Dr. Ernst-Otto Onnasch
Abstract for Panels ISNS 2009 conference
Abstract for panels at the 7th Annual ISNS Summer Conference, held in Krakow, Poland on 18-21 June, 2009 at the Jesuit University of Philosophy and Education „Ignatianum”
Proclus’ Elements of Theology in focus
Recent years have seen a surge of philosophical interest in Proclus, partly due to the publication of new editions of some of his works. The importance and relevance of his philosophy has been elucidated from various perspectives. Yet, scholarship seems to have shrunk back from the Elements of Theology, arguably Proclus’ most influential and at any rate a philosophically pivotal work. Few, if any, recent studies actually centre on the work turning it into their explicit theme. Maybe reverence for Dodds’ brilliant 1933 edition play a part here, in spite of the fact that from a philosophical point of view it must be (and increasingly is) considered unsatisfactory. For this reason it seems seasonable to put up at the upcoming ISNS 2009 conference a (double?) session dedicated to the Elements. At the same time we are toiling with the idea of organizing, at the occasion of the imminent publication of our fresh German translation of the Elements an accompanying volume with interpretations. An ISNS session might serve as a first collection and inventory of contributions.
Possible themes are abundant. We will be happy to see the treatise approached from many different angles such as:
1. its literary character (what are its pretensions and method, what is a stoicheioosis, what is its position the corpus of Proclus?).
2. its philosophical content, which has
a. metaphysical aspects (causation, immanence/presence, the self-constituted, henads, the intellect, participation);
b. religious aspects (relation metaphysics and theology);
c. anthropological aspects (relevance of this metaphysics for human life).
3. its historical and historical-systematical position (from its predecessors Plotinus and Porphyry to the 18th reception with Hegel and Creuzer).
Apart from these exempli gratia issues many other topics are possible, suggestions for which we will receive eagerly.
A full text of our
session description is available at the conference website and as pdf
downloadable here
Dr. Ben Schomakers
Dr. Ernst-Otto Onnasch (University of Utrecht)
Correspondence
ben-sch {at} dds.nl (though off from 12/20/08 through 1/19/09)
ernst-otto {at} onnasch.eu
