Phoenix
Rising: Death and Renaissance in Philosophy, Art, and Literature
A Dying Society, or a Renaissance for the 21st Century?
Hosted by the Dept. of Academic Affairs,University of Indianapolis Athens
Venue: University of Indianapolis Cultural Centre, 5 Markou Avriliou St., Plaka
The question this conference seeks to explore is a timely one. All too often, studies in the humanities and arts may seem a luxury in the face of day-to-day survival. In a secular Western world where individualism and eclecticism characterise social and personal interactions, rigid religious platitudes as well as material satisfaction have failed to answer some of humanity's longest-held questions. In the face of the current economic and environmental crises, what does the wisdom of esoteric and metaphysical philosophies have to offer?
The challenge here is to examine these philosophies and perspectives in terms of the relevance their message carries for the modern world. While their history and phenomenology is of vital and ongoing interest to scholars and practitioners, this conference is an attempt to bridge the gap between scholarship of the past and modern reality. Having visibly enriched the lives of so many through the centuries, the challenge is to demonstrate how that bridge can be translated into modern terms as a counterweight to the cynicism, consumerist/materialist mentality and uncertainty currently pervading the Western world.
Man’s quest for transcendence of mortality lies at the root of some of
the most breathtaking artistic and intellectual achievements in the history of
the human race. Art, philosophy, religion and science are not only lenses for
understanding the living world around us, but also tools for the
rationalization and exploration of all that is – or may be, beyond it. Artists and
poets live on through their works, philosophers and theologians develop ideas
and doctrines to explore the possibilities for the immortality of the soul or
the intellect. In modern physics, metaphysics are becoming integrated within
quantum research, testing the bounds of perceptible reality.
The modern world is experiencing crises on numerous levels, a pattern
which has been seen before, and while the variables underlying the current
context are different, the phenomenology is painfully similar. We are
witnessing a breakdown of social cohesion on multiple levels, urban decay and
solitude, environmental destruction, political instability, disposable culture,
and disillusionment bordering on desperation. That solutions are needed is
clear, but the question is not only where to look for them, but also how to do
so.
Roughly six hundred years ago thinkers across Europe faced the same
questions, albeit in a different socio-cultural milieu, and in order to answer
it they reached back to the “glorious” past. The result was the Renaissance.
Three hundred years ago, Europe was racked by religious warfare, social
turmoil, plague epidemics, and a strong sense of millenarianism [‘the end
times’]. The result was the Enlightenment.
In each case the motif of death and rebirth appears: death of an era, a
cultural norm, a tradition, a political system, or the conception of the human
condition. The emergence of secularization brought on the Age of Reason and the
death of dogma. The same Age of Reason brought about the death of – or at least
a serious blow to – metaphysical thought and the emblematic worldview that had
characterized the Renaissance – until it was revived through the Romantic
Counter-Enlightenment. In each case, a given current of thought reached its critical
mass in society, the most common vehicles for its dissemination being artistic
and literary media.
The focus of this conference is the theme of death, rebirth and
redemption in all aspects of the humanities, the ways in which it can be shown
to have influenced social change, and the relevance of such examples to the
present day.
Contributions exploring neglected aspects of the humanities such as
metaphysical philosophies and their cross-fertilization into the arts will be
particularly welcomed. Similarly, proposals examining the way in which such
currents of thought provided a new model for social evolution and demonstrating
how such models can be applied to the modern world.
Possible areas for exploration include but are not limited to:
- Imagination
and reality: the role of creativity in social change
- Leaders and
followers: who really brings about change?
- Death and
rebirth motifs in religious and secular culture: their symbolism,
significance and influence
- Perspectives
on Man, Nature, Mortality and Rebirth. Which paradigms are meaningful in modern times?
- Vehicles of change: which models and institutions have been and can again be effective in stimulating transformation?
- Esoteric schools of thought: Centuries later, what can their teachings bring to the 21st century?
Working languages: English and
Greek
Academic Committee:
Dr Sousana Michailidis, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Chair of English Department, University of Indianapolis Athens
Dr Stanley Sfekas, PhD, Professor of Philosophy, University of Indianapolis Athens
Mr Stefanos Elmazis, Editor of Avaton Magazine and Archetypo Books, Metaekdotiki Publications
Conference Coordinator: Sasha
Chaitow, MA Western Esotericism, MA Eng. Lit., BA Comm.
Venue: Cultural Centre of the University of Indianapolis, Athens
Host: Department for Academic Affairs, University of Indianapolis, Athens, Greece
In collaboration with Metaekdotiki Publications
This conference is open to the public and will not be charging a participation fee
Please send a proposal (no more than 300 words) and brief biographical statement to Sasha Chaitow at:
before the closing date of April 30th June 15th
