a Virtue of the Soul,” in Rachana Kamtekar, ed., Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy, Supplementary Volume: Virtue and Happiness; Essays in honor of Julia Annas, 2012. Pp. 89-101.
“Spectator Emotions,” in John Deigh, editor, On Emotions: Philosophical Essays. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. (Essays published in honor of Robert Solomon) Pp. 59-75.
“Euboulia as the Skill Protagoras Taught,” in Johannes M. van Ophuijsen, Marlein van Raalte, and Peter Stork, eds. Protagoras of Abdera: The Man, His Measure. Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2013. Pp. 179-193.
“Performing Memory: In the Mind and on the Public Stage.” In Peter Meineck & David Konstan, eds., Combat Trauma and the ancient Greeks. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. Pp. 286-99.
“Mimesis.” In Pierre Destrée and Penelope Murray, eds.,The Blackwell Companion to Ancient Aesthetics. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Pp. 329-40.
Videos
NOW with Bill Moyers: Paul Woodruff on Reverence
Paul Woodruff on Reverence
The capacity for awe in the face of the transcendent: that is how Paul Woodruff, one of America’s foremost interpreters of Plato and other venerable thinkers of ancient Greece, defines reverence. In this program, Bill Moyers and the author of Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue examine this crucial yet frequently misunderstood and misapplied concept and its implications for the world today. Topics include the nature of the transcendent, hubris versus humility, the reciprocal relationship between justice and reverence, tyranny and terrorism as failures of reverence, the vital link between reverence and politics, and the surprising realization that religion is not always reverent.
Game Changers Excerpt: Paul Woodruff
Game Changers Excerpt
In his book "The Ajax Dilemma," Paul Woodruff uses a parable from classical Greece to shed light on a very contemporary business dilemma: how to reward outstanding players without damaging the team. Tapping into his experience as a boss, a professor, an officer and an employee, Woodruff uses his broad perspective to issue an intriguing call for a compassionate approach to fairness.
Paul Woodruff: The Ajax Dilemma
The Ajax Dilemmat
How should we distribute rewards and public recognition without damaging the social fabric? How should we honor those whose behavior and achievement is essential to our overall success? Is it fair or right to lavish rewards on the superstar at the expense of the hardworking rank-and-file? How do we distinguish an impartial fairness from what is truly just?
Prof. Paul Woodruff builds his answer to these questions around the ancient conflict between Ajax and Odysseus over the armor of the slain warrior Achilles.
LHN - Paul Woodruff's Ethics & Philanthropy Course
LHN - Paul Woodruff's Ethics & Philanthropy Course
In the Spring of 2012 Dr. Paul Woodruff, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, created a new semester-long opportunity for first-year students at UT Austin. This brand new signature course explores ethics and the art of philanthropy. See how these UT students began changing the world before their first full year of college was even over.
Book Discussion on First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea
The Challenge of an Ancient Idea
Paul Woodruff talked about his book First Democracy: The Challenge of an Ancient Idea, published by Oxford University Press. He wrote about the theory and practice of ancient Athenian democracy, including freedom from tyranny, the rule of law, the wisdom of citizens, and general education. He also talked about the roots of American democracy and the degree to which it borrowed principles employed in Athenian politics. Following his remarks he answered questions from the audience.
Paul Woodruff, Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Paul Woodruff, Wednesday, February 12, 2014
For his Athenaeum lecture, Professor Woodruff examines a particular strand of ethics in ancient Greek thought. The wisdom literature of ancient Greece developed over a period of four centuries, disseminating from epic poetry (such as Homer) to variant forms of literature such as tragedy, lyric poetry and the prose histories of Classical Greece. Despite its dispersion in a variety of literature, this tradition for explaining ethics to a wider audience maintained a common understanding of what constituted "the good life". Plato, on the other hand, rejected this common approach to explaining ethics and Professor Woodruff's lecture will tease both what tragedy taught a Greek audience about ethics and how and why Plato rejected this tradition.
BYU Forum Address: Paul Woodruff (1/25/05)
Paul Woodruff (1/25/05)
University of Texas at Austin Professor Paul Woodruff speaks to Brigham Young University students. He talks about the difference between respect and reverence and teaches that we need to emphasize reverence in our lives.