1892 – 1968
Raphael Demos (1892–1968) was a Greek-American philosopher who spent his career at Harvard University, where he became a leading interpreter of Plato and contributed to debates in metaphysics and the theory of truth. He is best known for his systematic study of Platonic philosophy and for an early influential analysis of negative propositions, which engaged both idealist and analytic currents of thought. His work bridged classical themes of being and negation with emerging analytic concerns about ontology and the logic of truth.
Authored The Philosophy of Plato (1939), a major systematic exposition of Platonic thought
Published an early and influential analysis of negative facts and the ontology of negative propositions
Served as a long-tenured professor at Harvard University, shaping American philosophical education
Contributed to debates on the nature of truth, being, and negation bridging idealist and analytic traditions
Engaged questions of consciousness and personal identity from a Platonic metaphysical standpoint