Howison LECTURE SERIES

Death and the Ancient Philosophers

Jonathan Barnes, Professor Emeritus in the Universities of Oxford, Geneva, and Paris-Sorbonne

April 11, 2012 — 4:10 PM
Toll Room, Alumni House, UC Berkeley Campus.
CONSTRUCTION ADVISORY: Due to Lower Sproul construction starting early March 2013, nearby parking and access to this venue may be limited or affected. Please allow extra time for arrival. Questions: contact Alumni House Events at 510.642.1892.

All the ancient philosophers, pagans and Christians alike, agreed that death is the separation of a soul and a body. While there was much disagreement on the precise relationship between a being and his soul, as well as what sort of thing they took a soul to be, it is the agreement among the philosophers rather than their differences that calls for critical attention. In this lecture, Barnes will examine the question: “Why did ancient philosophers believe that beings were composed of two parts, the divorce of which is his death?”

About Jonathan Barnes

Jonathan Barnes is well known for his work in the field of ancient philosophy. Early in his career, Barnes wrote extensively on the Presocratic philosophers, and on Aristotle. More recently, he has been interested in the history of logic and philosophy in the early Roman world. In the two-volume work, Philosophia togata I and II (1987), Barnes explored the role of literature and philosophy in Roman intellectual and political life from the second century BC to the third century AD. In Logic and the Imperial Stoa (1997), Barnes looks at “imperial Stoic logic through the eyes of imperial Stoic authors and in the pages of imperial Stoic texts.” He has contributed significantly to the understanding of the history of philosophy in the early imperial period.

Barnes has published extensively in his field of study, including many academic papers, articles, and several books. Among his more recent works are Coffee with Aristotle (2008) and Truth, etc. (2007). In the former, Barnes discusses a variety of topics, from causation and deduction to the role of women and the wonders of the natural world in a pre-scientific age, in a refreshingly simple manner. Truth, etc. is based upon the six John Locke Lectures that he gave in Oxford in the summer of 2004. In the book, Barnes offers insight on the history of logic: ancient ideas of truth, logical form, predication, and logical utilitarianism in Greece and Rome from the fourth century BC to the sixth century AD. His other publications include Method and Metaphysics: essays in ancient philosophy I (2011), Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction (2000), The Cambridge Companion to Aristotle (1995), and numerous publications in The Classical Review, The Journal of Philosophy, and other prestigious academic journals.