Questions Arising from the Aristotelian Zoology

Questions Arising from the Aristotelian Zoology

Workshop at the Finnish Institute at Athens  

23–24 March 2026  

https://finninstitute.gr/kalenteri/questions-arising-from-the-aristotelian-zoology/   

Aristotle’s biology has become a flourishing field of scholarship in recent decades, and its relevance has only increased amid growing concerns over biodiversity loss and reconsideration on the relationship between human beings and other animals. Responding to the growing need for historically and philosophically informed engagement with these issues, the Kone Foundation has awarded a major grant for the translation of Aristotle’s zoological treatises—Historia animalium (Tōn peri ta zōia historiōn), De partibus animalium (Peri zōōn moriōn), De generatione animalium (Peri zōōn geneseōs), and De incessu animalium (Peri poreias zōiōn)—into Finnish, accompanied by scholarly commentaries.     This workshop brings together an international group of philosophers and classical philologists. In addition to advancing research on various dimensions of Aristotle’s zoological thought, the event supports the ongoing translation and commentary work on these four foundational treatises.    

The workshop is organised by the research project ‘History and Diversity in Aristotelian Zoology’, University of Helsinki, in collaboration with the Finnish Institute at Athens. It is generously funded by the Kone Foundation.    

For further details, please contact the leader of the project Dr Mika Perälä, [email protected].      

To join the workshop via Zoom please register in advance:     https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nkPGEqygSi-NqyBwkebQBw     

Program  

Day 1 – Monday 23 March 2026  

13.30–13.45 Petra Pakkanen and Mika Perälä: Opening of the workshop    

13.45–15.00 Sophia M. Connell: Aristotle on Differences in the Perceptual Organs of Different Animals    

15.00–15.15 Coffee    

15.15–16.30 Stasinos Stavrianeas: The transmission of souls in the Generation of Animals    

16.30–16.45 Break    

16.45–18.00 Erja Salmenkivi and Mika Perälä: Textual issues in the Parts of Animals    

Day 2 – Tuesday 24 March 2026  

10.00–11.15 TBA    

11.15–11.30 Coffee    

11.30–12.45 Pantelis Golitsis: Life, Soul, and Heat in the Generation of Animals and Other Treatises    

12.45–14.15 Lunch    

14.15–15.30 Spyros Rangos: Natural teleology and hypothetical necessity    

15.30–15.45 Coffee    

15.45–17.00 Harry Alanen: Aristotle on natural teleology: The dialectical strategy of Physics II.8-9 reconsidered    

17.00–17.15 Mika Perälä: Closing of the workshop