Conferences , Lectures & Seminars

Seminar, Vasileios Syros (visiting ass. professor, University of Chicago) “Socrates'  Image: Medieval and Renaissance Arabic and Jewish political thought,”

31 October, 3 PM:
University Hall, room 1250.

A seminar by Vasileios Syros

'Socrates' Image in Medieval, Renaissance and Jewish Thought.'

This paper will explore Socrates' image in early modern Jewish political thought. It will involve a close discussion of Simone Luzzatto's (1583-1663) Socrate Overo dell' Humano (Venice, 1651), a dialogue modeled on Plato which deals with general philosophical questions such as the nature of human knowledge and its moral and political implications. I will demonstrate that Luzzatto's  Socrates is a fine example of the confluence of the Renaissance humanist tradition and the medieval Jewish tradition of learning. One of the most striking features of the dialogue is Socrates' transfiguration into a 'early modern Skeptic'.

Vasileios Syros obtained his Ph. D. in Medieval and Modern History and Philosophy at Ruprecht-Karl University of Heidelberg.  He has been a junior research fellow of the Academy of Finland and the Maurice Amadow Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is currently a visiting asst. professor of Social Thought at the University of Chicago.  He is the author of several articles and a book (just published):  Die Rezeption der aristotelischen politischen Philosophie bei Marsilius von Padua (Brill 2007-8).

All are welcome to attend.  Refreshments will be served.

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