Samuel Mead’s research focuses on ancient and early modern political philosophers’ treatments of the significance of our mortality. His dissertation, “The Political Psychology of Mortality in Plato’s Laws,” discusses how the proposed law code in Plato’s longest dialogue shapes its imaginary citizens’ views of death. A lover of the Great Books, Mead has taught for the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Study of Core Texts and Ideas. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Theory from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College (Santa Fe, NM).