Colin Smith

Colin Smith is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Ohio State University (2024–present). He previously held positions at Penn State and the University of Colorado Boulder. His research focuses on ancient Greek philosophy, particularly metaphysical questions in Plato, the Presocratics, and Aristotle. He explores how ancient concepts of being and reality inform contemporary ethical and existential frameworks.

Education: PhD (2019) in Philosophy from University of Kentucky, MA (2013) from Boston College, BA (2011) in Philosophy and Classics from Temple University (summa cum laude).

Research emphasizes Plato's theory of forms as metaphysical ground, Parmenides' Fragment 2, and dialectical methods in dialogues like Sophist and Meno. Current projects include a monograph on Meno's distinction between 'being' and 'having,' and studies on Aristotle's theory of recollection and Democritus' understanding of the soul. He also examines the reception of Plato's 'unwritten teachings' in modern philosophy.

Published in Ancient Philosophy, Review of Metaphysics, and edited volumes like Inquiring into Being: Essays on Parmenides (SUNY Press, 2025). Guest edited a special issue on Presocratic metaphysics (Dialogoi 3:1, 2021).

Teaching and research interests extend to medieval philosophy, German idealism, phenomenology, ethics, and philosophy of race. Committed to inclusive pedagogy and advocacy, he co-founded Penn State's Coalition for a Just University and organized free philosophy programs for underprivileged students.