Jan Szaif

Dr. phil., M.A. (Free University of Berlin)

Associate Professor of Philosophy

University of California, Davis

Dept. of Philosophy

One Shields Ave.

Davis, CA 95616-8673, U.S.A.

jmszaif@ucdavis.edu

Research Interests and Teaching

My main area of historical specialization is ancient philosophy.

The first focus of my research was Plato's conception of truth, a research project that spread out into a number of related topics in Plato's metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics. The main outcome of this project was a book on Plato's concept of truth, which also covers many issues in these related areas. I continue to work on Plato's metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of language, and on the Socratic and Platonic approach in ethics.

After completing my book on Plato, I turned to the investigation of the Aristotelian approach in ethics. The outcome of this work so far has been a forthcoming book on the Aristotelian and Peripatetic theories of human goods, human well-being, and its natural foundations, accompanied by several other publications on issues in Aristotelian ethics.

My research interests both in ethics and in metaphysics also include the reception of Aristotelian ethics and metaphysics in medieval Scholastic philosophy.

I have long-term research interests in the history of the philosophical concepts of truth and being, the history of virtue ethics and its underlying conception of rationality, and the place of friendship in ethical theory.

I have also contributed to contemporary metaphysics and to ethics with publications that focus on the concept of being ('to be') and the defence of an approach in ethics that combines the Aristotelian paradigm with some crucial elements of Kantian moral theory.

My teaching experience covers ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, and special topics in analytical philosophy and ethics.

Employments and Appointments

Since July 1, 2006: Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Davis.

Jan. 2005 – March 2006: Visiting Assistant Professor at the Dept. of Philosophy at UC Davis.

April – Oct. 2004: Visiting Professor ("Vertretungsprofessor") at the University of Bonn (Germany).

Oct. 2003 – March 2004: Visiting Professor ("Vertretungsprofessor") at the University of Hamburg (Germany).

March – April 2003: Visiting Professor at the University of Lodz (Poland).

Jan.–June 2002: Junior Fellow at the Harvard-University's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington DC.

Since Oct. 2001 (continuing): Treasurer of the GANPH e.V. (the German Association for Ancient Philosophy).

June 2001 – Aug. 2006: "Privatdozent" (i.e. co-elected as a member of the senior faculty) Dept. of Philosophy, University of Bonn.

Oct. 1997–Apr. 1998: Visiting scholar and Europaeum Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.

Feb. 1993 – Dec. 2004: Consecutive full-time positions as researcher and lecturer at the Department of Philosophy, University of Bonn (C 1-Assistant Professor, Lecturer BAT II-a, BAT I-b).

University education and graduations

Oct. 20^th, 1993: Doctoral graduation (Dr. phil.) at the Free University of Berlin in Philosophy (doctoral thesis on Plato's Concept of Truth; dissertation director: Prof. E. Tugendhat).

Oct. 1989 – March 90, April 91–Jan. 1993: Graduate studies in Philosophy at the Free University of Berlin.

April 1990 – March 1991: Graduate studies at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Classics (advisor: Prof. Myles Burnyeat).

1988: Graduation as M.A. in Philosophy and Ancient Greek, Free University of Berlin (M.A.-thesis on Aristotle's Theory of Universals).

Languages:

German, English, Ancient Greek, Latin, French; elementary knowledge of Italian and Biblical Hebrew.