Spring Term 2023 at Princeton University
Von Giulia Clabassi
My PhD project in Ancient Greek Philosophy at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin with the working title “Kinesis. The Structure of Motion in Aristotle’s Physics VIII” investigates Aristotle’s account of motion in the central chapters (4-6) of book VIII. The project’s goal is to analyse the mechanism of motion in physical reality, especially in living beings and elements. The thesis envisages a systematic reconstruction of the arguments where Aristotle investigates the first source of motion in the cosmos (the so-called Unmoved mover). I was in Princeton as VSRC – Humboldt-Princeton Exchange Program. I have been able to be part of this experience under the guidance of both my advisors Prof. Jonathan Beere (HU) and Benjamin Morison (PU), and I had a wonderful time in USA during the Spring Term.
Princeton University has always been one of the most important centres for the research on the ancient world, thanks to the Classics and Ancient Philosophy joint program. During my stay I benefited from contact with different international scholars. The purpose of this journey overseas was to deepen my knowledge of Aristotelian philosophy, both by focusing on the study of the arguments from an analytical perspective and by studying the Greek text, the critical apparatus and the commentators. Prof. Benjamin Morison’s best-known work on Aristotelian philosophy “On Location. Aristotle’s Concept of Place” published in 2002, represents the primary source for my current studies. In recent years, scholars have been trying to emphasise the peculiarity and uniqueness of the topics covered in Physics VIII, despite the fact that Aristotle’s physical conception of the world has been surpassed by the Scientific Revolution. My dissertation fits into this debate. The meetings held twice-weekly with Prof. Morison have been indispensable for the continuation of this project. Prof. Morison’s weekly seminar on Physics VIII also represented for me the basis from which to elaborate, reconstruct and rethink the demonstrations in the text. My background in philosophy and history of science, as well as in metaphysics, are producing the most fruitful results due to the continuous exchange I am having with different faculties and graduate students. I also had the opportunity to present part of my work during the weekly seminar. This prompted additional research and new insights into my dissertation. In addition to my time in Princeton, where I stayed at NGC. I was able to travel and explore Philadelphia and New York (both cities are about two hours away from Princeton). This is the first year after the COVID-19 pandemic that we can visit museums and attend events without restrictions, so I went to the Guggenheim, where I saw an exhibition entitled “Gego: measuring infinity” (Gertrude Goldschmidt, female artist who fled the persecution in 1939) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art where I was able to admire, among the other things, the sixty-carved granite elements of the South Indian temple (mid-1500s) recreated inside the museum.

Philadelphia Museum of Art | © Giulia Clabassi

Skyline New York | © Giulia Clabassi
Call-to-Action
Would you like to know more about exchange programs?
Visit https://gradschool.princeton.edu/academics/opportunities-resources-support/partnerships-exchanges-cross-registration/humboldt & https://www.international.hu-berlin.de/en/international-profile/partnerships/profilpartnerschaften/PU
OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
teamredaktion (29. Juni 2023). Spring Term 2023 at Princeton University. Berliner Antike*-Blog. Abgerufen am 10. April 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/lv05





