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Ugo Zilioli

University of Oxford, Faculty of Theology and Religion, Researcher

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I am currently JFF Researcher at the Faculty of Theology and Religion, Oxford University, working on ancient metaphysics (Greek and Indian Buddhist). I am also a member of the Oxford Network for Ancient philosophy: https://onap.web.ox.ac.uk/.
I gained the Laurea in Filosofia at the University of Bologna (1997), my PHD at Durham University (2002). More recently, I was awarded a PGCE in Classics (Liverpool Hope).
I held teaching and research positions at various universities across Europe: Exeter and Durham (UK), TCD (Ireland) and Parma and Pisa (Italy). I also enjoyed teaching Classics in Sixth-forms and secondary schools in the UK.
My research interests mainly lie in the history of ideas--from ancient philosophy, both ancient and non-western, to contemporary metaphysics.
I am also very keen on the public uses of philosophy, that is, how philosophy can reach out for the benefit of the general public. For this aim, I have co-founded The Well-Pheal Foundation: http://www.well-pheal.org

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Papers by Ugo Zilioli

PERCEPTION, PAIN AND PLEASURE. EPICURUS IN DIALOGUE WITH HIS PHILOSOPHICAL ANTECEDENTS AND CRITICS

Conference and Call for Papers on ancient hedonism, to be held in Barcelona, July 2025. Organizer... more

CFP Indeterminacy in Ancient Philosophy: Ankara, METU, 2025

Call for Papers

Indeterminacy in Ancient Philosophy CALL FOR PAPERS, Ankara, Metu, 2025.

Literature on indeterminacy and vagueness has grown at a rapid pace, particularly since the final... more Literature on indeterminacy and vagueness has grown at a rapid pace, particularly since the final quarter of the twentieth century. The debate has heated up in recent decades, driven by a growing interest in metaphysical and ontic indeterminacy. Philosophers are exploring numerous models and ways to investigate the problem of indeterminacy and vagueness in a variety of fields, including the metaphysics of ordinary objects, personal identity, mereology, states of affairs, truth-making, philosophy of physics, and time, alongside the traditional sorites paradoxes. The dispute is shaped by a trichotomy of semantic, epistemological, and metaphysical approaches (J. Robert G. Williams, 2008), and new developments in modality and hyperintensionality also contribute to the discussions.

Pyrrho's revelation. On the hieratic style and oral origin of the Aristocles passage, between East and

The paper aims to move beyond the mere logic of the Aristocles passage, to find external evidence... more The paper aims to move beyond the mere logic of the Aristocles passage, to find external evidence for supporting a metaphysical reading of it. To do so, the paper looks at close analogies between one early Buddhist Sutra (Three Marks), the Aristocles passage and some of its other features (such as its possible oral origin and Pyrrho's hieratic style) that often go unnoticed in current scholarship and that, if taken in due consideration, help us gain a more balanced assessment of one of the most original and troublesome texts of ancient philosophy.

Atomism in Philosophy

Un relativismo robusto : genealogia e forza di un'idea

Could the Cyrenaics Live an Ethical Life? Jules Vuillemin’s Answer (and a Further Suggestion)

Philosophia Scientae, 2016

Cet article s'attache à comprendre si les cyrénaïques étaient susceptibles d'être attaqués moyenn... more Cet article s'attache à comprendre si les cyrénaïques étaient susceptibles d'être attaqués moyennant l'objection d'inactivité et, si oui, comment ils auraient pu essayer d'y répondre et quel type de vision morale ils auraient pu essayer de défendre. En traitant de ces questions, j'évaluerai la légitimité de l'interprétation du scepticisme cyrénaïque offerte par Jules Vuillemin. Je confirmerai ainsi la plausibilité de son interprétation et développerai en même temps l'exploration

Conclusion: Eliminativism, Indeterminacy and Nihilism between East and West

This is the Conclusion of my book on ancient eliminativism, forthcoming for Bloomsbury: https://w... more

Introduction: Nothing for us?

Eliminativism in ancient philosophy. Greek and Buddhist philosophers on material objects. , 2024

This is the Introduction of my forthcoming book: Eliminativism in ancient philosophy. Greek and B... more

Nihilist arguments in Gorgias and Nāgārjuna (Open Access): see link below.

British Journal History of Philosophy, 2023

This paper deals with an important strand of nihilistic arguments to be found in the works of two... more This paper deals with an important strand of nihilistic arguments to be found in the works of two philosophers who have so far never been studied comparatively: the sophist Gorgias and the Buddhist monk Nāgārjuna. After having reconstructed Gorgias' moves in the first section of On What is Not (Sections 1-4), the paper shows how the nihilist arguments Gorgias uses mostly feature, under a new light, in the philosophy of emptiness developed by Nāgārjuna (Sections 5-8). The paper ends with a hermeneutical suggestion: that is, to replace traditional ‘sceptical’ interpretations of Gorgias and Nāgārjuna with an alternative one, which takes them as possibly committed to nihilism.

The (Un)bearable Lightness of Being. The Cyrenaics on Residual Solipsism

Peitho. Examina Antiqua, 2022

The aim of this paper is to assess the evidence on Cyrenaic solipsism and show how and why some v... more The aim of this paper is to assess the evidence on Cyrenaic solipsism and show how and why some views endorsed by the Cyrenaics appear to be committing them to solipsism. After evaluating the fascinating case for Cyrenaic solipsism, the paper shall deal with an (often) underestimated argument on language attributed to the Cyrenaics, whose logic—if I reconstruct it well—implies that after all the Cyrenaics cannot have endorsed a radical solipsism. Yet, by drawing an illuminating parallel with Wittgenstein’s argument on private language and inner sensations, a case is to be made for the Cyrenaics to have subscribed to a sort of ‘residual solipsism’, which in turn helps us to understand the notion of Cyrenaic privacy at a fuller extent.

Protagoras' Secret Doctrine, Theaetetus 152a-157c: Relativism, Indeterminacy and Ineffability.

New Explorations in Plato's Theaetetus, 2022

In the paper I shall reconstruct the main features of Protagoras’ relativism as this is illustrat... more In the paper I shall reconstruct the main features of Protagoras’ relativism as this is illustrated in a core section of the first part of Plato’s Theaetetus (152a–157c). More in particular, I will try to bring out the main metaphysical, semantic and epistemological views that Plato sees as arising from Protagoras’ Secret Doctrine. The scope of the paper is mainly explanatory (from the point of view of the textual arguments presented in the Theaetetus) and elucidatory (from a more theoretical point of view). I claim, in fact, that while the Theaetetus has been of much interest for histo- rians of philosophy and philosophers alike, the full philosophical importance and scope of the theories arising from Protagoras’ Secret Doctrine haven’t so far been appreciated, as they should indeed be. This lack of appreciation is particularly despicable in light of the large amount of fine scholarship on the Theaetetus, one of Plato’s most read dialogues. It also puts us in the condition of not being able to fully appreciate the philosophical sophistica- tion of the Protagorean theories Plato discusses at Theaet. 152a– 157c. These theories are, I submit, of the highest originality and they can also be of relevance for contemporary debates in meta- physics and in the history of ideas.

The Cyrenaics and Gorgias on Language. Sextus, Math. 7. 196-198

The wooden Horse: the Cyrenaics in the Theaetetus

Seeing and Knowing in Greek Philosophy. A Relativistic Ontology for the Conflicting Appearances of Plato's Theaetetus

Variations, 2004

General Introduction, Atomism in Philosophy

Bloomsbury , 2020

General Introduction to the 28 papers of the Atomism Collection, in press, Bloomsbury, 12 Nov. 20... more

Pleasure and Happiness ancient greek ethics.pdf

Hedonism and happiness in ancient ethics. From my book on the Cyrenaics (2012 and 2014).

Persons, Objects and Knowledge in the Cyrenaics.pdf

The Cyrenaic views on persons, objects and knowledge.

Indeterminacy in the Cyrenaics.pdf

Metaphysical Indeterminacy in Greek philosophy

Later Cyrenaics.pdf

The Later Cyrenaics: Hegesias, Anniceris, Theodorus the Godless. From my book on the Cyrenaics (2... more

PERCEPTION, PAIN AND PLEASURE. EPICURUS IN DIALOGUE WITH HIS PHILOSOPHICAL ANTECEDENTS AND CRITICS

Conference and Call for Papers on ancient hedonism, to be held in Barcelona, July 2025. Organizer... more

CFP Indeterminacy in Ancient Philosophy: Ankara, METU, 2025

Call for Papers

Indeterminacy in Ancient Philosophy CALL FOR PAPERS, Ankara, Metu, 2025.

Literature on indeterminacy and vagueness has grown at a rapid pace, particularly since the final... more Literature on indeterminacy and vagueness has grown at a rapid pace, particularly since the final quarter of the twentieth century. The debate has heated up in recent decades, driven by a growing interest in metaphysical and ontic indeterminacy. Philosophers are exploring numerous models and ways to investigate the problem of indeterminacy and vagueness in a variety of fields, including the metaphysics of ordinary objects, personal identity, mereology, states of affairs, truth-making, philosophy of physics, and time, alongside the traditional sorites paradoxes. The dispute is shaped by a trichotomy of semantic, epistemological, and metaphysical approaches (J. Robert G. Williams, 2008), and new developments in modality and hyperintensionality also contribute to the discussions.

Pyrrho's revelation. On the hieratic style and oral origin of the Aristocles passage, between East and

The paper aims to move beyond the mere logic of the Aristocles passage, to find external evidence... more The paper aims to move beyond the mere logic of the Aristocles passage, to find external evidence for supporting a metaphysical reading of it. To do so, the paper looks at close analogies between one early Buddhist Sutra (Three Marks), the Aristocles passage and some of its other features (such as its possible oral origin and Pyrrho's hieratic style) that often go unnoticed in current scholarship and that, if taken in due consideration, help us gain a more balanced assessment of one of the most original and troublesome texts of ancient philosophy.

Atomism in Philosophy

Un relativismo robusto : genealogia e forza di un'idea

Could the Cyrenaics Live an Ethical Life? Jules Vuillemin’s Answer (and a Further Suggestion)

Philosophia Scientae, 2016

Cet article s'attache à comprendre si les cyrénaïques étaient susceptibles d'être attaqués moyenn... more Cet article s'attache à comprendre si les cyrénaïques étaient susceptibles d'être attaqués moyennant l'objection d'inactivité et, si oui, comment ils auraient pu essayer d'y répondre et quel type de vision morale ils auraient pu essayer de défendre. En traitant de ces questions, j'évaluerai la légitimité de l'interprétation du scepticisme cyrénaïque offerte par Jules Vuillemin. Je confirmerai ainsi la plausibilité de son interprétation et développerai en même temps l'exploration

Conclusion: Eliminativism, Indeterminacy and Nihilism between East and West

This is the Conclusion of my book on ancient eliminativism, forthcoming for Bloomsbury: https://w... more

Introduction: Nothing for us?

Eliminativism in ancient philosophy. Greek and Buddhist philosophers on material objects. , 2024

This is the Introduction of my forthcoming book: Eliminativism in ancient philosophy. Greek and B... more

Nihilist arguments in Gorgias and Nāgārjuna (Open Access): see link below.

British Journal History of Philosophy, 2023

This paper deals with an important strand of nihilistic arguments to be found in the works of two... more This paper deals with an important strand of nihilistic arguments to be found in the works of two philosophers who have so far never been studied comparatively: the sophist Gorgias and the Buddhist monk Nāgārjuna. After having reconstructed Gorgias' moves in the first section of On What is Not (Sections 1-4), the paper shows how the nihilist arguments Gorgias uses mostly feature, under a new light, in the philosophy of emptiness developed by Nāgārjuna (Sections 5-8). The paper ends with a hermeneutical suggestion: that is, to replace traditional ‘sceptical’ interpretations of Gorgias and Nāgārjuna with an alternative one, which takes them as possibly committed to nihilism.

The (Un)bearable Lightness of Being. The Cyrenaics on Residual Solipsism

Peitho. Examina Antiqua, 2022

The aim of this paper is to assess the evidence on Cyrenaic solipsism and show how and why some v... more The aim of this paper is to assess the evidence on Cyrenaic solipsism and show how and why some views endorsed by the Cyrenaics appear to be committing them to solipsism. After evaluating the fascinating case for Cyrenaic solipsism, the paper shall deal with an (often) underestimated argument on language attributed to the Cyrenaics, whose logic—if I reconstruct it well—implies that after all the Cyrenaics cannot have endorsed a radical solipsism. Yet, by drawing an illuminating parallel with Wittgenstein’s argument on private language and inner sensations, a case is to be made for the Cyrenaics to have subscribed to a sort of ‘residual solipsism’, which in turn helps us to understand the notion of Cyrenaic privacy at a fuller extent.

Protagoras' Secret Doctrine, Theaetetus 152a-157c: Relativism, Indeterminacy and Ineffability.

New Explorations in Plato's Theaetetus, 2022

In the paper I shall reconstruct the main features of Protagoras’ relativism as this is illustrat... more In the paper I shall reconstruct the main features of Protagoras’ relativism as this is illustrated in a core section of the first part of Plato’s Theaetetus (152a–157c). More in particular, I will try to bring out the main metaphysical, semantic and epistemological views that Plato sees as arising from Protagoras’ Secret Doctrine. The scope of the paper is mainly explanatory (from the point of view of the textual arguments presented in the Theaetetus) and elucidatory (from a more theoretical point of view). I claim, in fact, that while the Theaetetus has been of much interest for histo- rians of philosophy and philosophers alike, the full philosophical importance and scope of the theories arising from Protagoras’ Secret Doctrine haven’t so far been appreciated, as they should indeed be. This lack of appreciation is particularly despicable in light of the large amount of fine scholarship on the Theaetetus, one of Plato’s most read dialogues. It also puts us in the condition of not being able to fully appreciate the philosophical sophistica- tion of the Protagorean theories Plato discusses at Theaet. 152a– 157c. These theories are, I submit, of the highest originality and they can also be of relevance for contemporary debates in meta- physics and in the history of ideas.

The Cyrenaics and Gorgias on Language. Sextus, Math. 7. 196-198

The wooden Horse: the Cyrenaics in the Theaetetus

Seeing and Knowing in Greek Philosophy. A Relativistic Ontology for the Conflicting Appearances of Plato's Theaetetus

Variations, 2004

General Introduction, Atomism in Philosophy

Bloomsbury , 2020

General Introduction to the 28 papers of the Atomism Collection, in press, Bloomsbury, 12 Nov. 20... more

Pleasure and Happiness ancient greek ethics.pdf

Hedonism and happiness in ancient ethics. From my book on the Cyrenaics (2012 and 2014).

Persons, Objects and Knowledge in the Cyrenaics.pdf

The Cyrenaic views on persons, objects and knowledge.

Indeterminacy in the Cyrenaics.pdf

Metaphysical Indeterminacy in Greek philosophy

Later Cyrenaics.pdf

The Later Cyrenaics: Hegesias, Anniceris, Theodorus the Godless. From my book on the Cyrenaics (2... more

Flyer for Eliminativism in Ancient Philosophy.

Eliminativism in Ancient Philosophy Greek and Buddhist Philosophers on Material Objects

This book presents an astute comparison between philosophers in ancient Greece and India who, for... more This book presents an astute comparison between philosophers in ancient Greece and India who, for some reason or another, set out to eliminate material objects from their theories. The highly original, historically rich, and analytically sophisticated discussion presented here will be of great interest to any reader wishing to learn more about fundamental questions of metaphysics, East and West (Jan Westerhoff).

Protagoras and the Challenge of Relativism. Chinese Edition.

Published by Renmin University of China Press, 2012

The most sophisticated enemy of Plato: Protagoras and the challenge of relativism(Chinese Edition... more

ATOMISM IN PHILOSOPHY. From Antiquity to the Present

Bloomsbury, 2020

Back Cover with endorsements of the forthcoming collection on Atomism. 508pp. In press, publicati... more

The Circle of Megara

Routldedge

The first ever Introduction in English to the Socratic school of Megara.

Protagoras and the Challenge of Relativism. Paperback 2016.

Routledge , 2016

REVIEW: "To defend relativism is about as thankless a task as philosophy ever confronted: informe... more REVIEW: "To defend relativism is about as thankless a task as philosophy ever confronted: informed readers typically take it to be a complete waste of time and even a mark of professional incompetence. But then, if you see its genuinely deep challenge, its defense counts as an exceptional kind of courage and amplitude of mind that very little else in philosophy ever equals. Zilioli embodies a candor, and honesty and a scholar's thoroughness and scruple that are simply a pleasure to trust in the unraveling of the full import of Plato's treatment of Protagoras' argument in the Theaetetus and Protagoras. I think it is the straightforward clarity and passion of Zilioli's effort that makes it so memorable. Beyond that, it seems to me to have simply outflanked Protagoras' strongest detractors", Joseph Margolis.

From the Socratics to the Socratic Schools Classical Ethics, Metaphysics and Epistemology. Paperback edition, January 2020.

Routledge, 2015

"Ugo Zilioli has put together an inspiring, dialogical collection of papers, which explore routes... more "Ugo Zilioli has put together an inspiring, dialogical collection of papers, which explore routes traced by the evidence for the other (let's stop saying 'minor') Socratics and their heirs through many of the blank spaces left on our historical map between Plato and the Hellenistic age. At the same time as advancing our understanding of Classical metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, the papers grapple with important questions about how we do ancient philosophy, and bring much needed critical light to categories, such as that of 'school' itself, which shapes our thinking", George Boys-Stones

Routledge, 2014

In the 2013 Verso Book list of the Year REVIEWS: "Compulsive reading", Denis O'Brien " A pleasur... more In the 2013 Verso Book list of the Year
REVIEWS:

"Compulsive reading", Denis O'Brien
" A pleasure to read", Harold Tarrant
"It is essential reading for all students of ancient philosophy", George Boys-Stones
"It represents a valuable addition" Chris Gill
"All readers should find this an accessible and enjoyable book", Kurt Lampe
"This is a bold book", Robin Waterfield
"An Important contribution to the continuing rehabilitation of Hellenistic philosophy", Christopher Rowe

HEALINGIDEAS.pdf

This project is part of a much larger project on philosophy and wellbeing. For more information, ... more

Themes in Ancient philosophy: Greece and India. Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, 2 November 2022.

Leverhulme Research Grant Project Persons and objects in Ancient philosophy: Greek and Indian Bud... more