The Contemplative Community: Pre-Socratic Teachings and Their Appropriation in the Phaedo

Prof. Marina Marren, a postdoctoral teaching fellow at University of Nevada, Reno will examine Plato’s dialogue Phaedo, which dramatizes the last day of Socrates by presenting a discussion of life, death, and the soul. Prof. Marren’s reading explores how the conversation among those present appropriates and transforms Pre-Socratic teachings.

According to the University of Nevada, Reno, Prof. Marren focuses on the political dimension of Plato’s dialogues and relies on ancient Greek history, drama and pre-Socratic thought in order to offer a contextualized assessment of Plato’s ideas. Prof. Marren also works to articulate the history of reception of ancient Greek thinking in 19th and 20th century German philosophy. In her book, Plato and Aristophanes: Comedy, Politics, and the Pursuit of a Just Life (Northwestern UP 2021), Marren argues for the value of comedy as an aesthetic mode of political critique.

Please contact Prof. Daniel Mahar for additional information. 

Sponsored by Department of Philosophy