Department of Philosophy
Faculty
Russell Dancy
Professor (Harvard University)
151 Dodd Hall
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1500
Office: 289 Dodd Hall
Phone: (850) 644-0220
Fax: (850) 644-3832
Email: rmdancy@fsu.edu
Office Hours: R 12:00-1:45, F 12:30-2:45 (Spring 2008)
When I left graduate school, I had essentially two choices for areas in which to specialize: Ancient Philosophy and Formal Logic. I eventually settled into Ancient Philosophy, but the way I do it often involves Formal Logic.
My most recent publication is an illustration: Plato's Introduction of Forms (Cambridge University Press, September 2004) deals with the argumentative background in the Socratic 'definition' dialogues against which the 'Theory of Forms' emerges in the Phaedo and other dialogues. It is a defense of a developmental point of view in an analytic mode.
I'm also at work on Aristotle, especially his metaphysical views, and (of all things) on Plato's 'Unwritten Doctrines' (a label with unfortunate connotations referring simply to the material in Aristotle and in some other authors that tells us about views of Plato's that are not to be found in the dialogues).
I retain strong interests in the Philosophy of Mathematics and the Philosophy of Language. I've also spent a fair amount of time at work on Descartes, Kant, Husserl, Wittgenstein, and Heidegger. In all these cases, my focus is on argument, on the 'logic' of whatever positions are involved (this is even true of Heidegger, but I have no doubt he would have hated it).
In my free time I enjoy playing string quartets, cooking, and bicycling to the coast for lunch.
Margaret and Russ Dancy, winter lunch at Posey's Oyster Bar, St. Marks, Florida