Christopher James Rowe OBE (born 1944) is a British

classical scholar Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Classics and Ancient History of

Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...

, England, where he was Head of Department 2004–2008. He is a former President of the

Classical Association The Classical Association is a British learned society in the field of classics, aimed at developing classical study and promoting its importance in education. Constitution The association was founded on 19 December 1903, and its objects are def ...

, and was appointed OBE in 2009 for "services to scholarship".

Thought on Plato

Rowe translated into English and gave an innovative interpretation of the Aristotle's ''

Nicomachean Ethics The ''Nicomachean Ethics'' (; ; grc, Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια, ) is Aristotle's best-known work on ethics, the science of the good for human life, which is the goal or end at which all our actions aim. (I§2) The aim of the inquiry is ...

'' and the Plato's dialogues '' Theaetetus'' and ''

Sophist A sophist ( el, σοφιστής, sophistes) was a teacher in ancient Greece in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Sophists specialized in one or more subject areas, such as philosophy, rhetoric, music, athletics, and mathematics. They taught ' ...

''. He compared the ideal-real relation existing among the ''

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

'' and the ''Theaetetus'' for what concerns the

epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...

, and then he established an analogy with the political ideal of the ''Republic'' and its real actualization described in the ''

Statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

'' and in the ''

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...

''. (critical recension) In the volume ''Plato and the Art of Philosophical Writing'', Rowe argued that "Plato remains throughout essentially a Socratic".

Selected publications

* ''Plato, Republic (new translation, with introduction and notes)'' Penguin, 2012, * ''The Last Days of Socrates'' Penguin, 2010, *''Plato and the Art of Philosophical Writing'' Cambridge University Press, 2007, * with Terry Penner ''Plato's Lysis'' Cambridge University Press, 2005

References

Living people British classical scholars Classical scholars of the University of Durham British scholars of ancient Greek philosophy Officers of the Order of the British Empire Greek–English translators Presidents of the Classical Association 1944 births {{UK-academic-stub