In several of his dialogues, Plato suggests the possibility of moral expertise. Rod Jenks takes up this question of moral expertise as it is addressed in Laches, Charmides, The Republic, and Theaetetus. Jenks shows that, while Plato does believe that expertise is possible, the expert he countenances is internal to us all, so that we need not fear the moral expert as some kind of moral fascist. While we all know the moral truth, we also occasionally entertain false moral beliefs. For this reason, arriving at a systematically interrelated array of consistent beliefs is crucial to our moral health, that is discovering moral truth is akin to recovering something from within ourselves. Plato on Moral Expertise will be of interest to professional philosophers acquainted with and interested in Plato's work, graduate students in philosophy and classics, and advanced undergraduates. This book will be of interest to professional philosophers acquainted with and interested in Plato's work, graduate students in philosophy and classics, and advanced undergraduates.

Plato in the Protagoras suggests that the virtues are profoundly unified yet also distinct. In Plato on the Unity of the Virtues: A Dialectic Reading, Rod Jenks argues that the way in which they are both one and many is finally ineffable. He shows how, elsewhere in the corpus, Plato countenances ineffability. Jenks's interpretation of Protagoras accounts for the otherwise-inexplicable inability of both Socrates and Protagoras to identify the bone of contention between them. Not only can the thesis not be argued for; it can't even be properly stated. Jenks shows how the long exegesis on the Simonides poem is philosophically relevant. Further, he shows that both the parts-of-the-face analogy and the gold analogy are inadequate, arguing that Plato intends them to be so. Jenks explains why the unity thesis is supported by-what most scholars agree are-terrible arguments: the virtues are both one and many. He explains why, in spite of the unity claim being profoundly elusive, Plato believes it to be crucial that we come to appreciate how virtue, which really does have parts, can also be profoundly one.

This work is an introduction to informal and formal logic. It covers what is usually taught in the first term of a two-term sequence in logic at community colleges and at four-year colleges and universities. Following treatment of the nature of argument, this book distinguishes induction from deduction. The book then covers how to fill out argument fragments (or enthymemes) and how to recognize, as well as how to avoid constructing, deceptive or mistaken arguments (informal fallacies). Aristotle's class logic is canvassed, specifying rules for constructing valid arguments, and identifying formal fallacies committed when these rules are broken. Boole's modifications of class logic and the formal system are also introduced. Under the heading of the formal system, truth trees, the truth table method for determining validity, and finally, proof construction are all covered. The section on proof construction walks students through the process of building a demonstration in logic.

This work is an introduction to logic, covering what is most commonly taught in the first term of a two-term sequence in logic at four-year colleges and universities. It is designed for use by community college students who plan to transfer credits to four-year institutions. The material covered seeks to maintain logic's place in philosophical thought systems, and avoids political examples in order to appeal to reason and study rather than ill-conceived jokes that often offend students' varying policitcal beliefs. This work concludes with studies in proof constructions and rules and provides explanations of various grading decisions commonly made in logic courses, a unique feature helpful to students and teachers alike.