Josiah Ober

Professor of Political Science and Classics, Stanford

Josiah Ober is Professor of Political Science and Classics at Stanford University. His most recent book is The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece (2015).

Written by Josiah Ober

Painting of an elderly man sitting on a bed surrounded by people in a dimly lit room, some showing grief, one holding a cup.

essayHuman rights and justice

What kind of citizen was he?

Conventional wisdom sees Socrates as a martyr for free speech, but he accepted his death sentence for a different cause

Josiah Ober

A group of uniformed individuals wearing the Greek flag insignia, backlit by the sun, in front of a construction site with scaffolding and ruins.

essayFairness and equality

Lessons of Demopolis

Wisdom from classical Greece: democracy and liberalism are both better off if we understand the difference between them

Josiah Ober