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Profile
I’ve sometimes dabbled a bit in philosophical subjects that don’t belong to Classics, and to classical subjects that don’t belong to Philosophy, but most of what I have done over the years has been on the history of ancient Greek philosophy and its ramifications.
Research
“One cuts, the other chooses” is a good way for two children to share a cake. A cutter who complains of getting a smaller share can be told “You should have cut more evenly”; a chooser who complains of getting a smaller share can be told “You should have chosen differently”; and so both children are compelled to agree that the outcome is fair. Ancient Greek democracies loved this and similar devices for getting free and equal citizens to agree with one another, without having to defer to a higher authority. I am fascinated by such devices. More generally, I am fascinated by the way in which the citizens of ancient Greek democracies loved to persuade one another by reasoning, on all kinds of subject – legal, political, historical, medical, mathematical, cosmological – and not least on what kinds of reasoning deserve to secure our agreement, and why.
Selected Publications
Denyer, N. (2023) ‘The prehistory of logic.’ In: Castagnoli, L. and Fait, P. (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to ancient logic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 21-36.
Denyer, N. (2019) Plato: Apology and Xenophon: Apology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Denyer, N. (2017) ‘The real Euthyphro problem, solved.’ In: Klostergaard Petersen, A. and van Kooten, G. (eds.) Religio-Philosophical Discourses in the Mediterranean World, (= Ancient Philosophy And Religion, vol. 1) Leiden: Brill, pp. 63-72.
Denyer, N. (2013) ‘The political skill of Protagoras.’ In: Harte, V. and Lane, M. (eds.) Politeia in Greek and Roman philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 155-67.
Denyer, N. (2008) Plato: Protagoras. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Denyer, N. (2001) Plato: Alcibiades. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Denyer, N. (1997) ‘Is anything absolutely wrong?’ In: Oderberg, D. and Laing, J. (eds.) Human Lives: critical essays on consequentialist bioethics. London: Macmillan, pp. 39-57.
Denyer, N. (1994) ‘Why do mirrors reverse left/right and not up/down?’ Philosophy, 69: pp. 205-10.
Denyer, N. (1991) Language, thought and falsehood in ancient Greek philosophy. London: Routledge.