Dr. Steven Smith

Biography

Steven B. Smith received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He has been teaching at Yale since 1984 and is currently the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science. He has served as the Director of Graduate Studies in Political Science, Director of the Special Program in Humanities, and Acting Chair of Judaic Studies. From 1996 to 2011, he served as the Master of Branford College. His research focuses on the history of political philosophy, with special attention to the problem of the ancients and moderns, the relation of religion to politics, and theories of representative government. Smith is known for his publications, which include 'Hegel’s Critique of Liberalism' (1989), 'Spinoza, Liberalism, Jewish Identity' (1997), 'Spinoza’s Book of Life' (2003), 'Reading Leo Strauss' (2006), and 'Cambridge Companion to Leo Strauss' (2009). He also edited an anthology titled 'Writings of Abraham Lincoln', published in 2012, and a book of lectures titled 'Political Philosophy' which appears this year from Yale University Press. This autumn, he offers a seminar on political philosophy and Hobbes and is planning to teach a class on Jewish political thought.

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