Talks / Ideas / Philosophy

The Conquest of Knowledge: Translation and Civilization from Antiquity to the Renaissance

96 Euston Road

Mon 16 Nov · 18:30 · Free

Talk

About this event

A survey of the history and impact of the transmission of ancient Greek thinking across the western world, through manuscript books and translation.Lecture 1: The historical significance of the translation of Greek texts in the West from antiquity to the RenaissanceMon 16 NovThe historical and political significance of the translation of Greek texts, and the development of a Hellenic curriculum of higher learning.Lecture 2: The conquest of knowledge, through translation, in the multilingual communities in the WestThurs 19 NovThe conquest of knowledge: during the period from Alexander the Great to the Renaissance, western cultures acquired a Hellenic scientific and philosophical curriculum. Texts were translated from Greek into Latin, Syriac, Middle Persian, and Arabic, and from Arabic into Latin, Hebrew, and Greek. Translation was encouraged by intellectual and political elites to serve their particular aims.Lecture 3: The impact of one canonical book: Aristotle's PoeticsMon 23 NovA case study illustrating the themes of the previous lectures, looking at multilingual transformations of one canonical book, Aristotle's Poetics.The final lecture will be followed by a reception for in-person attendees.