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Ancient & Medieval Studies Colloquium presents, Bridget Brasher “What Aristotle Thinks Void Is”

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Presented by Bridget Brasher Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT   Abstract: Prior to arguing against the existence of void in Physics IV.6–9, Aristotle offers an answer to what void is: place deprived of body. His refutations then target two different sorts of void, separated and inseparable voids. It is unsolved in Aristotelian scholarship what these two sorts of void are. This paper offers an interpretation. I find that the distinction between voids is philosophically rich and bears explanatory potential in a way unrecognized by studies on ancient void theory. Indeed, if my interpretation is correct, the distinction may be prescient, anticipating Newton’s own distinction between relative and absolute inertial frames two millennia later.   Bio: Bridget Brasher is a Postdoctoral Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy. She completed my PhD at Princeton University in 2023. Her research concerns ancient Greek, Latin, and Indian physics and metaphysics. She is interested in how thinkers in these ancient traditions understood the physical world. Many of her current projects examine their perspectives on space and motion. She is also interested in to what extent these ancient traditions saw metaphysics and ethics as interconnected. […]

Lit Tea x Artfinity

The Nexus, 14S-130 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA, United States

Time: 4:15 - 5:45PM Date: Monday, March 10th Location: Hayden Library, Nexus Space 14S-130 This project is presented as part of Artfinity, an Institute-sponsored event celebrating creativity and community at MIT. Artfinity is organized by the Office of the Arts. This showcase of MIT’s literary arts, hosted by MIT’s Literature Section, is open to the public. Expanding on the Literature Section’s weekly tradition of hosting a social gathering to connect students and professors over tea and snacks, this event will give the MIT community the opportunity to get a literal and metaphorical taste of the literary flavor of arts taught and produced in the Literature Section. Visitors will get a chance to hear students read poems they submitted for an Ekphrastic poetry contest, view continuous slideshow of artworks produced by students in various Literature courses, and socialize over tea and a delicious assortment of refreshments. More info here: https://artfinity.mit.edu/event/lit-tea

Global France Seminar and the French Library present: Murakami, History, and Magical Realism: An Evening with Benjamin Hoffmann [AUTHOR TALK SERIES]

Join us for an insightful evening with acclaimed French author Benjamin Hoffmann, whose latest novel Je suis Murakami offers a unique perspective on self-discovery and belonging through an elegant and thought-provoking narrative. Hoffmann’s previous works include Sentinel Island, a captivating tale of the Sentinelese people—one of the last uncontacted tribes on earth—woven with themes of globalization, friendship, and escape.  In Les Minuscules, Hoffmann tells the story of Casanova’s last love and takes the reader on a journey filled with encounters with historical figures such as Mozart and Da Ponte, Leibniz and Voltaire, Diderot and Sade. Moderated by Benoit Landon, librarian at the French Library, this conversation will shed light on Hoffmann's creative process, literary influences, and his journey as a writer.Our author talk will be followed by a Q&A session, with a book signing and a glass of wine! Language: The event will be held in English, with select excerpts from his books read in French. Book Pre-Sales: Copies of Je suis Murakami are available for pre-order through the French Library and can be picked up in advance of the event. Ticket information here...

$20
Event Series HumaniTea

HumaniTea

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Stop by for snacks and tea with the SHASS community, students, and instructors! HumaniTea is a program partnering with other units in SHASS to gather, share some food and thought, and enrich our shared MIT experience in the process. Once a month, SHASS community members, instructors, and students from diverse fields of studies, backgrounds, and interests can stop in and enjoy a cup of tea or snack. Monday, February 24 Monday, March 17 Monday, April 7 Monday, May 5 @ 4:15 - 5:45PM Building 14E-304* *Directions: Third floor of Building 14 from the Lewis Music Library stairs, through the CMS/W doors. Alternatively, take the elevator to the 3rd floor and navigate to the opposite end of the hallway, through third floor and CMS/W doors! Sign up for HumaniTea info: bit.ly/mithumanitea

Ancient & Medieval Studies Colloquium presents, Christopher Foster “Fall of the Scribes, and the Rise of Literati in Han China”

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Presented by Christopher Foster Independent Scholar, Library of Congress   Abstract: This talk takes unheralded scribes from early China as its tragic protagonists. Aided by the analysis of newly unearthed manuscripts, I argue that the spread of literacy at sub- and non-elite levels came to alter the course of Chinese history, ultimately leading to the canonization of the (now) Confucian classics. The story goes as follows: China’s first enduring empire, the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE), was run initially by hereditary scribal families. Scribes enjoyed a privileged status and earned positions in the Han bureaucracy based on their literacy. This literacy was guarded through government-sanctioned examinations, which tested knowledge of primers called the “scribal volumes.” Yet the scribes were victims of their own bureaucratic success. As the Han empire grew ever larger and more cumbersome, controlling access to these primers wavered. Informal education networks sprouted at the fringes of the Han empire, transmitting the scribal volumes extralegally to unintended audiences, even conscripted peasant soldiers. Competition ensued over mastery of the written word, as a criterion for judging who was best suited to run the empire. A space opened for a new form of classicism during the Han, one championing the “moral […]

MIT GHI Panel: Humanisms & Renaissances Across World History—A Timely & Casual Conversation

The Nexus, 14S-130 160 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA, United States

MIT Global Humanities Initiative presents: Humanisms & Renaissances Across World History—A Timely & Casual Conversation You are cordially invited to join a globe-spanning conversation on Humanisms & Renaissances across world history sponsored by the MIT Comparative Global Humanities Initiative (GHI) and Ancient and Medieval Studies (AMS).   TIME: March 21 2025 @ 4.00 – 5.30 pm US Eastern Standard Time LOCATION: MIT Hayden Library, Nexus Space 145-130 and hybrid (Optional) REGISTER FOR ZOOM: https://mit.zoom.us/meeting/register/oiIbIifwQ2it3CI3OFOYYw A Roundtable with: Laura Ashe (English Literature, Oxford University) Jason Chen (MIT’25, Mechanical Engineering & Literature) Wiebke Denecke (East Asian Literatures and Thought, MIT) Johannes Makar (Arabic Intellectual Thought, Harvard University) Ugo Mondini (Byzantine and Greek Studies, Oxford University/Ghent University) Václav Zheng (History of East-Central Europe, Johns Hopkins University) CONVERSATION TOPIC: Humanism is a belief system or attitude that appreciates the agency of human beings in this world. Proponents of humanism believe that humans have the capacity to reach their full potential through a process of self-examination and self-awareness, without the intervention of gods or other powers. They believe in the dignity of humans and in the value of their accomplishments. Forms of humanism thus typically emerged in historical moments when people looked back to a history of collective […]

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

Global France Seminar presents, Jacqueline Mpii Ngo: Paris through the lens of Little Africa: A contemporary perspective on cultures, economies, and places

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Presented by: Jacqueline Ngo Mpii CEO & Founder of Little Africa, Cultural Tourism expert, DEI advisor, and Cultural Ambassador Little Africa as a neighborhood, a concept, a city guide, a cultural space, and a company that maps and amplifies Black presence in Paris and beyond Abstract: Over a century ago African art profoundly influenced the Parisian avant-garde shaping the works of Picasso, Matisse, Derain and many others. It was also during this period that as Daniel Maximin notes in La France Noire “Africans Antilleans and African Americans met for the first time in Paris.” Today the traces of these cultural intersections are still visible—whether in art and gastronomy design and fashion music and literature—manifesting as infinite hybridizations.Yet beyond this historical legacy Black communities continue to actively shape Parisian identity not just as subjects of the past but as entrepreneurs, artists, and cultural innovators defining the city’s present and future. In this talk Jacqueline Ngo Mpii founder and CEO of Little Africa offers an insider’s perspective on how Black life is lived represented and transformed in contemporary Paris. Jacqueline Ngo Mpii is a dynamic leader and the founder of Little Africa, a transformative platform dedicated to promoting the rich cultural heritage of […]

Event Series HumaniTea

HumaniTea

14E-304 160 MEMORIAL DR, CAMBRIDGE, MA, United States

Stop by for snacks and tea with the SHASS community, students, and instructors! HumaniTea is a program partnering with other units in SHASS to gather, share some food and thought, and enrich our shared MIT experience in the process. Once a month, SHASS community members, instructors, and students from diverse fields of studies, backgrounds, and interests can stop in and enjoy a cup of tea or snack. Monday, February 24 Monday, March 17 Monday, April 7 Monday, May 5 @ 4:15 - 5:45PM Building 14E-304* *Directions: Third floor of Building 14 from the Lewis Music Library stairs, through the CMS/W doors. Alternatively, take the elevator to the 3rd floor and navigate to the opposite end of the hallway, through third floor and CMS/W doors! Sign up for HumaniTea info: bit.ly/mithumanitea

Event Series Lit Tea

Lit Tea

14N-417

When: Every Monday (except Holidays) during the semester Time: 4:15pm - 5:45pm Where: Room 14N-417 Come by for snacks, and tea with Literature Section friends, instructors, students, etc. What are you reading? What 21L classes are you taking or hoping to take? This event is specifically geared towards undergrads; but open to friends of the community that engage in the literary and humanities at MIT.

Event Series MIT GHI Forum Spring 2025 Events

MIT GHI Forum Spring 2025 Events

1. GHI Forum Series Join our online 2025 GHI Forum Series to hear about GHI’s research and action plan for each pillar from our pillar coordinators, explore common passions and interests, and discuss how you can join our efforts and particular projects. We convene each month on a mid-month Thursday or Friday from 8 am to 9:30 AM EST. 1st GHI Forum Title: Cognition, Learning & Human Flourishing Date: February 21, 8:00–9:30 AM EST Speakers: Jonas Mago, Justus Wachs 2nd GHI Forum Title: The Good Life: Religions, Philosophies & Sciences Date: April 11, 10:00–11:30 AM EST Speakers: Rafal K. Stepien, Simran Jeet Singh, Andreas Ohlemacher, Wiebke Denecke 3rd GHI Forum Title: Public Literacies: Civic Systems, Media & Emotional Intelligence Date: May 9, 10:00–11:30 AM EST Speakers: Richard Eberhardt, Gabor Hollbeck, Mikael Jakobsson 4th GHI Forum Title: Good Governance in Bad Times Date: June 6, 10:00–11:30 AM EST Speakers: Wiebke Denecke, Johannes Makar, Michael Puett 2. Roundtable Humanisms & Renaissances across World History–a Timely & Casual Conversation Time: March 21, 4:00-5:30 pm Location: MIT Hayden Library, Nexus Space 14S-130 A Roundtable with Laura Ashe (English Literature, Oxford University) Jason Chen (MIT’25, Mechanical Engineering & Literature) Wiebke Denecke (East Asian Literatures and Thought, MIT) Johannes Makar (Arabic Intellectual Thought, Harvard University) Ugo Mondini (Byzantine and Greek Studies, Oxford University/Ghent University) […]

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