Paul Woodruff
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Paul Woodruff

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Paul Woodruff has been a philosopher, writer, and translator at the University of Texas at Austin since 1973. For twenty-four years he was engaged in administration, as department chair, program director, and dean. As dean of Undergraduate Studies, he introduced a new core curriculum across all majors and brought various student support programs into harmony around their shared mission. His father, Arch Woodruff Jr., was almost expelled from Williams in 1932 for moving a non-bearing wall in the theater there to make room for stage sets he was building. As an administrator, Paul has been devoted to removing whatever walls obstruct learning and teaching. He has been especially interested in the climate of ideas that enabled the ancient Greeks to make the first major steps toward democracy. This interest leads him to write about ethics and leadership, which he approaches first through ancient texts and then through applications to today’s problems. "Reverence," his first book of this kind, was the topic of an interview with Bill Moyers in 2003. "The Ajax Dilemma: Justice, Fairness, and Rewards," uses an ancient story to illustrate solutions to a problem we have today—how to keep an organization running smoothly when some members receive larger rewards than others. In 2018 he edited a volume of essays by philosophers on philanthropy, "The Ethics of Giving." A recent book, "The Garden of Leaders," discusses how higher education should prepare young people for leadership. In his latest book, "Living toward Virtue," Woodruff shows how we can set about living ethically through self-questioning, which enables us to avoid moral injury by getting clear about what we are doing and why we are doing it. Self-questioning also helps us recognize the limits of our knowledge and avoid the danger of self-righteousness. Using real-life examples, Woodruff shows how we can nurture our souls, enjoy a virtuous happiness, and avoid moral injury as much as possible. His translations from ancient Greek are widely read. They include Thucydides’ History, several Platonic dialogues, and a number of ancient Greek plays. He served in the U.S. army as an officer during the American war in Vietnam, gaining experience of both physical and moral danger. In spare time, he rows a single scull on Lady Bird Lake, designs furniture, builds it in his shop, and plays the cello. For videos of his lectures and interviews, go to https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/philosophy/faculty/pbw55#videos
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