Philosophy and History Workshop

The Goal of the Workshop

This ISLA-Mellon interdisciplinary workshop  is dedicated to fostering dialogue about the value of studying the history of philosophy for the activity of philosophic inquiry.  Its goal is to encourage discussion between members of the different departments and programs at Notre Dame who study historical philosophic writings.  Many classes are dedicated to the study of various works and figures from the history of philosophy, but seldom is the justification for this approach to philosophy explicitly articulated.  This workshop is intended to make the implicit assumptions behind the study of the history of philosophy explicit.  The workshop is also intended to encourage constructive debate about related questions, such as the proper method or methods for studying historical philosophic works.

The Format

The workshop will consist of a series of brief informal lectures followed by a half hour of questions, discussion, and food and drink.  The general topic of the workshop will be addressed in the context of the speaker’s area of research.  In order to encourage active participation, a brief reading may be assigned by the speaker.  Please check this site a week before any given session for a PDF of the reading.  If you prefer a printed copy, these will be made available at 715 Hesburgh Library.

This workshop has been made possible by the generosity of ISLA and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.