Laurence Bloom

Laurence Bloom is a scholar of Ancient Greek philosophy with over fifteen years of university teaching experience in the United States and South Africa. His work centers on the close reading of classical philosophical texts, the history of metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy, and the pedagogical value of Socratic inquiry. As his CV notes, his teaching is grounded in a “Socratic teaching style aimed at enabling engaged, active reflection and personal growth,” with a pedagogy focused on “how (not what) to think.”

Before joining our university, Bloom served as Senior Lecturer (with tenure) in the Department of Philosophy at Rhodes University in South Africa, where he redesigned the undergraduate curriculum, led postgraduate seminars, supervised theses, and facilitated a long‑running interdisciplinary reading group. He has also taught at the University of Cape Town and the University of Georgia, offering courses ranging from small graduate seminars to large lectures of up to 600 students.

Bloom’s research explores ancient metaphysics, Platonic psychology, and the interpretive challenges of classical texts. He is the author of The Principle of Non‑Contradiction in Plato’s Republic: An Argument for Form (Lexington, 2017) and co‑editor of Knowing and Being in Ancient Philosophy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022). His current project, developed during a 2025 residency at Marquette University, is a commentary on Plato’s Timaeus.

In addition to his academic appointments, Bloom co‑leads the Life of Mind Seminar at the Catherine Project, a free online university founded by scholars from St. John’s College. There he guides discussions on major works in philosophy, literature, ethics, and natural science, helping participants “develop their own holistic interpretations of difficult texts.”

Bloom is returning to the United States to be closer to family and brings with him a deep commitment to philosophical inquiry, collaborative learning, and the cultivation of intellectual community.

Publications

Books

  • Knowing and Being in Ancient Philosophy, co‑edited with Daniel Bloom and Miriam Byrd (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

  • The Principle of Non‑Contradiction in Plato’s Republic: An Argument for Form (Lexington, 2017).

Refereed Articles & Chapters

  • “Hegel’s Dialectic of the Concept in Kierkegaard’s Either/Or” — under consideration.

  • “‘When two go together’: Friendship as a Paradigm for Teaching Philosophy,” in Attending Together: New Directions for South African Higher Education (UKZN Press, forthcoming 2025).

  • “The Apology: Socrates’ argument for inquiry as end,” Review of Metaphysics (September 2022).

  • “Introduction: Edward Halper’s Unique Contribution,” in Knowing and Being in Ancient Philosophy (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

  • “The Contest Between Philosophy and Rhetoric in Plato’s Gorgias,” in Skill in Ancient Western and Chinese Ethics (Bloomsbury Academic, 2021).

  • “Reading Plato and Aristotle in Contemporary South Africa,” South African Journal of Philosophy (September 2020).

Selected Recent Invited & Refereed Presentations

  • “Pythagorean themes in Plato’s Timaeus,” Marquette Midwest Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Marquette University, USA (April 2025).

  • “‘When two go together’: Friendship as a Paradigm for Teaching Philosophy,” Rhodes University, South Africa (May 2024).

  • “Order and Disorder in Plato’s Timaeus,” Classical Association of South Africa, University of Cape Town (November 2023).

  • “Kierkegaard’s Performative Dialectic,” Centre for Phenomenology in South Africa, University of Johannesburg (November 2023).

  • “The Sophist’s Hideout: On Imitation, Plurality, and Becoming,” Symposium Platonicum XIII, Athens, Georgia, USA (July 2022).

  • “Desire, Reason, and the Care of the Soul,” University of Witwatersrand, South Africa (October 2021).

  • “First Principles,” Rhodes University Philosophy Seminar (March 2020).

  • “Timaeus’ Eikos Mythos,” Greek Philosophy Workshop, University of Witwatersrand (December 2019).

  • “How the Separation Argument Frames the Method of Hypotheses,” Symposium Platonicum XII, Paris, France (July 2019).

  • “The Craft of Justice in Plato’s Gorgias,” Rhodes University (March 2019).

  • “The Timaeus and the Republic: A Way into the Problem of Parts and Wholes,” North American Workshop in Platonic Philosophy, Hamline University, USA (August 2018).

  • “Recollection,” Keynote, University of Witwatersrand (June 2017).

  • “Aristotle on Substance as Actuality,” Keynote, Aristotle Colloquium, University of Pretoria (November 2016).

  • “Proclus on the ‘Inward Turn,’” North‑West University, South Africa (April 2016).

  • “Plato’s Praise of Poetry,” University of Cape Town (September 2015).