Institute for the History of Philosophy, Emory University, Seminar 2008

Religion and Philosophy: Neoplatonism in the Late Ancient and
Early Medieval Period

Organisers: Kevin Corrigan and Steven K. Strange

June 9, 2008 (Monday)

1:00-1.30 Welcome and Opening Remarks

1.30-3.00 Suzanne Stern-Gillet (University of Bolton, UK): “Divine Inspiration: The Neoplatonic Reception of Plato’s Ion from Proclus to Ficino.”

3:00 – 4:30 Kevin Corrigan (Emory University): “Religion and Philosophy in the Platonic tradition.”

4:30-6:00 Lewis Ayres (Emory University): “What does it mean to call Augustine a Platonist: The example of the Liberal Arts?"

June 10, 2008 (Tuesday)

1:30 – 3:00 Michael Harrington (Duquesne University): "The Emperor Julian's Use of Neoplatonic Philosophy and Religion."

3:00 – 4:30 Steve Strange (Emory University): “Plotinus and Iamblichus’ Theology”

June 11, 2008 (Wednesday)

1:30 – 3:00 Ahmed Abdel Meguid (Emory University): “Avicenna's conception of the self between Neo-Platonism and Aristotelianism.”

3:00 – 4:30 Svetla Slaveva-Griffin (Florida State University): "Shading off the body: Theurgical Practices in Neoplatonism and Sufism."

4:30-6:00 Devin Stewart (Emory University): "Notes on Ibn al-Nadim's Presentation of the History of Philosophy and the 'Greek' Sciences in “The Catalogue” (al-Fihrist, 987CE)."

June 12, 2008 (Thursday)

1:30 – 3:00 Deepa Majumdar (Purdue University North Central): “The Enneads of Plotinus and the Bhagavadgītā: Harmony amidst Differences.”

3:00 – 4:30 John Phillips (University of Tennessee, Chattanooga): “Proclus and others on Divine Causation”

June 13, 2008 (Friday)

1:30 – 3:00 John Dillon (Trinity College, Dublin, Emeritus): “Philosophy and Theology in Proclus.”

3:30 – 5:00 Sarah Pessin (University of Denver): “Shadows and Light: Ps.-Empedoclean Traces in Isaac Israeli and Solomon Ibn Gabirol.”

June 15, 2008 (Sunday)

4:00 – 5:30 John Dillon (Trinity College, Dublin, Emeritus)– Public Lecture: “The Religion of the last Platonists.” (Jones Room, Woodruff Memorial Library) Reception will follow

June 16, 2008 (Monday)

1:30 – 3:00 John D. Turner (University of Nebraska, Lincoln): “The curious philosophical world of later religious Gnosticism.”

3:30 – 5:00 Volker Drecoll (Tübingen University, Germany): “Middle Platonic elements in Augustine’s De Civitate 8.”

5:00-6:30 John Dunne (Emory University): "Dreaming Universals: Buddhist Nominalism and Philosophy as Praxis."

June 17, 2008 (Tuesday)

1:30 – 3:00 Gerald Bechtle (University of Bern, Switzerland): “Simplicius' Gods: Theology in the Commentary on the Categories.”

3:30 – 5:00 Luc Brisson (CNRS, Paris, France): “Allegorical Interpretation in Neoplatonism.”

5:00 Closing Remarks