CFP: The Concept of Pneuma After Aristotle

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Concept of Pneuma after Aristotle

Berlin, July 2-4 2015

In the history of the concept of pneuma, the writings of Aristotle are considered a turning point: he develops a complex conception of pneuma and assigns it a central role in the generation, development and workings of the body and soul. After Aristotle, the importance and supremacy of pneuma in medical and philosophical thought is almost undisputed; yet, while it constitutes an important stage in this history, the period after Aristotle has attracted little attention. The aim of this conference is to fill this lacuna by focusing on post-Aristotelian conceptions of pneuma, and tracing changes in the history of ideas of pneuma from the early Hellenistic period to the early Middle Ages.

The conference will look at the concept of pneuma from a number of perspectives: (a) the role of pneuma in physics, psychology, physiology, embryology and pathology; (b) definitions of pneuma among different schools and where & why these views intersect, e.g. Peripatetic, Stoic, Medical (Dogmatic, Methodist, “Pneumatist”), Neoplatonist, Arabic; (c) pneuma in social & religious contexts—e.g., pagan, Talmudic, Christian, Islamic. The main questions the conference aims to a address are:

• How is pneuma defined and conceptualized at different times and in different traditions? For example: Is it conceived as a corporeal substance? How did it interact with other substances? Which properties and powers are ascribed to it?

• Which functions or capacities are assigned to pneuma in the body?

• What role does the concept of “innate pneuma” play in our sources? How is it defined? What causal or explanatory role is it assigned? How is it distinguished from other types of pneuma?)

• What was the relation between pneuma and soul?

• How did changes in anatomical knowledge (e.g. the discoveries of the nerves and the arteries) influence and transform the conception of pneuma?

• Did professional conceptions of pneuma filter into lay knowledge?

• What role did Aristotle’s doctrine of pneuma play in the shaping of later ideas?

We welcome scholars from the fields of classics, the history of philosophy, the history of medicine, and the history and philosophy of science, to submit an abstract of up to 500 words that addresses any of these topics. We especially encourage submissions from junior scholars and graduate students.

The conference format emphasizes discussion and collaboration. Abstracts and passages will be pre-circulated among participants about a month in advance. Sessions will last 45-60 minutes, from which 20-30 minutes will be dedicated to discussion.

The deadline for submissions is 19 December 2014.

Submissions and correspondence can be sent to:

[email protected]

Sean Coughlin (TOPOI / HU-Berlin)

David Leith (Exeter)

Orly Lewis (TOPOI / HU-Berlin)

The conference is funded by:

The Excellence Cluster TOPOI and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.