16 October 2008

Nicomachean Ethics VI in Brazil!

I'm in São Paul for the week, for a conference in Nic. Eth. VI at the university, organized by Marco Zingano. Here's the very interesting program that my host has arranged, centered on a new translation and commentary of David Reeve:


Colóquio Ethica Nicomachea - livro VI

Departamento de Filosofia, Universidade de São Paulo

15 a 17 de Outubro de 2008

Programa do Colóquio

Dia 15 de Outubro de 2008, Quarta-Feira

- 14h00 : Gavin Lawrence (University of California) : Aspects of Wisdom: Aristotle and Phronesis

- 15h30 : Hendrik Lorenz (Princeton University) : Aristotle´s Practical Philosophy

- 17h00 : Cristina Viano (CNRS, Paris) : Sur la vertu naturelle

Dia 16 de Outubro de 2008, Quinta-Feira

- 10h00 : C. D. C. Reeve (University of North Carolina) : Nicomachean Ethics VI: translation and commentary (introduction to the text)

- 14h00 : C. D. C. Reeve (University of North Carolina) : Nicomachean Ethics VI: translation and commentary (discussion of the text)

Dia 17 de Outubro de 2008, Sexta-Feira

- 14h00 : Michael Pakaluk (Institute for the Psychological Sciences) : Practical Truth

- 15h30 : Fabio Morales (Universidad Simon Bolivar) :  The Relation between Sophia and Phronesis in Book VI of the Nicomachean Ethics

- 17h00 : Catherine Darbo (CNRS, Paris) : tba

Organização :  Marco Zingano  mzingano@usp.br   www.fflch.usp.br/df


And here's the view from my room:



















As for 'practical truth', maybe I'll say more about that strange bird tomorrow.



10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It was interesting finding your blog after watching those conferences, and had a deliteful dinner with you, Reeve, Hendrik et al.

The only bad thing was we couldn't talk very much, but that's okay, I guess.

Again, congrats on your bold paper and presentation, though work in progress. (-:

Anonymous said...

OK, BUT

Be warned, everybody:

you should not read a commentary by someone else until after you have read the book (IN How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren)

Anonymous said...

Do you think we should read How to Read a Book to know that or should we trust commentary?

(by the way, I read both Adler's book and Aristotle's. liberal education is the way to go, though even America forgets that at times. one can realize that just by analyzing young Americans reactions to St. John's College, or its very high acceptance rate compared to Chicago or Columbia, which supposedly offer "great books" curriculae, but in a very smaller degree.)

Michael Pakaluk said...

Let's start again from here, if you wish. Two rules: 1. give arguments, 2. avoid even the appearance of abusive language.

Anonymous said...

Let's start again from here, if you wish.

Speaking only for me, no, thanks, not with this guy, until and if he apologizes (yes, I think he wronged me; if you think otherwise, I will not try to change your mind). For argument supporting the rule, the public may look at the book I have just quoted.

Anonymous said...

Michael,

Typically, within a philosophical exchange, isn't it too difficult to avoid even the appearance of being abusive? I'm not sure I know the answer, by the way. But doesn't it seem that philosophical behavior (e.g., Socrates') tends to look abusive to non-philosophers?

Michael Pakaluk said...

Sincerely answering, I suppose I would say that I don't think Socrates appears abusive--but proud and boastful, perhaps. Can you think of a counterexample from Plato or Xenophon? Actually, Socrates is extremely gracious, and irony can be cutting or contemptuous, but it can hardly constitute abusive language (note that using abusive language is different from being abusive).

Anonymous said...

Michael,

Thanks for the reply. Socrates never appears to me to be abusive. But to lots of non-philosophers he does. And if there's a difference between being abusive and using abusive language (I think there isn't), he also appears to lots of non-philosophers to use abusive language. So they say, anyway; and you and I have no reason to disbelieve them, do we?

Anonymous said...

I don't think Socrates appears abusive.... Can you think of a counterexample from Plato or Xenophon?

How about Gorgias 494e?

Michael Pakaluk said...

Well, indeed.