In memoriam Anne G. Wesinger

  It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Anne Gabrièle Wersinger in January 2024. A. G. Wersinger studied literature and philosophy (in preparatory classes and at the Université de Strasbourg), was awarded first place in the Agrégation de philosophie (1979), and taught in secondary schools (1979-1994), before becoming a lecturer at the Université Paris 1 from 1994 to 2006, and then full Professor at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne and a member of the Centre Jean Pépin, CNRS. Always on the lookout for the subtleties of the text, A. G. Wersinger’s research has explored the full complexity of the Platonic dialogues, paying attention to the variety of ways in which dialectical operations were carried out in the dialogues. In her dissertation, L’usage des amphibologies dans les dialogues de Platon: essai sur l'interprétation pré-philosophique de la différence, defended under the supervision of Pierre Aubenque in 1992, [...]

2024-04-08T22:58:23+00:00Categories: Just published, Uncategorized|

In memoriam Holger Thesleff

Holger Thesleff 1924–2023 On October 6th we heard the sad news from Helsinki that our esteemed colleague Holger Thesleff passed away on October 3rd. According to his son, who was present, he did so “peacefully and without pain.” He had not been his usual self since an illness last year, even though he had been amazingly active well into his nineties. Among his best known works were two early studies of the Pythagorean corpus of the Hellenistic era (1961, 1965); and three monographs on Plato: Studies in the Styles of Plato (1967), Studies in Platonic Chronology (1982) and Studies in Plato’s Two-Level Model (1999), all conveniently included in Platonic Patterns (2009). He also helped build up a literature on Plato in the Swedish and Finnish languages. He was a regular and valued contributor at the symposia of the International Plato Society. Some months before his death he learned that his final paper, “Afterthoughts on ‘School Accumulation’ in Plato’s Academy,” was [...]

In memoriam Tomás Calvo Martínez (1942-2023)

Prof. Tomás Calvo Martínez (1942-2023) It is with great sadness and difficulty that we must announce to our members the passing of our beloved former IPS President, Prof.Tomás Calvo Martínez. He passed away on 1st October, in the company of his son Néstor and members of his family. A dear friend and excellent colleague, he has been our mentor and a supportive, vibrant member of academia. Naturally generous and sympathetic, he has contributed to our Society in many fruitful ways. Prof. Tomás Calvo has contributed to putting Spain on the map of countries that carry out serious and fruitful research in the field of the history of ancient philosophy. He became President of the International Plato Society in the period 1992-1995, as organiser of the IV International Plato Symposium in Granada, bringing together the best specialists in the world in the study and interpretation of the dialogues Timaeus and Critias [...]

CfA: Ancient Philosophy Today

Call for proposals: Ancient Philosophy Today If you think that ancient philosophy has continuing relevance and resonance, then why not submit your next article to Ancient Philosophy Today? The journal's guiding thought is that ancient theories are not ‘obsolete’; rather, they are serious philosophical texts that can inform current philosophical interests and debates. Call for articles

2023-05-23T11:53:43+00:00Categories: Uncategorized|

Julia Pfefferkorn’s “Platons tanzende Stadt” (Conrado Eggers Lan Prize Winner) Just Published

Julia Pfefferkorn, the winner of the third Conrado Eggers Lan Prize for Best Dissertation (2018-21), now has the monograph version of her dissertation—titled, Platons tanzende Stadt. Moralpsychologie und Chortanz in den Nomoi—just published in Brill's Plato Studies series (vol. 11). See the book page for more info » Abstract [German/Deutsch]: Weshalb ist der Chortanz (χορεία) in Platons Nomoiso prominent? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage bietet dieses Buch eine eingehende Analyse der Moralpsychologie des Dialogs und argumentiert, dass der Tanz nicht nur ein erzieherisches Instrument, sondern – als körperlicher Ausdruck geordneter Lust – auch ein Symbolbild für das Hauptziel der moralischen Erziehung ist: die Mäßigung (σωφροσύνη). So wird der Chortanz zu einem wirkmächtigen Konstrukt zur Veranschaulichung der philosophischen Hauptanliegen Platons. Zu den Schwerpunkten des Buches gehören darüber hinaus eine innovative Erklärung des komplexen Aufbaus des Dialogs, neue Deutungen des Marionettengleichnisses und der Ansprache an die Tragiker sowie die erste Untersuchung der moralischen Funktion [...]

2023-01-17T10:39:18+00:00Categories: Other Announcements, Uncategorized|

Call for papers: Image and Imagination in Plato (Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 27–29, 2020)

Plato’s attitude towards images is ambiguous. On the one hand, there are unmistakable signs that he denounces the status of images. In the simile of the Line, he puts images in the lowest subsection. He criticizes image-makers such as poets and painters. One of his main criticisms of the sophists is also that they are image-makers. On the other hand, Plato’s dialogues are full of vivid images. He may even have thought that the use of images and imagination is an intermediate step and a necessary means for achieving the highest level of understanding. How should we account for this ambiguity?  Traditional studies on Plato’s views of image and imagination have focused mainly on the Republic and the Sophist, especially on his negative treatments of images and image-makings in them. In recent decades, however, more attention has been given to his positive views both in these dialogues and in other [...]

2021-02-02T10:19:32+00:00Categories: Previous Conferences, Uncategorized|
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