Navia, Luis E. 1940–

PERSONAL:

Born 1940, in Colombia; moved to the United States at seventeen. Education: Queens College, City University of New York, B.A. (magna cum laude), 1963; New York University, M.A., 1966, Ph.D., 1972; Coast Navigational School, CA, certificate, 1975.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Old Westbury, NY. Office—Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, Northern Blvd., Old Westbury, NY 11568-8000. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Worked at the United Nations and the New York Daily News; Hofstra University, New York, NY, instructor in foreign languages, 1965-67, adjunct professor of philosophy, 1987-92; Queens College, City University of New York, Queens, NY, lecturer in philosophy, 1965-70; New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY, professor of philosophy, 1968—; New York University, New York, NY, lecturer in philosophy, 1970; School of Visual Arts, New York, NY, adjunct professor of philosophy, 1978-92. Also served as consultant for Commission on Higher Education, Middle States Association, 1974-2005, New York Chiropractic College, 1986, St. Brigid/Our Lady of Hope Regional School, 1997, and Electronic Data Processing College of Puerto Rico, 2002-04. Program evaluator, philosophy department, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, 2002.

MEMBER:

Council on Chiropractic Education (chairman of committee on ethics, 1983-86).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association Award, 1959; Outstanding Educators of America Award, 1975; National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, Princeton University, 1977; Presidential Service Award, New York Institute of Technology, 1985; award for service to the Long Island Philosophical Society, St. John's University, 2006.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with Nicholas Capaldi) Journeys through Philosophy: A Classical Introduction, Prometheus Books (Buffalo, NY), 1977, new edition, with Nicholas Capaldi and Eugene Kelly, Prometheus Books (Buffalo, NY), 1982.

A Bridge to the Stars: Our Ancient Cosmic Legacy, Avery Publishing Group (Wayne, NJ), 1977.

(Editor, with Eugene Kelly) Ethics and the Search for Values, Prometheus Books (Buffalo, NY), 1980.

(With Nicholas Capaldi and Eugene Kelly) An Invitation to Philosophy, Prometheus Books (Buffalo, NY), 1981.

(Editor, with Eugene Kelly) The Fundamental Questions: A Selection of Readings in Philosophy, Kendall/Hunt Publishing (Dubuque, IA), 1985.

Socrates, the Man and His Philosophy, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 1985.

Socratic Testimonies, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 1987, University Press of America (Lanham, MD), 2002.

(With Ellen L. Katz) Socrates: An Annotated Bibliography, Garland (New York, NY), 1988.

Pythagoras: An Annotated Bibliography, Garland (New York, NY), 1990.

The Presocratic Philosophers: An Annotated Bibliography, Garland (New York, NY), 1993.

The Socratic Presence: A Study of the Sources, Garland (New York, NY), 1993.

The Philosophy of Cynicism: An Annotated Bibliography, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1995.

Classical Cynicism: A Critical Study, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1996.

Diogenes of Sinope: The Man in the Tub, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1998.

The Adventure of Philosophy, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 1999.

Antisthenes of Athens: Setting the World Aright, Greenwood Press (Westport, CT), 2001.

Diogenes the Cynic: The War against the World, Humanity Books (Amherst, NY), 2005.

Socrates: A Life Examined, Prometheus Books (Amherst, NY), 2007.

Journal of Critical Analysis, editorial associate, 1973-82. Princeton University Press, referee, 1985; University of Notre Dame Press, reader-reviewer, 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

Colombian-born writer and educator Luis E. Navia received a Jesuit primary education in his native country before moving to the United States at the age of seventeen. Settling in New York, he went on to study philosophy at Queens College and later at New York University, eventually earning his doctorate. Navia worked various jobs before joining the faculty of the New York Institute of Technology in 1968, where he serves as a professor of philosophy. He has also written and/or edited a number of books, many of which delve into ancient Greek philosophical thought, focusing on such notable thinkers as Socrates and Diogenes. In Diogenes the Cynic: The War against the World, Navia examines the life and philosophy of Diogenes, who died in 323 BC and was survived by none of his writings. Navia looks at supporting materials and the accounts of others in order to create a framework of Diogenes' life. Dr. Tami Brady, writing for the TCM Reviews Web site, remarked: "This book is so complete, that the reader need not have prior knowledge of the subject matter." Socrates: A Life Examined also delves into the life of an ancient Greek philosopher about whom little is known, but Navia strives to piece together a picture of Socrates' life based on the writings of his contemporaries. Booklist reviewer Gilbert Taylor noted: "Navia shows where biographical agreement exists and where inference and speculation begin." Classical Cynicism: A Critical Study offers readers a broader look at the world of philosophical thought. Here Navia looks at trends rising from the counterculture in all parts of the world, and how they affect local philosophies. A reviewer for Philosophy East and West found the book to be "a rich and ready survey of the sources for and the traditions about the ancient Cynics."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 2007, Gilbert Taylor, review of Socrates: A Life Examined, p. 6.

Internet Bookwatch, August, 2007, review of Socrates.

Philosophy East and West, January, 1998, review of Classical Cynicism: A Critical Study, p. 188.

Reference & Research Book News, May, 2006, review of Diogenes the Cynic: The War against the World; August, 2007, review of Socrates.

School Library Journal, April, 2007, Susanne Bardelson, review of Socrates, p. 173.

ONLINE

Legendary Times Web site,http://www.legendarytimes.com/ (October 9, 2007), "Prof. Dr. Luis E. Navia: Literature, Awards, Etc."

New York Institute of Technology Web site,http://iris.nyit.edu/ (October 9, 2007), King Cheek, faculty biography.

Publishers Weekly Online,http://www.publishersweekly.com/ (March 26, 2007), review of Socrates.

TCM Reviews,http://www.tcm-ca.com/ (October 9, 2007), Dr. Tami Brady, review of Diogenes the Cynic.

University of Delaware, American Philosophical Association Web site,http://apa.udel.edu/ (October 9, 2007), Haim Marantz, review of The Fundamental Questions: A Selection of Readings in Philosophy.

World Mysteries Forum,http://www.worldmysteriesforum.ch/ (October 9, 2007), author biography.