CONFERENCE: Carthusian session at the international IGTM conference 2018

Altiora te ne quaesieris (Sir. 3, 22) - THE MEDIEVAL PURSUIT OF WISDOM
International Conference, Tyniec, 2-6 September 2018
Internationale Gesellschaft für Theologische Mediävistik - University of Warsaw - University of Silesia in Katowice

The conference Altiora te ne quaesieris (Sir. 3, 22): THE MEDIEVAL PURSUIT OF WISDOM aims at discussing various aspects of the medieval search for intellectual and moral perfection. It is open to philosophical and theological considerations related to the concept of wisdom intended in a broad sense, both in its theoretical and practical dimensions. Among the many possible interpretative paths, there is the issue of the cognitive optimism vs the ethical and epistemic limitations of knowledge, the problem of the latent medieval scepticism and of various approaches to the problem of knowability, which is related to the variety of definitions of the scope of the unknown. Another issue concerns the basic motivations of medieval intellectuals, their aims and scientific ambitions, as well as the tension between the condemnation of ignorance, the prohibition of curiosity, and the natural desire for knowledge. Of particular importance is the impact of Aristotle’s theory of science on the medieval views on intellectual research. Furthermore, from a philosophical perspective, wisdom can be considered a matter of inherently and typically human activity; but, when viewed from a theological point of view, scientia and sapientia are gifts beyond the natural human powers. The pursuit of wisdom in the Middle Ages is a provocative issue, open to many other considerations, and it encourages an interdisciplinary debate.

The conference will take place in the historical buildings of the 1000‑year-old Benedictine Abbey near Cracow. It will include five sessions of half-an-hour long papers followed by discussions, a series of short presentations of research projects, a guided tour of the Abbey, and a trip to the historical centre of Cracow.

Carthusian session
5 september: 15.50-18.00 : SESSION 7: THE CARTHUSIANS ON WISDOM

1. Mikhail Khorkov: Controversies on Wisdom in the Erfurt Carthusian Treatises on Mystical Theology from the 15th Century / Kontroversen um die Weisheit in den Abhandlungen zur mystischen Theologie der Erfurter Kartäuser des 15. Jh.
2. Krijn Pansters: Eremitic Ethics: Wisdom From Behind Walls
3. Marieke Abram: How Philosophical is Mystical Theology? Denis the Carthusian on ‘scientia’, ‘sapientia’, and ‘contemplatio'

Full program and registration
http://igtm2018.uw.edu.pl/index.php

To contact the organizers please send a message to Dr. Marcin Trepczyński: m.trepczynski@uw.edu.pl