From the Pre-Socratic philosophers to the late antique Boethius, the ancient writers of the Mediterranean understood philosophy and poetry to be intricately connected. That is, poetry could be not only an aesthetically pleasing artistic medium to convey the tenets of one’s school, but also a device through which philosophical arguments could be constructed and supported in ways unavailable in prose. Our purpose in this conference is to examine both how and why philosophers employed poetry in their writings.
In addition to graduate papers, the conference will feature keynote addresses from Richard Janko, Professor of Classics at the University of Michigan, Elizabeth Asmis, Professor of Classics at the University of Chicago, and David O’Connor, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame.
For more information go to the conference site.