FORA.tv Speaker - Steven B. Smith

Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science and Master of Branford College received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1981. He has served as the Director of Graduate Studies, Director of the Undergraduate Program in Humanities, and Acting Chair of Judaic Studies. His research has been focused on the history of political philosophy and the role of statecraft in constitutional government. Last year he organized a conference with Bryan Garsten on "Statesmen and Demagogues: Democratic Leadership in Political Thought." His recent publications include "Spinoza, Liberalism, and Jewish Identity" (1997), "Spinoza's Book of Life" (2003), and "Reading Leo Strauss" (2006). He is currently editing the "Cambridge Companion to Leo Strauss."