Ben Allen

Biography

After various twists and turns, Benjamin Allen studied philosophy at Yale, the University of Kentucky and Rutgers, and taught at Tufts University (teaching courses on Greek philosophy, paradoxes, and the philosophy of space and time)  before coming to Haverford. He eventually turned to the study of Zeno and his motion paradoxes, with a particular focus on the oral, question-and-answer form of the original paradoxes, and on Aristotle's use of diagrams in responding to them.  He is working at bringing this research to publication. The study of Zeno led to a broader fascination with Greek philosophy, inasmuch as the Greek philosophers generally take the study of philosophy to be thoroughly intertwined with the living of life. Allen's interest in philosophy now somehow starts from the supposition that asking whether a line can really be composed of an uncountable infinity of points actually matters in the conduct of daily existence.

Allen is especially interested in three topics.  First is Zeno, those who influenced him, and those he influenced. Zeno, while today widely known, is perhaps the victim of his fame, and his historical sway has been oddly neglected.  Second is the philosophical significance of different methods of speaking and writing, among them ancient question-and-answer arguments and ancient diagram arguments. Particularly intriguing is the historical and philosophical significance of internal discourse, aka talking to yourself. Third is the infinite, and in particular, the gulf which seems to exist between, on the one hand, modern logical/mathematical/philosophical achievements in the study of the infinite, and, on the other hand, reflection on human finitude/infinitude.

Courses: Spring 2012, Haverford