Symposium to Explore Philosophy of the Body and Living the Good Life

An upcoming symposium, The Body and the Non-Rational in Ancient Greek Thought, will explore Plato’s views of the physical body and how the body’s material composition contributes to happiness.

The event, which will feature three guest speakers, is free and open to the public and will be held Friday, March 15, at 3:15 p.m. in the Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center on the first floor of the Gumberg Library.

“We’ll be looking at things that are opposed to reason, such as pleasure and desire, and how they can play a part in the good life and happiness,” said Dr. Kelly Arenson, assistant professor of philosophy, who is organizing the event.

The featured symposium speakers are:

• Dr. Emily Austin, from Wake Forest University, who will present Grief and Non-Rational Desire in Plato’s ‘Republic’
• Dr. Cristina Ionescu, from Catholic University of America, who will present The Place of Pleasure and Knowledge in the Fourfold Articulation of Reality in Plato’s ‘Philebus’
• Dr. Rachel Singpurwalla, from University of Maryland, who will present Virtue, External Goods and Happiness in Plato’s ‘Republic.’

Each speaker will present for 30 minutes and answer questions afterward.

“We’ve had a very rational-centered culture for a really long time that tells us the body is something to be rejected,” Arenson said. “It’s important to reconsider this very mind-centric notion of the good life. Do we have to adjust what we think of happiness? Is it different now than it was in the past?”

For more information, email arensonk@duq.edu.

The Body and the Non-Rational in Ancient Greek Thought is sponsored by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, the Department of Philosophy and the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts.