Luke Lea received his Ph.D. in Classical Studies from Columbia University in 2025. His research specialization is in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, especially the ethical and political thought of Plato and the Early Greek Philosophers. He approaches similar topics through the study of other philosophical traditions, including the Modern European and Early Chinese.
Luke’s core research currently divides into two projects, one on Antiphon the Sophist, an influential but neglected figure from 5th century Greece, and another on Plato’s theory of mortal human nature and its significance for his ethical and political thought. These topics converged in Luke’s dissertation “Nature and Justice in Plato’s Republic and Antiphon’s On Truth” and in his 2025 article “Plato, Republic Book II and Antiphon’s On Truth” (Apeiron Vol. 58, Issue 1). Luke’s work in the history of political philosophy produced his 2025 article “Spontaneous Order and the History of Nihilism” (forthcoming in Human Affairs).