Ronald Bartlett Levinson (October 18, 1896 – November 21, 1980) was an American philosopher who focused in his work on Plato.

Life

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He was born October 18, 1896, in Chicago, Illinois, and died November 21, 1980, in Bangor, Maine.

  • 1920 A.B. (Bachelor of Arts) from Harvard University.
  • 1924 Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
  • 1926 University of Maine.
  • 1927 Professor and Head of the department of philosophy.

Works

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Levinson focused in his works on Plato and the history of Platonism. He gained international awareness by his book In Defense of Plato (1953) in which he defended Plato against Karl Popper's sharp criticism, who considered Plato to be the forerunner of totalitarianism.

Levinson was a member of the American Philosophical Association and of the Society of Ancient Philosophy.

  • Thomas Taylor, the Platonist (1924)
  • Spenser and Bruno (1928)
  • The college journey - an introduction to the fields of college study (1938)
  • In Defense of Plato (1953).
  • A Plato reader (1966)
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