About Jack Condie

I am a PhD Student at The New School for Social Research.
I work on Ancient Philosophy, specifically Plato and approaches to self-knowledge.

My dissertation project is a close reading of Plato's Alcibiades in which I explore the concept of the self not only as it's presented in the dialogue, but in broader Classical Greek thought and drama. I am interested in how Plato's choice of Alcibiades situates the philosophic discussion in the context of 5th century Athenian political history.

I take a literary approach to philosophy, with a particular interest in the dialogue form Plato employs as a philosophic method. Rather than philosophy being purely about arguments, the dialogue form seems to imply that the project of philosophy cannot rest within the domain of logical argument alone. Instead much (if not all) of philosophy must take place in the moments that happen between each of us as human beings.

This is why the philosophy's quarrel with poetry is so crucial. Poetry's ability to deify the ordinary is in part the very same thing that philosophy lays claim to in seeking the examined life. Poetry and philosophy both seek out the doubleness of things – their appearance and nature – ultimately turning their attention to the greatest conquest: knowledge of the self.

Outside of my research I am highly committed to service work. As a union organizer, I serve on the Executive Board of ACT UAW 7902, one of the largest Higher Education Locals in the Northeast. I also am a delegate to the nation-wide Higher Education Council of the UAW. Within the discipline of Philosophy, I will be joining the Graduate Student Council of the American Philosophical Association in July 2026.

I am passionate about teaching, which for me is one of the highlights of academic life. My approach to teaching is about directing students to the main questions that are at stake in a problem, rather than promising a solution. Solutions are important, of course, but philosophy cannot guarantee them. Perhaps, philosophy can only guarantee the appearance of them.
I currently reside in Brooklyn, NY.