On 23st October at 19:00 Savle Tsereteli Institute of Philosophy is organizing a public lecture of Prof. Dr. Johan Tralau (University of Upsala) on the topic: “The beginning of time and justice in Greek myth: Hesiod’s gods, with a vengeance“.
In Greek myth, the Greek god Kronos cut off his father’s genitals, and from them, the goddesses of justice were born. In this lecture, I argue that the 8th or 7th century BC poet Hesiod connects the origin of justice and the origin of time. The myth harbours a sophisticated reflection – namely, that justice demands that people are punished for the acts they have already committed, not for their mere thoughts. This means that justice depends on time, on the difference between ‘before’ and ‘after’. This is not trivial. Authoritarian states are prone to punish people for their thoughts, as opposed to actions, and the use of artifical intelligence may be conducive to such pre-emptive punishment. I argue that Hesiod creatively changes the story of Prometheus – which is related to a rich Caucasian tradition, such as Amirani – in order to make the philosophical, moral and legal point that justice implies punishing acts, not thoughts about the future.
Johan Tralau is Professor of Government at Uppsala University, Sweden. He has written widely on literature, myth and political philosophy in different shapes and genres, including on Thomas Hobbes, monsters, and Greek tragedy. His current research interests include the origins of political philosophy in ancient Greece and beyond; saffron in Greek myth and poetry; developing a normative theory of courtesy; and the beginning of time and justice in Hesiod, Greek, Hittite and Mesopotamian myth. In 2013, the Swedish Academy awarded him the first Johan Lundblad Prize in classical philology and ancient history.
Working language: English
Time: October 23, 19:00
Location: Ilia State University, Book House “Ligamus”, Chavchavadze Ave. N32
Attendance is free.
2024