Irina Deretic

The aim of this paper is to elucidate the origin, development and nature of human beings as it is described in Plato’s Protagoras myth. My main claim is that, according to this story, the human is a multi-dimensional being with various aspects and dispositions. After the creation of mortals had been finished, the human dispositions were further developed and differentiated through time. The creation and further development of living beings is to be divided into four stages, out of which the pre-political and political are of particular significance for humans. I will attempt to show that each of these stages can be better accounted for by using the different hermeneutical models, or by finding out which theory underlines each of them.

This chapter provides a general discussion of Ksenija Atanasijević, widely recognized as a unique 20th-century Serbian philosopher. Her extensive knowledge of various philosophical fields, including ancient Greek philosophy, philosophies of the East, as well as Slavic and Serbian practical wisdom, combined with her critical, systematic, and resourceful mind, made her prominent in Serbian philosophy and culture. Her philosophical development occurred after the emancipation from the metaphysical thought of Branislav Petronijević, leading her to focus on more relevant questions grounded in the new tendencies of Slavic philosophy and Serbian culture. The chapter explores the relationship between the two different philosophical conceptions in her works before World War II. Despite their differences, I assume that both concepts of philosophy have something in common. This text particularly highlights Atanasijević’s philosophical fragments and how, after a significant “turn,” she articulated her own philosophical position based on ethics. After an overview of the fundamental claims and arguments of her ethical stance, the chapter provides a critical discussion of them.

It is puzzling that there is almost no information about one of the most productive Aristotelian scholars: the Byzantine scholar Michael of Ephesus. Michael of Ephesus seems to be included in Anna Comnena’s project of providing notes for Aristotle’s writings, especially those that had not been commented on before, like Aristotle’s biological works, his Rhetoric, and the Politics. The fact that this paper is the first one dedicated to Michael’s exegesis of Aristotle’s thoughts on friendship shows that until recently his work has been neglected. In this paper, I will endeavor to explicate the character and significance of Michael’s comments on Book IX of the Nicomachean Ethics. First, I will discuss how the Byzantine scholar understood Aristotle’s main ideas regarding friendship in terms of self-love, endeavoring to demonstrate that Michael of Ephesus not only provides an elucidation of Aristotle’s text, but also a critical interpretation of the Stagirite’s account of philia. In doing this, I will try to discover the intentions of Michael’s critical remarks on Aristotle’s text. Furthermore, I will critically discuss Michael’s interpretation of Aristotle’s thought on our refusal to change our own personality. Yet, in this implausible interpretation of Aristotle, Michael reveals his own thoughts on irrationality, with serious implications for his own account of selfhood. Additionally, I will attempt to show that Michael’s understanding of Aristotle’s contemplation is Neoplatonic, resembling the reflections of the Greek Church Fathers. Moreover, he does not see Aristotle in conflict with either Neoplatonism or Christianity. In Michael’s view, Aristotle’s reflections on ethical issues appear to be in concord, rather than in conflict with the Christian thought of his time.

Filozofska priprema za smrt neizvesnost smrti pretvara u izvesnost onoga što Platonovog filozofa čeka posle smrti. Čak iako duboko sumnjamo u to da duša odvojena od tela može nastaviti da postoji, ne moramo posumnjati u besmrtne tvorevine konačne i bremenite duše, osim ukoliko ne posumnjamo da išta trajno možemo ostaviti za sobom, zato što je sve porozno i podložno uništenju i nestajanju. A možda ne vidimo svrhu ni u beskonačnom životu, u životu čije ciljeve i puteve ne raspoznajemo. Onda se strah od smrti pretvara u strah od večnog života, zato što ne želimo samo da živimo, nego da živeći postanemo besmrtni ili barem da ostavimo besmrtne tragove. Knjiga se bavi i time da li je Sokrat izvršio samoubistvo, zašto je prezirao strah prema smrti, kao i četiri argumenta u prilog besmrtnosti duše.

Ksenija Atanasijevic was not only the first female lecturer at the University of Belgrade but also the first expert in the Ancient Greek Philosophy. In this paper, I will not engage with all of her writings about Ancient Greek thought. Instead, I will place the emphasis on her interpretation of Epicurus, because her best and most profound works are dedicated to his philosophy, including her book on the Epicurus’s atomism written in French under the title L’atomisme d’Épicure. I will critically discuss the consistency, plausibility, and relevance both of her interpretations of Epicurus, and his ethics and doctrine of minima.

Plato was the first philosopher who gave an account for the highly controversial claim that both genders are principally equal in respect to their talents and abilities. Consequently, one may advocate the thesis that in Plato’s view, the gender differences are rather the outcomes of social, cultural and political influences, than of natural factors. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the meaning and validity of Plato’s arguments for the gender equality in the Republic, which will be supplemented with some important remarks on this same subject-matter from the Laws, in order to find out what social and political implications they have. In doing this, I will argue against some interpretations of prominent Plato scholars who criticize or reject his account of the social role that women should have in Plato’s ideal city. Additionally, I will discuss the claim, advocated by George Vlastos, that Plato is a feminist in a modern sense of the term.

In this chapter, I endeavour to explain the Socratic account of emotions in general, and fear, shame, anger, envy and grief, in particular, to show how they influence the way we act – especially in cases where our actions do not seem to be rational. I will advance my discussion of the Socratic understanding of emotions in stages. First, I will consider illustrative passages from Plato’s early dialogues in order to show that there are clear cases in our texts where emotions are recognised by Socrates as playing a critical role in Socrates’ explanation of human behaviour. Second, I will elucidate the nature, origin and structure of emotions in his philosophy. Then, I will discuss how my general account of emotions applies to the particular emotions of fear, shame, anger, envy and grief as they appear particularly in Plato’s Socratic dialogues. In the end, I hope to have shown how Socrates understood emotions and the role they play in human ethical behaviour

One doesn’t have to labor to find expressions of the ubiquitous negative attitude ancient Greek male authors expressed about women. This view, however, was not shared by the Socratics, as this volume shows. Among the Socratics, Plato, especially in the Republic, gives extraordinary expression to the Socratic recognition of the moral, political, and intellectual capacities of women – so much so that one contemporary scholar has gone so far as to claim that “the Re­public proposes a revolutionary project for fourth century BC Athens” (Brisson 2012). Plato’s “revolution” has captured the attention of a great many scholars, many of whom have tried to answer the question, “Why?” Why did Plato so radi­cally cut against the ingrained prejudice and argue, as he does in Republic V, that “men and women are by nature the same with respect to guarding the city” (456a)? In this paper, we take up the question that has prompted so many schol­arly proposals. After a brief summary of Plato’s argument for his “revolutionary” proposal, we turn to the arguments some scholars have offered for supposing that Plato’s thoughts about women were entailed by some other philosophical or political commitment. We explain why we do not find such explanations entirely adequate. We then make our own proposal: Plato’s evaluation of the capacities of women to do what would be required of the guardians of the kallipolis was, at least to some degree, informed and motivated by what he regarded as actual ex­amples of especially talented and capable women.

In this paper the author attempts to elucidate comparison with the illustrated book in the Philebus (38e12) in a more detailed manner in order to find out what cognitive dispositions underlie our experiencing a variety of pleasures, particularly the pleasures of anticipation. In doing so, she shall argue against the commentators of the Philebus, who claim that only perception and memory are responsible for forming perceptual judgments concerning pleasures, supporting the interpretation, according to which our capacity to think (dianoia) is also involved in that process.

In Protagoras’ so called Great Speach, in Plato’s dialogue named after him, the Greek philosopher attributes the sophist a myth about the origin, development and nature of human beings, which has philosophical relevance. It is said that the gods created the mortal beings out of two elements, earth and fire. They assigned two titans, Epimetheus and Prometheus, to provide mortals with their faculties. Do this implies that creation had not been finished by the gods? To what extent do the gods entirely create human beings? Is this mith a creationist one? In this paper, the development of living beings is divided in four stages, and different hermeneutic and explanatory models are proposed to adress the myth and answer the questions raised before.

The political views of Plato on women in the Laws have been a subject of debate among scholars. The reintroduction of families and private property in his late dialogue can potentially impact the role of women in the state. Furthermore, it remains a matter of contention whether Plato altered some of his political views on women while writing the Laws. In this debate, I will analyze the inconsistencies in Plato’s Laws, endeavoring to determine whether Plato provided women with equal opportunities in education, employment, and political involvement in his late work or not. I will explore what kinds of training Plato believes should be applied to both genders. Finally, I will draw a conclusion in regard to the social and political impacts of gender equality in education in Plato’s “second best state” as it is described in his Laws.

In this analysis, I will delve into the ethical and philosophical concepts associated with Konstantin Levin, a prominent literary figure in Leo Tolstoy's renowned work,* Anna Karenina*. The examination will entail a comparative study of two distinct forms of intellectuals: Sergej Ivanovich, who is actively engaged in aristocratic spheres, and Levin, who maintains a deliberate distance from such political and public involvement. Levin's pursuits center on a meticulously planned overhaul of his economy, prioritizing the welfare of the peasantry. Furthermore, Levin's profound contemplation of life's essence leads him to contemplate suicide, shedding light on the philosophical underpinnings of suicidal ideation. The subsequent elucidation will address Levin's renunciation of his self-destructive inclinations. References: Ахмадова Т.Х. *Духовний Крисис Л.Н. Толстого в романе Анна Каренина (на примере образа Левина*, Мир науки, культуры, образования. № 3 (94) 2022 Деретић, И. (2020). *Смрт и бесмртност у Платоновој филозофији*, Београд: Феникс Либрис; Невен Deretić, I. *Zašto se ubila Ana Karenjina*,Theoria2 (2023), стр. 137-150. Панарина И.С. *Зачем нужен Левин в романе Л. Н. Толстого Анна Каренина,* Уральский филологический вестник, (4) 2018 Радовановић, Б. „Принцип херменеутичког круга и идеја о историјском контексту,“ у: *Jezik, književnost i kontekst*, Универзитет у Нишу, Ниш, стр. *65-79**.* Tолстој, Л. Н. *Ана Карењина*, прев. Зорка Велимировић, Просвета-Рад, Београд, 1978, Iтом Шутеева А.Ю. *Диалектика души как отражение духовной сущности чоловека в ромене Л. Н. Толстого Анна Каренина (на примере образа Константина Левина)*, Известия Российского государственного педагогического университета им.А.И. Герцена. 77 (2008), стр.233-236.

Like Socrates, Aspasia did not leave any writings. We know about her from secondary sources. In this paper, I will show a number of things in the reports of what Aspasia said and did that are philosophically interesting, especially in what they show about dealing with various kinds of crises, from marital to political ones. First, I will argue for the most probable reconstruction of her life. Second, I will elucidate what kind of method Aspasia employed when considering marital issues. Third, I will endeavor to prove that Plato’s representation of Aspasia was not a mockery, as some authors argue. Furthermore, the most significant philosophical points of Aspasia’s Funeral Speech will be highlighted and assessed. Eventually, I will attempt to figure out what Plato’s reasons might have been to ascribe this speech to a woman.

Три су битне претпоставке за разумевање еротологије Анице Савић Ребац, а то су: 1. однос филозофије и књижевности; 2. специфичност њене методе; 3. мистичка духовна историја. У овом раду ће се настојати да се покаже како Аница Савић Ребац има кохерентно схватање двострукости и јединства Ероса у грчкој филозофији и књижевности, које је у извесним сегментима и оригинално. Ући ће се у продуктиван, критички дијалог са кључним рефлексијама о Еросу Анице Савић Ребац како би се одредили домети и границе њене „мистичке” еротологије, која је превасходно платонистичке провенијенције. У том контексту ће се показати да је њено полазно становиште у испитивању Ероса филозофско, као и то да у њеном тексту доминира филозофско промишљање.

Циљ овог рада је да критички преиспита парадоксалност коју Аница Савић Ребац приписује Платоновој „естетици.“ Нaјпре ћу предочити којом се методом служи наша ауторка. Тежићу, потом, да покажем оригиналност Аничиног разумевања Платоновог односа филозофије и трагичког песништва. Кључни део овог рада биће посвећен Платоновом „парадоксу“, као и томе како Платон схвата космичку лепоту, и зашто је она лепша од било које људске творевине. Такође ћу преиспитати, следећи промишљања Анице Савић Ребац, како је Платон у дијалогу Гозба успео да изрази суштину сваког, па и уметничког стваралаштва. Решење Платоновог „парадокса“, по мом мишљењу, налазимо у Плотиновом схватању лепоте.

Kako je moguće baviti se Platonom danas, ukoliko je filozofija „svoje vreme obuhvaćeno mislima“? Autor Platonovom delu ne pristupa kao dogmatskom štivu, već kao tekstu prožetom paradoksima, koje izmiče svakom unapred pripremljenom, šematizovanom modelu čitanja. Obratiti se Platonu kao filozofskoj paradigmi isplativo je ukoliko filozofi koji progovaraju iz dubine vremena mogu nešto važno da nam saopšte i ukoliko smo kadri da im postavimo autentično pitanje. Zato filozofi moraju imati dah delfskog ronioca, jer biser se ne nalazi u svakoj školjci. Knjiga Iz Platonove filozofije ulazi u red značajnih knjiga posvećenih Platonovoj filozofiji. Veći deo knjige je objavljen u časopisima od svetskog ugleda (na nemačkom i engleskom jeziku). Time je njen kvalitet potvrđen recenzijama koje su nastale van domaćih koterija, a delo se samerilo sa aktuelnim pristupima Platonu. Knjiga se bavi problemima koji su formulisani u drugoj polovini prošlog veka (napisano i nenapisano učenje), preko naizgled klasičnih tema (dvostruki paradoks, utemeljenje istorijskog i političkog, eros), do tekstova koji pogađaju fenomen aktuelnosti Platonove teorije i prakse (problemi kongitivne dispozicije i bioetike u Platonovoj filozofiji). Ispred nas je Platon u dijalogu sa filozofskim strujanjima s kraja dvadesetog i početkom ovog veka. Za Irinu Deretić smisao filozofskog dijaloga leži u procenjivanju i odmeravanju stanovišta u raspravi, kako bi se vlastito stanovište preciznije artikulisalo. Ne radi se o utopijskoj komunikativnoj zajednici - već o karakteru filozofskog dijaloga, koji je upućen na unutrašnji, a ne na spoljašnji agon. Platon iz sasvim nesofističkih razloga preuzima metodu sofista kada „slabiju stvar čini jačom“. Tome je suprotna eristička (ne)kultura, u kojoj strasti imaju prevagu na davanjem bilo kakvih, „a kamoli valjanih razloga“, piše Irina Deretić. Iz problematičnosti jezika i sučeljavanja sa bliskim granicama pojmljivosti, ne mora da proizađe i slabost logosa. Naprotiv, snaga logosa je obrnuto proporcionalna sposobnošću da se odredi njegova nemoć. Granicu Platonove misli Irina Deretić jezgrovito formuliše: „Platonov jezik je sav okrenut biću, i usmeren je na saznajno ovladavanje njime. Snaga argumenta učesnika u Platonovim razgovorima upravo se sastoji u njihovoj sposobnosti da tačno pogode stvarnost na koju se odnose i koju nastoje da izraze“. Ali to vodi oblikovanju samog karaktera dijaloga: sagovornici se podređuju vođstvu „same stvari“ mišljenja. Međutim, logos nije svemoćan, i inače, a pogotovo ne za Platona. Irina Deretić insistira na autentičnom smislu nemoći logosa kao racionalnog diskursa, koji se pokazuje na odlučujućim mestima, tamo gde njegove refleksije o idejama, posebno o Ideji Dobra bivaju suočene sa granicama njihove saznatljivosti i saopštivosti. Napokon, Platonova okrenutost biću nije dovela do teorije adekvatnosti između bića i jezika, nego do isticanja paradoksa i metafore. A šta je iza njihovog vela - ništa, ili su oni, naprotiv, konstitutivni za biće, da li uopšte može biti odlučeno? U skladu sa filozofskim vjeruju Nikolaja Berđajeva, može se formulisati karakteristika ove važne i lepe knjige: Iz dubine vremena izvire sposobnost da se filozofski misli, a to onda nije u koliziji sa aktuelnim „primenama“ filozofske refleksije. Naprotiv.