Saul Rosenthal, Visiting Assistant Professor
Ph.D, Cornell University; M.A., University of Texas at Austin; B.A., Wesleyan
University
Specializations: Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy (Descartes to Kant),
Metaphysics, and
Epistemology. Saul Rosenthal joined Bryn Mawr in 2015. His current research
focuses on Plato's metaphysics and the topic of self-predication. Scholars have often
critized Plato for holding the view that all forms "self-predicate". For instance, they
see Plato as holding that the form of tallness is itself a tall thing, which appears to
conflict with Plato's other views about forms. Rosenthal defends Plato against such
a critricism, arguing that he is not committed to any self-predication
assumption. Rosenthal, relying on contemporary work in tinguistics and evidence
fron ancient texts, develops a new interpretation of Plato's use of predication that
avoids the difficulties associated with self-predication.