Charles H. Kahn

Charles H. Kahn (May 29, 1928 – March 5, 2023) was an American classicist and professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. His academic contributions primarily centered on early Greek philosophy, spanning from its origins up to the era of Plato. Two of his most significant scholarly achievements include his 1960 monograph on Anaximander, which by 2020 was still considered the foremost reference work on the subject, and his 1979 edition of the Heraclitus fragments. The latter remains the most widely cited English translation of Heraclitus, often serving as the standard interpretation for scholars outside the immediate field. Kahn's work explored fundamental concepts in Greek philosophy, such as the verb 'to be' and the problem of existence, engaging with thinkers like Anaximander, the Pythagoreans, and Plato. He presented influential papers, such as "The Greek Verb ‘To Be’ and the Problem of Being" in 1965, which later formed the basis of a book. His scholarship also delved into the philosophical program of Platonic dialogues, emphasizing their role in leading the soul through a process he termed *psychagogia*. Kahn received numerous accolades throughout his career, including multiple awards from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities. He was also a recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation award and was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In recognition of his scholarly impact, a *Festschrift* was published in his honor in 2009, and he was the inaugural winner of the Werner Jaeger Award in 2014. His bibliographical contributions include seminal works on Anaximander, the verb 'be' in ancient Greek, Heraclitus, Plato, and the Pythagoreans.