Aristotle’s Protrepticus, which currently exists only in fragments, was a popular work that sought to exhort its audience to pursue a philosophical life. As part of its task, the Protrepticus attempts to respond to the worry that philosophical contemplation is somehow too demanding or difficult to be pursued or enjoyed with profit. On the contrary, Aristotle argues, philosophy is actually easy. I aim (i) to understand what these arguments are saying and (ii) to evaluate these arguments in the light of objections that they naturally elicit. I contend that these arguments offer reasonable responses to worries about philosophy’s demandingness.

Philosophy Seminar Series.
Date: Thursday, 5 Dec 2013
Time: 2pm – 4pm
Venue: Philosophy Resource Room (AS3 #05-23)
Speaker: Matthew Walker, Yale-NUS College
Moderator: Dr. Ben Blumson

About the Speaker:

Matthew D. Walker (Ph.D. Yale) is Assistant Professor of Humanities (Philosophy) at Yale-NUS College. Before starting at Yale-NUS, he was an ACLS New Faculty Fellow at Rutgers University. His papers have been published, or are forthcoming, in Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie, British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Journal of Moral Philosophy, Apeiron, Ancient Philosophy, and other venues.