University of Pittsburgh

News & Events

CPAS Reading Group

Aristotle's Bust
Aristotle's Metaphysics Alpha - Every other Tuesday of each month from 1:00-3:00 p.m. in Cathedral 1218.

 

One-Day Workshop

Aristotle's De Anima

Saturday, April 13, 2013

SPEAKERS: Victor Caston (Michigan) on the Unity of the Soul's Faculties

Iakovos Vasiliou (CUNY Grad Center) on the Theoretical Intellect

Ron Polansky and John Fritz (Duquesne) on Accidental Perception

COMMENTS:  Sean Kelsey (Notre Dame)

John Buttaci (Pittsburgh)

Rosemary Twomney (CUNY Grad Center)

Free to attend, but registration is required.  Please contact Kristen Inglis kai21@pitt.edu to register

 

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Detail of the School of Athens by Michaelangelo

 

Christina Hoenig

Faculty of Classics, Cambridge University

"Ancient Perspectives on Plato and Platonism: the Creation of the Cosmos"

Monday, March 4, 2013

4:00 p.m.

Cathedral Of Learning 206

 

The creation of the cosmos emerged as a major theme in the ancient Platonic tradition. In his dialogue Timaeus Plato presents an elaborate creation account in which a divine craftsman shapes chaotic materials and creates our cosmos. Several elements of Plato’s dialogue attracted criticism from its initial dissemination and sparked a controversy over its interpretation that continues until the present day. The ancient mediators of philosophical thought approached and discussed this controversy from opposing philosophical viewpoints, in various literary forms and in different languages. This lecture examines a number of perspectives on Plato’s creation account that are presented to us in different forms of interpretation: translation, exegetical commentary and paraphrase. Through the philosophical writings of Cicero, Calcidius and Themistius we will follow Plato’s dialogue through several centuries and across linguistic, literary and exegetical boundaries. We will witness how each author, by integrating Plato’s thought into his own intellectual program, makes an original contribution to the Platonic tradition of his day.

 


 

 

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Selected Publications

cover of Being Nature, and Life In Aristotle by James Lennox

Being, Nature, and Life In Aristotle

by James G. Lennox (Editor), Robert Bolton (Editor)

This volume of essays explores major connected themes in Aristotle's metaphysics, philosophy of nature, and ethics, especially themes related to essence, definition, teleology, activity, potentiality, and the highest good. The volume is united by the belief that all aspects of Aristotle's work need to be studied together if any one of the areas of thought is to be fully understood. Many of the papers were contributions to a conference at the University of Pittsburgh entitled 'Being, Nature, and Life in Aristotle', to honor Professor Allan Gotthelf's many contributions to the field of ancient philosophy; a few are contributions from those who were invited but could not attend. The contributors, all longstanding friends of Professor Gotthelf, are among the most accomplished scholars in the field of ancient philosophy today.

 

 

Book cover, Inference from Signs

Inference from Signs: Ancient Debates about the Nature of Evidence

By James Allen

Original and penetrating, this book investigates of the notion of inference from signs, which played a central role in ancient philosophical and scientific method. It examines an important chapter in ancient epistemology: the debates about the nature of evidence and of the inferences based on it—or signs and sign-inferences as they were called in antiquity. Read more.

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Program Application

  • Students do not apply directly to the CPAS Program
  • Instead, students should apply to one of the cooperating departments (Classics, HPS, or Philosophy) and indicate their interest in the program on their application
  • Requirements: BA in Classics or equivalent