Paul Woodruff

A leading philosopher shows how the story of Ajax and Odysseus sheds new light on the contentious issue of disproportionate rewards in contemporary American society.

This short, elegiac volume makes an impassioned case for the fundamental importance of the forgotten virtue of reverence, and how awe for things greater than oneself can--indeed must--be a touchstone for other virtues like respect, humility, and charity. Ranging widely over diverse cultural terrain--from Philip Larkin to ancient Greek poetry, from...

Drawing on classical literature, philosophy, and history--with many intriguing passages from Sophocles, Aesop, and Plato, among others--Woodruff immerses us in the world of ancient Athens to uncover how the democratic impulse first came to life. The heart of the book isolates seven conditions that are the sine qua non of democracy: freedom from...

First published by Oxford University Press in 2001, this new edition of Reverence is revised and expanded. It contains a new preface, two new chapters -- one on the sacred and one on compassion -- and an epilogue focused on renewing reverence in our own lives.

What is unique and essential about theater? What separates it from other arts? Do we need "theater" in some fundamental way? The art of theater, as Paul Woodruff says in this elegant and unique book, is as necessary - and as powerful -- as language itself. Defining theater broadly, including sporting events and social rituals, he treats...

In giving to charity, should we strive to do the greatest good or promote a lesser good? This is a unique collection of new papers on philanthropy from a range of philosophical perspectives, including intuitionism, virtue ethics, Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, theories of justice, and ideals of personal integrity.

Philosophers and classicists examine Sophocles' treatment of Oedipus, the man who did not know himself, in these new essays. They discuss barriers to self-knowledge and an old man's quest for serenity, and explore the question: is it better not to be born at all, or better, once born, to die young rather than live a long life?

In The Garden of Leaders , philosopher Paul Woodruff advances a new view of liberal arts education that places leadership at the root of everything it does, presenting three core sets of recommendations for how the contemporary university can and should foster such leadership skills.

Designed for students with little or no background in ancient Greek language and culture, this collection of extracts from The History of the Peloponnesian War includes those passages that shed most light on Thucydides’ political theory--famous as well as important but lesser-known pieces frequently overlooked by nonspecialists. Newly translated...

Woodruff's work with Peter Meineck makes this text one that is accessible to today's students and could be staged for modern audiences. Line notes printed at the bottom of the page bring a reader further quick assistance. . . . The choral odes as rendered here deserve special notice. After giving a succinct analysis of each in his introduction,...