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C.J. de Vogel Symposium “21st century Plato”

29 November 2019 @ 12:45 - 16:30

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On the 29th of November, VU University will host the C.J. de Vogel Symposium “21st century Plato”. During this symposium Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research) and Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo) will give presentations on Plato’s political dialogues. They will focus on some elements of Plato’s work that are particularly relevant for issues that concern us in the 21st century. After each presentation there will be room for discussion and questions from the audience. The papers are interesting…
On the 29th of November, VU University will host the C.J. de Vogel Symposium “21st century Plato”. During this symposium Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research) and Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo) will give presentations on Plato’s political dialogues. They will focus on some elements of Plato’s work that are particularly relevant for issues that concern us in the 21st century. After each presentation there will be room for discussion and questions from the audience. The papers are interesting both for advanced scholars and for students: all are welcome. Attendance is free, but please let us know if you intend to join the symposium, by sending an email to Nancy van Neste (n.van.neste@vu.nl).   C.J. de Vogel Symposium “21st century Plato” Date                :           29-11-2019 Location          :           VU main building, room 08A37 Schedule 12.45-13.15      :        Welcome with coffee/thee and finger food 13.15-14.30      :        Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo) ‘Tragedy, Moral Education and the Tyrant in Plato’ 14.30-15.45      :        Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research) ‘Democratic Hedonism and its Tyrannical Child in Plato’s Republic’ 15.45-16.30      :        Drinks   Sponsors: C.J. de Vogel Stichting CLUE+   Abstracts Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo), ‘Tragedy, Moral Education and the Tyrant in Plato’ In the Republic, Socrates claims that tragedy “eulogize[s] tyranny as godlike” and “sing[s] hymns of praise to tyranny” (568a). This is a puzzling statement not least because tragedy often depicts the downfall of powerful kings and rulers. Aren’t we precisely warned against the dangers of being in power? In what sense could it be true that tragedy praises tyranny? In this paper, I argue that Plato thinks that tragedy is committed to a hedonistic theory of value on which the tyrant’s life is best. It thus harms its audience by advocating for a false good, pleasure, and presenting a false model of the good life. Further, drawing on the Laws, I argue that Plato thinks that tragedy can have an important moral educational role in good cities by presenting virtuous lives as best. Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research), ‘Democratic Hedonism and its Tyrannical Child in Plato’s Republic’ This paper argues for a reading of Plato’s treatment of tyranny in the Republic as a key component of his critique of Athenian democracy as characterized by the hedonistic ethos of the demos combined with the demos’ claim to supreme political authority. In this reading, tyranny equates to the private appropriation of the demos’ collective freedom of enjoyment prompted by eros. The paper also addresses the way in which, according to Plato, tyrannical characters are naturally generated by democratic political arrangements and moral principles.

Details

Date:
29 November 2019
Time:
12:45 - 16:30

On the 29th of November, VU University will host the C.J. de Vogel Symposium “21st century Plato”. During this symposium Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research) and Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo) will give presentations on Plato’s political dialogues. They will focus on some elements of Plato’s work that are particularly relevant for issues that concern us in the 21st century. After each presentation there will be room for discussion and questions from the audience. The papers are interesting both for advanced scholars and for students: all are welcome.

Attendance is free, but please let us know if you intend to join the symposium, by sending an email to Nancy van Neste (n.van.neste@vu.nl).

 

C.J. de Vogel Symposium “21st century Plato”

Date                :           29-11-2019

Location          :           VU main building, room 08A37

Schedule

12.45-13.15      :        Welcome with coffee/thee and finger food

13.15-14.30      :        Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo) ‘Tragedy, Moral Education and the Tyrant in Plato’

14.30-15.45      :        Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research) ‘Democratic Hedonism and its Tyrannical Child in Plato’s Republic’

15.45-16.30      :        Drinks

 

Sponsors:

C.J. de Vogel Stichting

CLUE+

 

Abstracts

Franco Trivigno (University of Oslo), ‘Tragedy, Moral Education and the Tyrant in Plato’

In the Republic, Socrates claims that tragedy “eulogize[s] tyranny as godlike” and “sing[s] hymns of praise to tyranny” (568a). This is a puzzling statement not least because tragedy often depicts the downfall of powerful kings and rulers. Aren’t we precisely warned against the dangers of being in power? In what sense could it be true that tragedy praises tyranny? In this paper, I argue that Plato thinks that tragedy is committed to a hedonistic theory of value on which the tyrant’s life is best. It thus harms its audience by advocating for a false good, pleasure, and presenting a false model of the good life. Further, drawing on the Laws, I argue that Plato thinks that tragedy can have an important moral educational role in good cities by presenting virtuous lives as best.

Cinzia Arruzza (New School for Social Research), ‘Democratic Hedonism and its Tyrannical Child in Plato’s Republic’

This paper argues for a reading of Plato’s treatment of tyranny in the Republic as a key component of his critique of Athenian democracy as characterized by the hedonistic ethos of the demos combined with the demos’ claim to supreme political authority. In this reading, tyranny equates to the private appropriation of the demos’ collective freedom of enjoyment prompted by eros. The paper also addresses the way in which, according to Plato, tyrannical characters are naturally generated by democratic political arrangements and moral principles.

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The OZSW event calendar lists academic philosophy events organized by/at Dutch universities, and is offered by the OZSW as a service to the research community. Please check the event in question – through their website or organizer – to find out if you could participate and whether registration is required. Obviously we carry no responsibility for non-OZSW events.