NEW PROGRAMME

1st day: August 19th, 2022 (Introductory lessons)
Sergis Ν.: THE CONTINUITY  OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY

10-1 p.m.: HISTORY OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY
In the first introductory unit, we will examine the method of the Summer School, which is how we are going to unify all periods of Greek Philosophy. As it is obvious, in the School we are going to follow a historical classification of the periods and, accordingly, we will follow a historical-philosophical method for the study of each period. This means that we will not examine each unit simply as a historic event, but we will insist on how each period is rejuvenated in the interests and needs of the successive schools of philosophical thought. Studying the History of Greek Philosophy by means of Hegel’s philosophical method, we will understand how, through the constant re-examination of philosophical problems in each era, the continuity of Greek Philosophy is achieved. Always operating retroactively, the philosophers of all times studied again and again the same philosophical issues, which were first introduced by ancient Greeks. The difference from one period to the other has to do with the fact that the problems of Ontology, Ethics, Cognitive Theory and so on that concerned the philosophers, changed their reference frame, depending on the historical, social or political conditions. So, continuity is achieved through change. From this it follows that, for Greek Philosophy, the relevance or timelessness of each period preserve the continuity of Greek-language Philosophy, on a historical axis. In order to make this fully understood, on the last two days of the School, there will be an attempt to unify all the material through the views of Modern Greek philosophers.

6-9 p.m.: GREEK PHILOSOPHY AS A CHANGE OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
We would not be mistaken to regard Philosophy as a “mirror” of the social-political balances and dynamics of each era. Moreover, Philosophy in every time conjuncture is a “road sign” in order for us to understand the impending historical changes. Greek Philosophy, in particular, due to its central role in the intellectual controversies of all times, can become a criterion for understanding the prevailing trends in the area of ideas.  However, it is the ideas that prepare historical events, before the latter take place. Studying the various versions of Greek Philosophy per historical period in the Summer School, we will also follow the intellectual “discourse” of the forming western world with the Greek philosophical past. For example, it is difficult to obtain an insight into the European Enlightenment unless we have a historical-philosophical overview of the century-long confrontation between Aristotelianism and Platonism. The historical perspective of the Enlightenment, continuing to this day, can be detected in the opposing currents formed by the study of the two great philosophers. Respectively, in the School there will be a discussion on the historical perspectives of the modern world concerning the future of philosophical humanitarianism. Both from the perspective of the European (continental) tradition and in the framework of the Anglo-Saxon philosophical discourse, in the School we will trace the vestiges, the relevance of the forms of Greek Philosophy. Here, our route will reach its completion, in pursuit of the contribution made by Modern Greek philosophers to the forming future world. Because, eventually, the relevance, timelessness and continuity of Greek Philosophy is nothing else but a flame that still keeps humanitarianism alive in the West to this day. Even if some dominant political choices deem Humanitarian Studies as unsuitable “merchandise”, Philosophy, and especially Philosophy in its mother tongue, is still too young to die.  

2nd day: August 20th, 2022
Chrysakopoulou V.-S. PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY

10-1 p.m. WHO ARE THE EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?

Why Aristotle calls the first philosophers “naturalists”?

Who are the first naturalists?

A brief encounter with Thales’, Anaximander’s and Anaximenes’ views according to the sources.

Heraclitus from Ephesus and the Logos.

6-9 p.m.  FROM IONIA TO MAGNA GRECIA: THE ELEATICS, THE PYTHAGOREANS AND EMPEDOCLES

Xenophanes and the foundation of the Eleatic “race” according to Plato.

Parmenides’ poem.

Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans.

Empedocles’ poem(s).

Day 3d: August 21th, 2022
Iliopoulos G., PLATO

10-1 p.m.: PLATO AS A CRITICAL PHILOSOPHER
Plato the Athenian (428-347 BC) is considered by many to be the first philosopher, while some others, with a certain exaggeration, would call him the only important philosopher of all times. No one, however, is able to fully and adequately grasp the depth and magnitude of his contribution to philosophical thought unless he examines in all its dimensions the intellectual-spiritual function of criticism, which: a. led to the emergence of Platonic philosophy, b. largely determined the terms of its dissemination and reception, c. was finally inscribed, with the indirect and direct contribution of the reception of Platonic philosophy, into the very core of the production of philosophical discourse until today.
For the reader and interpreter of Platonic philosophy it is important and helpful to concretely consider the dimension of criticism and thus to see that through it the philosophical thought in question is embedded into the era that made it necessary and allowed its emergence, which in turn is a necessary condition for orientation in the understanding and utilization of philosophy. Children of their time were both the great Athenian philosopher and Socrates, the master who inspired and decisively influenced him, but also the sophists, the opponents from whom a lot of issues separated him a lot, but also provided him with impulses and ideas without seeking it and without ever having the chance to see him admitting it.
The activity of criticism that the Athenian philosopher developed within the environment of the Academy and in connection with which he wrote his famous dialogues, led subsequently to those discussions, the fruit of which are both certain modifications of the Platonic positions through time and par excellence the philosophy of Aristotle who was to follow. Plato’s critical and creative relationship with his leading student becomes in the centuries to come a driving force for the formation and differentiation of philosophical currents, but can also be seen as fundamental to any process of remarkable scientific-philosophical criticism, which nowadays for various reasons and according to necessity tends to be considered as an achievement of our spiritual life.

6-9 p.m.: PLATO BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE
Plato is well-known for his famous theory of Forms or Ideas which for him are intelligible entities that stand beyond any change in time and space and moreover do not at all depend on the individuals’ ability to grasp them properly.
Given the traits of the intelligible Forms and the difficulties to adequately comprehend them, one has to reflect on the possibility to establish whether and to what extent they are related to other well-known objects of scientific knowledge, which also presuppose and demand the ability to resort to abstract thinking. On the basis of such a correlation it would be quite logical to suppose that Plato developed his main philosophical theory out of his need to reach and retain a deeper and better understanding of the world surrounding him, a need he would share with every serious scientist.
Plato had indeed a sufficient knowledge of the scientific achievements of his contemporaries and this played an essential part in the process of the concrete expression the Forms finally assumed. But on the other hand Plato had an essentially practical motivation for his theory. For he actually felt the need to effectively combat the relativism that resulted from the theory and practice of his competitors on the intellectual stage of the city-state. He had many reasons to reject the innovations the sophists introduced in the spiritual and cultural life of Athens and his uniqueness consists in the development of a highly profiled theory that would enable him to eradicate every perilous new opinion and restitute the old political and cultural order but this time in a more stable and sustainable way.
Thus the scientific aspects of his theory cannot be isolated from the practical intentions that lay behind them. Plato as a great theoretician – he was undoubtedly talented among others in poetry and mathematics – had also an elaborate perception of the world of practice. This aspect of his work tends to be neglected in the sense that another commonly discussed trait of him is his utopianism; it is being treated as a pure fact that he wanted to establish an ideal state that would and could never exist.
This may well be the case if we judge him by the criteria of practical politicians. But on the other hand we should also seriously take into account that his theoretical path towards the ideal state passed through certain ethical problems that even nowadays are considered to be of vital importance for our common organized life.

Day 4th: August 22th, 2022
Iliopoulos G.. ISSUES OF ARISTOTELIAN PHILOSOPHY

10-1 p.m. ARISTOTLE AS THE FOUNDER OF THEORETICAL PHILOSOPHY

Aristotle did a lot of research in a field of knowledge that certainly existed also before him but on the other hand it was first to be constituted by him as a more or less independent realm. This is the branch of philosophy nowadays commonly called “Metaphysics”. In fact, the word ‘metaphysics’ is derived from a collective title of the fourteen books bequeathed by Aristotle that we currently think of as making up his main work known under this title. Aristotle himself did not know the word and used the terms ‘first philosophy’, ‘first science’, ‘wisdom’, and ‘theology’ instead. The name Metaphysics emerged due to the later editorial work of Andronicus of Rhodes and means nothing more than the books that (should be studied) after the Physika, the books dealing with the knowledge of physis (nature). in the morning  course we will examine the specifics and the prerequisites of Aristotle’s Metaphysics as a branch of Philosophy that is about things that do not change whereas Practical Philosophy deals with issues essentially subject to change. We will thus try to resolve the tension between two definitions to the subject-matter given by Aristotle himself, namely “being as such” (to on he on), and “first causes” (protai aitiai or archai). On this basis we should be enabled to study the relevance of the Aristotelian concepts for a contemporary approach to kosmos (as world and order) and to fully appreciate Aristotle’s originality inasmuch as he built his conception in a critical dialogue with his predecessors and he developed it in such a lucid and comprehensive manner that made its multi-faceted reception through later ages possible. 

6-9  p.m. ARISTOTLE AS THE FOUNDER OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

Aristotle dealt in extenso with those questions that concern the best way of living as a free member of the political community and acting towards fellow humans. These questions had also before stood in the epicentre of the Platonic Philosophy but it was Plato’s best disciple who first attempted to delineate a special area covering such issues and essentially differing from the area of the theoretical philosophy. Thus, Aristotle has the reputation of being the founder of practical philosophy as a genus being subdivided into the interconnected species of the ethical and the political philosophy. Our evening course is set to examine crucial aspects of Aristotle’s legacy that also are of importance for us today living in an essentially different world. We will try to show that despite the unavoidable differences between the ages there is also a common conceptual base that justifies our interest for Aristotle, including mainly the concept of praxis (action) as distinct to poiesis (production, creation, manufacturing), the peculiarity of the theoretical knowledge about praxis as being directed at movable and changeable issues, the relevance of this very knowledge for reaching certain goals and attaining the right praxis as such, the importance of bouleusis (consultation) within the appropriate institutions (that must also be built) for coming to terms with the changeability and the multi-sidedness of ethical and political issues and last but not least the interdependence between the single member of the community and the community as a whole which is decisive for our defining eudemonia (happiness, flourishing) as the highest goal in life.

Day 5th: August 23th, 2022

Tsouni G., HELLENISTIC PHILOSOPHY

10-1 p.m.: EPICUREAN PHILOSOPHY

In the first part we will discuss Epicurean philosophy, its origins in  
the Presocratic atomist philosophers and its development down to the  
Roman period. Emphasis will be put on the basic principles of  
Epicurean natural philosophy, on the characteristics of the atoms and  
the "atomic" explanation of psychic phenomena. Also we will introduce  
the basic principles of Epicurean ethics and especially the role of  
pleasure for the attainment of happiness and the character of  
Epicurean "tranquillity".

6-9 p.m.: STOIC PHILOSOPHY

In the second part we will discuss Stoicism and its relation with the  
Socratic and Platonic tradition, as also its links with Presocratic  
philosophy (Heraclitus). We will place emphasis on the "material"  
aspects of Stoic physics, the notion of "breath" and on cosmic Reason  
as the main cause of all beings, as also on the notion of Stoic fate.  
In addition to these, we will discuss the main theses of Stoic ethics:  
the grounding of ethics in nature through natural "appropriation", the  
idea of "extirpation of emotions" and the Stoic view that virtue is  
sufficient for happiness.

Day 6th: August 24th, 2022
 10-6 p.m.:
Excursion: we are going to visit monuments and museums of cultural-historical interest on the island.

Day 7th, August 25th, 2022
Vlahakis N., EVOLUTION OF ANCIENT AND GREEK PHILOSOPHY IN BYZANTINE TIMES

10-1 p.m.: ARISTOTELIAN WEST AND PLATONIC EAST
➢ History according to the German philosopher G.H. Herder (1744-1803) as the story of the human soul is the field of man's encounter with God. This encounter expresses the essence of religion according to him and is perceived through emotion, not through Reason. This is the basic difference between philosophy and religion.

➢ 529 AD, is the year in which the Byzantine emperor Justinian closed the Platonic Academy, marking in a sense the end of ancient Greek philosophy. Key question to be investigated: is Christianity Hellenized or is Greek philosophy Christianized?
 • The survival and influences of Neoplatonism and Neo-Aristotelianism, Stoicism and Epicurean philosophy in Christian in general and in Byzantine philosophy in particular, as an evolution of the late Hellenistic tradition and the early Christian years.
• The “Kingdom of God” or Civitas Dei: two different moral and political views. The comments of Thomas Aquinas on the Politics of Aristotle. Following the question, a historical-political view of the Byzantine Empire as Theocratic autocratic regime is developed. Regnum # Sacerdotium / King-Patriarch (the view of Steven Runciman and the idea of Byzantium as an “Ecumenical Cosmopolis” - the view by Prof. G. Kontogiorgis)
-Composition of philosophical monism and Saint trinity. The case of M. Athanasios and his controversy with the Gnostics and Arianism.
-Ioannis Damaskinos and his "Dialectics": the formation of an Aristotelian perspective in the scholastic philosophy of Christianity.
-The Cappadocian Fathers and the formation of an essentialist philosophy of Substance and the "second essence".

6-9 p.m.: OPTIONS OF A PHILOSOPHICAL DIFFERENCE
• The Greek East and the Latin West - Historical-political influences of the schism as a result of the philosophical difference. (The work of Philip Sherrard: The Greek East and the Latin West). Iconoclasm and iconoclasm as reflections of this difference: substance-phenomenon and power-energy. A key question is why the positive re-evaluation of the historical and cultural contribution of the peoples of the Byzantine Empire was not integrated into the historical consciousness of the West. (the view of Hamburg Professor Klaus Oehler).
• The Hesychastic movement and Gregory Palamas. Mysticism and hermitage.
• The revival of Platonic ideocracy and Aristotelian rationalism – Plethon Gemistos and his work: "About the Aristotle and Plato difference".
• Late influences: The Byzantines in the West: Chrysoloras, Gerasimos Vlachos, Nice’s Visarion, Argyropoulos etc.

As an Epilogue: Law / Nature / Reason:
• The dilemma of Western universal secularization as a philosophy of natural law and the insistence on the transcendental Word of the Orthodox East, as a continuation of this controversy.
• Byzantine philosophy due to the fact that it poses the great ontological and metaphysical problems, therefore, should be considered as a special period in the development of philosophical thought, under the decisive influence of the religious phenomenon and the concrete political formation that prevailed in the Eastern Roman Empire and not as a simple "servant of theology".

Day 8th, August 26th, 2022

Vlahakis N. - Sergis N. FROM  "NEO-HELLENIC" (GREEK ENLIGHTENMENT) TO MODERN GREEK PHILOSOPHY

10-1  a.m. Vlahakis N. THE ASSIMILATION OF EUROPEAN PHILOSOPHICAL IDEAS IN GREEK PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT OF THE 20th CENTURY

The continuation of Greek philosophy in the 20th century, having assimilated the main trends of the latest European philosophy, moves along two main lines: that of a neo-Kantianism which constitutes the bourgeois tradition of a Greek philosophical school of the 30s consisting of P.K. Kanellopoulos, K.D. Tsatsos, E.P. Papanoutsos (according to the classification of Linos Benakis) while on the other hand we have the development of a Hegelian trend on which the Greek Marxist tradition is based, with D. Glinos, G. Imbriotis, K. Despotopoulos, N. Poulantzas, while Panagiotis Kondylis closes a period of synthetic philosophical reflection at the end of the 20th century with his social ontology.

6-9  p.m. Sergis N. PHILOSOPHICAL DIALOGUES BY THE SEA

The afternoon session will take plece at the beach, opposite to the Ionic shore, where Philosophy was born through the Presocratic ideas. In this session we will discuss the influnce of the Enlightenment to the greek-spoken peoples of the Ottoman Empire, before, during and after the Greek Revolution (decade 1820-1830). Simultaneously, we will examine the influnce of this spiritual current (called in the bibliography as "NeoHellenic Philosophy" or "Greek Enlightenment") over the formation of the just established modern Greek state and its "identity". Observing the years that followed, we will reach the turning from the 19th to the 20th century, in order to comprehend the condition of the ideas at the time of the Modern Greek Philosophy emergence, which will be the final topic we will deal with during the last days of the School.

9th day: August 27th, 2022
Sergis Ν., MODERN GREEK PHILOSOPHY I

10-1 a.m.: THE GREEK PHILOSOPHERS IN THE 20TH CENTURY: GREECE
The country’s history in the previous century played a significant role in the development of Philosophy. In the presentation we will study how the Greek philosophers developed their thought amidst a series of difficulties. To begin with, we will discuss the direct link of the Greek-language Philosophy with the development of Greek universities, where, to this day, research is mainly underway. Until World War II, in Greece there are only 2 Schools of Philosophy in Athens and Thessaloniki. Two more factors have a significant impact on the development of Modern Greek Philosophy: the post-civil war situation in the country with the defeat of the Communist Army (D. G. A.) and the pre-war turn – continuing after 1950 – to Ancient Greek Philosophy or, generally, the effort to reconnect with the Greek roots of Philosophy. In this presentation, we will try to analyze the domestic trends in Philosophy in the 20th century, the main representatives, as well as the emerging social-political obstacles, which impeded the development of Modern Greek Philosophy, in contrast to what was going on in the West and, more specifically, in Europe. Thus, we will see how Philosophy in Greece during the previous century gradually rediscovered the various periods of the past, which were presented in the School in the past few days. Finally, it is important to note that the return of the Modern Greek philosophers to the earlier periods of Greek Philosophy does not happen in an introspective way, which means aiming at an autonomous development of a “national” Philosophy, but in an ongoing discourse with all the current philosophical trends worldwide.

6-9 p.m.: THE GREEK PHILOSOPHERS IN THE 20TH CENTURY: EUROPE
Mainly in academic circles, yet not only there, during the second half of the 20th century, the prevailing tendency among Greek philosophers was that of an “escape” abroad, predominantly to Europe,  at least for those who could afford to do so with their own means or through scholarships. This trend aimed at their getting in a closer connection to European or American philosophical developments, so that the most modern philosophical currents could be passed on in the country. The above fact had two counterbalancing effects: the domestic philosophical discourse was significantly enriched, but, at the same time, those who managed to have a career abroad were lost for many years from the birthplace of Philosophy. The presentation will include an analysis of the historical components of this reality and how things change with the restoration of democracy. We will make reference to the most important Greek philosophers abroad, to the topics they studied, as well as to the currents they joined, which led to their work forming, to a certain extent, the philosophical discourse outside Greece. Specifically, we will talk about the “Athenian Trinity of Paris” (C. Castoriadis, C. Axelos, C. Papaioannou) and how the three of them are linked through a common starting point but different directions, about the timely work by P. Kondylis and the influences, in and outside Greece, on the studies of N. Poulantzas. Finally, by examining how these philosophers approach the earlier periods of Greek Philosophy, we will arrive at the main goal of the Summer School, which is an overview of Greek Philosophy as a unified entity.

10th day: August 28th, 2022
Sergis Ν.. - Vlahakis N. (et al.)  MODERN GREEK PHILOSOPHY II

10-2 p.m.: ROUND TABLE: SUMMARY – CONCLUSIONS – RESEARCH PROSPECTS (GREEK PHILOSOPHY AS A UNIFIED ENTITY)
On the last day of the Summer School, we will make a summary of the material we have attended all the previous days, which means we will pinpoint the major characteristics of the periods of Greek Philosophy. At the same time, we will investigate the connecting joints of the transition from one period to another. On the ninth day of the School, we watched how Modern Greek Philosophy, with the retroactive historical-philosophical method, about which we spoke on the first day of the School, returned to the earlier periods. Therefore, it will have become obvious that Greek Philosophy remains timely and that the ideas that were first worded in the Greek language, have kept their timelessness. Through the Conclusions that will be reached dynamically from the discussion with the participants, we will see how the field of the now unified Greek Philosophy has the potential for further research. In this context, of the research potential, we will discuss with the participants the topic of the final thesis they will be asked to write. The School will be completed by marking the significance that the prospect of unifying Greek Philosophy has, that is to say, how it improves the possibilities of thought and action, not only for Greek Philosophy but for the modern man in general. During a free conversation that will round up our historical “adventure”, we will ask ourselves how the utilization of the unified entity of Greek Philosophy can be combined in our times with the Humanitarian as well as the Natural Sciences.

8-10 p.m. FAREWELL DINNER