Paul Bestor Woodruff (August 28, 1943 – September 23, 2023) was an American professor of philosophy and dean at

The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

Life and career

Born in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

(though raised in western

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

), Woodruff attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he completed a major in

classics Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

in 1965. His studies then took him to

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

as a

Marshall Scholar The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for "intellectually distinguished young Americans ndtheir country's future leaders" to study at any university in the United Kingdom. It is considered among the most prestigious scholarshi ...

, where he completed a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in Literae Humaniores in 1968. Inspired by the Socratic beliefs on rule of law, he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

from 1969 to 1971, during which time he attained the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. Returning to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he again attended Princeton University, where he completed his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in philosophy, studying under

Gregory Vlastos Gregory Vlastos (; ; July 27, 1907 – October 12, 1991) was a preeminent scholar of ancient philosophy, and author of many works on Plato and Socrates. He transformed the analysis of classical philosophy by applying techniques of modern ana ...

. Woodruff joined the department of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin in 1973, retiring from the department in the fall of 2022. He also served as Chair of the department. He directed the Plan II Honors program from 1991 until 2006, when then University President William C. Powers, Jr. named Dr. Woodruff the inaugural dean of undergraduate studies. Woodruff later published an essay in ''The Washington Post'' describing his philosophy of life as he faced death, as the result of

bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is a disease in which there is permanent enlargement of parts of the bronchi, airways of the lung. Symptoms typically include a chronic cough with sputum, mucus production. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, hemoptysis, co ...

. He died from the condition on September 23, 2023, at the age of 80.'Renaissance man': Paul Woodruff, beloved University of Texas professor, dies at 80
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Bibliography

Books

* * ''Reverence; Renewing a Forgotten Virtue''

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(2001) * ''First Democracy; The Challenge of an Ancient Idea'' Oxford University Press (2005) * ''The Necessity of Theater; The Art of Watching and Being Watched'' Oxford University Press (2008) * ''The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness, and Rewards'' Oxford University Press (2011)

Translations

* ''Plato: Two Comic Dialogues (Ion and Hippias Major)'' Hackett (1983) * ''Plato: Symposium'' (with Alexander Nehamas) Hackett (1999) * ''Thucydides on Justice, Power, and Human Nature'' Hackett (1993) * ''Plato: Phaedrus'' (with Alexander Nehamas) Hackett (1995) * ''Euripides Bacchae'' Hackett (1998) * ''Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus'' (with Peter Meineck) Hackett (2000) * ''Sophocles: Antigone '' Hackett (2001) * ''Sophocles: Theban Plays, with Introductions by Paul Woodruff'' (with Peter Meineck) Hackett (2003)

Editor

* ''Facing Evil; Light at the Core of Darkness''. (with Harry A. Wilmer) Open Court Press (1988) * ''Early Greek Political Thought from Homer to the Sophists'' (with Michael Gagarin)

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

(1995) * ''Reason and Religion in Socratic Philosophy'' (edited, with Nicholas D. Smith) Oxford University Press (2000)

Critical studies and reviews

References

External links

Biography as Dean of Undergraduate StudiesBiography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodruff, Paul 1943 births 2023 deaths United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War 21st-century American philosophers 20th-century American philosophers American philosophy academics American scholars of ancient Greek philosophy Plato scholars University of Texas at Austin faculty Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Translators of Ancient Greek texts Princeton University alumni Marshall Scholars United States Army officers Respiratory disease deaths in Texas Deaths from lung disease