We tend to understand philosophical exercises, or even critical reflection, as something that involves an essentially mental effort when referring to arguments, concepts, and theories. As a result, we consider it to be separate from gestures, behaviour, expressions, or body language. The validity of this prejudice is unique to our era. We have inherited a modernity that is largely supported by a strict dichotomy between mind and body, which breaks down to the point of being ineffective when we look back towards ancient thought. At the dawn of philosophical reflection, thought was not limited to a theoretical and purely abstract dimension, but instead solidified a firm commitment with certain forms of life and existential attitudes. Ancient philosophy aspires to provoke an individual and collective transformation that is translated and often reflects a level of action of the body. From this perspective, the body does not only constitute the object of theoretical discourse, but rather involves a vector of thought, a strength from within to be able to provoke, express, and unleash reflection.
As such, we propose exploring the reflective power of the body by studying the way this question was addressed in three major ancient civilizations (Greece, India, and China). Workshops will be held over the course of three days, led by a collection of six renowned specialists.
The first day will be dedicated to ancient Greece and led by Ana Iriarte, a Professor of Ancient History at the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, and Étienne Helmer, a Professor at the University of Puerto Rico (USA).
The second day will be dedicated to ancient India, which will be led by Silvia D’Intino, a Senior Researcher at the CNRS, and Ana Agud, Professor Emeritus of the University of Salamanca.
Lastly, Mercedes Valmisa, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Gettysburg College (USA), and Romain Graziani, Professor at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, will lead us through the third day, which will be dedicated to ancient China.
Albert Galvany. Coordinator of the Seminar.
We propose exploring the reflective power of the body by studying the way this question was addressed in three major ancient civilizations (Greece, India, and C