How does Herodotus’ Histories explain the success of the Greeks against the vastly superior force of the Persians? This talk discusses an important but neglected causal motif in the work, that of surpassing physis (‘nature’). It also demonstrates Herodotus’ place in Presocratic and Platonic thought invested in the question of whether and how one might master human nature
The lecture will take place on Friday, November 18th at 5:00 p.m. in Murphey Hall 104.