CFP: The Sophistic Renaissance: Authors, Texts, Interpretations

The Sophistic Renaissance: Authors, Texts, Interpretations 

Confirmed Keynote Speaker: Professor Eric MacPhail (Indiana University Bloomington)

September 26th, 2016 - Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca’ Foscari University (Venice), Aula Baratto

Organized by Teodoro Katinis

Conference Abstract

This International Conference aims at exploring the influence and diffusion of the ancient sophistic traditions in early-modern Europe, fostering an interdisciplinary discussion among scholars and enhancing a new network for a future collaboration across fields. The Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage of Ca’ Foscari University hosts a growing team of scholars working on early modern philosophy and literature. The conference will investigate the early-modern rebirth of ancient sophists in different linguistic areas, including but not limited to Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, and English, within all genres. Papers will examine ancient sophists’ legacy, translations and interpretations of their works, and new forms of sophistry from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century. The development of sophistry is tightly connected with Skepticism, Platonism, and Aristotelianism, and these traditions, therefore, might be addressed in papers and discussions. The participants will investigate the state-of-the-art and open new paths of research for the future. No conference on the sophistic tradition and its legacy has investigated Renaissance culture and only few, though important, studies have been dedicated to this topic. This conference on the sophistic Renaissance, supported by Katinis’ MSC research project at Ca’ Foscari University, will contribute to fill the gap in international scholarship and enhance the research in the field. The Conference will be held in the Aula Baratto, one of the historical rooms of Palazzo Ca’ Foscari. The papers will be in English, although papers in Italian are acceptable. The proceedings of the conference will be published in a special issue of the journal Philosophical Reading.

The organizer and the Department invite proposals for 30-minute papers addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

· Latin translations and commentaries of sophists’ works or texts related to sophistry.

· Vernacular texts on any aspect of sophistry and sophists.
· The legacy of philosophical perspectives and rhetoric of Gorgias, Protagoras, and other sophists

. Platonic and Aristotelian interpretation of sophistry
· Sophistic aspects of Baroque culture 
· Sophistry and scientific literature
· Sophists and related works in private or public libraries
· Literary genres related to the sophistic literature
· Iconography of sophists

· The sophists in Renaissance cities

· Ancient and modern sophists

· Sophistic legacy in debating philosophical aspects of knowledge, language, communication
· Double arguments (dossoi logoi), paradoxes, and paralogisms
· The condemnation or rehabilitation of sophists in any field, including logic, rhetoric, poetics, politics, ethics.
· The debate over sophistry in European literature

Scholars interested in participating are invited to send a 300-word abstract in English and CV to [email protected] by April 5th, 2016.

Selected participants will receive partial funding for travel and accommodation.