[PhilosophyEvents] Monte Johnson, "A Reconstruction of Aristotle’s Lost Work the Protrepticus (Exhortation to Philosophy) as a Dialogue"

[Dan Hicks]

Monte Johnson (UC San Diego)
"A Reconstruction of Aristotle’s Lost Work the Protrepticus (Exhortation to Philosophy) as a Dialogue”
UC Merced Philosophy Speaker Series
Friday, February 21, 2025
4-5:30pm COB1 276

Like his teacher Plato, Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) wrote several dialogues, but all of them have been lost. It is possible, however, to reconstruct at least one of them out of quotations of the work in later Greek authors: the Protrepticus (Exhortation to Philosophy). Aristotle wrote the Protrepticus as a defense of Academic Philosophy against its detractors. In this talk, I will provide you with an English translation of our reconstruction, explain our theory of its structure and the characters in the dialogue, and discuss some of the arguments, including why some ancient Greeks criticized philosophy, and how philosophy can be defended as not only practically useful, but also intrinsically valuable and in fact transformative.

This event is free and open to the public. If you’re a student at another school or community college faculty, contact Dan Hicks (danhicks at ucmerced.edu<mailto:danhicks at ucmerced.edu>) for directions and a parking subsidy.

Please note the updated time and location

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Dan Hicks
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of Philosophy
University of California, Merced

Pronouns: they/them/their

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