On November 16, 2023, the “LEIBNIZ LECTURE” of the Austrian Academy of Sciences was held with great success, under the patronage of the Austrian Commission of UNESCO in celebration of World Philosophy Day. Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou, President of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle’s Studies, AUTH, and Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, was honored to be the speaker for the year 2023. The topic of her lecture: Aristotle’s Dynamic Philosophy of Nature and its Relevance Today. The Vice-President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Professor Ulrike Diebold, and the Deputy Secretary General of the Austrian Commission for UNESCO, Ms Claudia Isep, addressed the event. The speaker was introduced by Professor Herta Nagl-Docekal, Full Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
“The Leibniz Lectures” as part of the Academy Lectures of the OeAW refer to the fact that Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz presented the Emperor with the first plans for a “Society of Sciences in Vienna” during his work in Vienna from 1712 to 1714. Scholars who have achieved international recognition, not just within their discipline, and their research demonstrates the differentiation potential of philosophy, both for interdisciplinary understanding and for dealing with publicly relevant issues of the present.
More photos here: https://www.picdrop.com/eliazilberberg/imxvYSwzX1
ABSTRACT
Aristotle’s philosophy of nature has been underestimated for centuries. His Physics was considered by the protagonists of the “Scientific Revolution” as a sterile system; the idea that there is no place for an Aristotelian perspective in science was, subsequently, reinforced by the development of Newtonian mechanics. Against this traditional view, the lecture seeks to show that Aristotle’s conception of nature is one of his most fruitful ideas, and that the insights gained from Aristotle’s work are becoming increasingly relevant to contemporary science. Furthermore, the lecture argues that, in light of the impressive discoveries in numerous fields of science, especially in physics, a closer look at Aristotle’s work will reveal that the Stageirite has elaborated a dynamic model of nature, which is much closer than Newtonian physics to the new scientific image of nature emerging today. At the same time, Aristotle’s insights into the inter-relation of all disciplines and the unity of knowledge can respond to the growing need for a re-unification of the various sciences through an interdisciplinary approach.
SHORT CV
Demetra Sfendoni-Mentzou is Professor Emerita of Philosophy of Science, the founding and current President of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Aristotle Studies, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Greece, a Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and Fellow of the Charles S. Peirce Society. She served as President of the Greek Philosophical Society (2006–08) and the Charles Sanders Peirce Society (2014–15). Her research focuses on the importance of Aristotle’s thought for the current sciences is documented in her studies on Quantum Mechanics, Microphysics, and the Bio-Sciences. She edited Aristotle and Contemporary Science (two volumes, 2000/2001) and Aristotle–Contemporary Perspectives on his Thought (2018). Furthermore, she demonstrated how the philosophy of American Pragmatism relates to Aristotle’s thinking. As President of the C. S. Peirce Society, she chaired the “Charles S. Peirce International Centennial Congress,” Lowell, Massachusetts (2014). Most importantly, she initiated, organized, and chaired the “World Congress Aristotle 2400 Years” Thessaloniki 2016, under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic, and edited the Proceedings of that Congress (2019). Currently, Prof. Sfendoni-Mentzou is establishing a joint Greek-Chinese research program that was initiated at the international “Aristotle-Confucius Symposium on Ethics for the 21st Century” that she co-organized in July 2023.
INVITATION OF OeAW
