Faculty Directory
Ian McCready-Flora headshot
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Ian C. McCready-Flora

Assistant Professor
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Department of Philosophy
Office location and address
104 Cocke Hall
20 South Lawn
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
Biography

Ian specializes in Ancient Greek Philosophy and has substantial side interests in contemporary Aesthetics, Epistemology and Applied Ethics.

His book-length project concerns Aristotle's conception of rationality. What is it about human thinking that distinguishes it from the sorts of thinking other animals are capable of? Of particular importance is our capacity to form beliefs. Unlike wisdom, understanding and expertise—all high-level perfections of reason—beliefs are piecemeal and fallible, yet still beyond the reach of any non-human mind. Aristotle's theory of belief, however, gets relatively little attention compared to his deductive model of science and knowledge. A serious effort at understanding it, then, can tell us what on his view distinguishes the rational from the non-rational.

Ian is also writing on ancient conceptions of knowledge and its relation to other mental states; Aristotle’s response to Protagoras, both the sophist himself and his Platonic shadow; and the history and prehistory of the emotions and their place in our mental lives.

Recent sponsored awards as provided by ResearchUVA:
Rationality in Aristotle
Source: President and Fellows of Harvard College
July 01, 2020 – June 30, 2021
Recent courses as listed in the Student Information System (SIS) Course Catalog:
PHIL 2070: Knowledge and Reality
Credits: 3
Knowledge and Reality. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 2850: Finding the Way: Some Philosophical Projects
Credits: 3
Examines pressing issues of the examined life, especially those ethical (How should I live?), epistemological (how and what can I know?) & overlapping both. Authors include Plato, Mencius, Marcus Aurelius, Gautama, & Laozi. Topics include testimony; virtue; skepticism; the value of knowledge, society & systematic world views; moral progress; and epistemic injustice. Combines classics with contemporary work. Argumentative essays & creative writing.
PHIL 3110: Plato
Credits: 3
Introduces the philosophy of Plato, beginning with several pre-Socratic philosophers. Focuses on carefully examining selected Platonic dialogues. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 3120: Aristotle
Credits: 3
An introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle, covering his major works in ethics, political philosophy, metaphysics, theory of knowledge, and literary theory. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 3730: Ancient Ethical Theory
Credits: 3
For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 4993: Directed Reading and Research
Credits: 1–3
Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 4995: Directed Reading and Research
Credits: 1–3
Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 4999: Senior Thesis
Credits: 3
For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.
PHIL 7510: Seminar on an Ancient History of Philosophy Topic
Credits: 3
A survey of the political ideas and theories of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
PHIL 9700: Dissertation Seminar
Credits: 3
This course is designed for graduate students in their third or fourth year. It focuses on dissertation writing and the various skills relevant to professional development.
PHIL 9999: Non-Topical Research
Credits: 1–12
For doctoral dissertation, taken under the supervision of a dissertation director. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.virginia.edu/philosophy/.