Minn Thant
About Me
I am a PhD candidate in political philosophy with an emphasis on ancient political philosophy. My other research interests include modern political philosophy, 20th century political philosophy, statesmanship, American political thought, politics and literature, and William Shakespeare and politics.
My dissertation, “Philosophical Politics: Tension between Philosophy and Politics in Cicero’s Republic”, is an interpretation of the political doctrine of Marcus Tullius Cicero. In it, I examine how contemporary debates regarding the effects of philosophy on politics appeared already in the writings of Cicero, who was himself both a philosopher and a statesman. The dissertation begins with a history of the critique of philosophy in the 20th century through a sketch of the intellectual portraits of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Michael Oakeshott, Leo Strauss and Hannah Arendt. Then, it moves into how those thinkers’ thoughts are prefigured in Cicero’s Republic. The bulk of the dissertation is a close reading of Books 1, 2 and 6 of Cicero’s Republic. While Cicero begins the Republic with a damning critique of philosophers which continues in the form of speeches by Laelius, one of the interlocutors in the dialogue, the Republic also provides a counterargument defending philosophy in the form of speeches by Scipio, the main interlocutor of the dialogue. The dissertation examines the dialectics between Scipio and Laelius which culminate in the most famous section of the dialogue, “The Dream of Scipio”, a wide-ranging speech about politics, philosophy, music and astronomy.
I have also finished a manuscript on Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Emile entitled, “Rousseau’s Moral Vegetarianism in Emile”. In this article, I examine how Jean-Jacques Rousseau defended vegetarianism, both scientifically and morally, and how this defense is related to Rousseau’s overall moral thought.
Besides my dissertation, I am also working on critiques of totalitarianism in Evelyn Waugh’s works, Love among the Ruins and Decline and Fall. Another project I have embarked on is the examination of love in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A native of Myanmar, I received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and classics at the Great Books program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Research and Teaching Interests
Ancient Political Philosophy, Modern Political Philosophy, 20th century Political Philosophy, American Political Thought, Statesmanship, Politics and Literature, William Shakespeare and Politics
Curriculum Vitae
Contact
368 Farm LaneEast Lansing, MI 49855
