studied at Princeton University, where he is now professor of philosophy and comparative literature. He wrote Nietzsche: Life as Literature (1985), which is universally regarded as his masterpiece, The Art of Living: Socratic Reflections from Plato to Foucault (1998) and Virtues of Authenticity: Essays on Plato and Socrates (1999). His book Only a Promise of Happiness: The Place of Beauty in a World of Art is forthcoming. It argues vigorously for the reinstatement of beauty as a philosophical concept and as a value judgement in art.