<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear all,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Just a reminder that the first <b class="">Critical Antiquities Workshop </b><span class="">is taking place on <b class="">Monday, March 16th</b>. </span></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">In our first workshop, we are delighted to host Dimitris Vardoulakis (Western Sydney University) who will present his paper working ‘Spinoza, the Epicurean.’ </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">The Critical Antiquities Workshop will run monthly during the academic year in 2020. The workshop will host a range of local, national, and international scholars who will present working papers on the intersection of ancient traditions and contemporary critical theory broadly conceived. </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Here are the complete details for Dimitris’ talk:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b class="">Date: </b><b class="">Monday, March 16th </b></div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">Time: </b><b class="">Noon (for a 12:15 start) — 1:45pm.</b></div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">Location: </b><b class="">CCANESA Boardroom, </b></div><div class=""><b class="">Madsen Building on Eastern Ave (at the City Road end) </b></div><div class=""><b class="">University of Sydney </b></div><div class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></div><div class=""><b class="">Abstract:</b></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal">I present here the main argument of my new book, <i class="">Spinoza, the Epicurean </i>(2020). This book is the first to make a case for reading Spinoza <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>as an epicurean, and especially his political philosophy in the <i class="">Theological Political Treatise</i>. I will explain how it develops an original conception of materialism in modernity. <i class="">Spinoza, the Epicurean</i> suggests a new account of practical judgment that has direct implications for how Spinoza can helps us conceive of the possibility of democracy in the age of neoliberalism. This argument is based on a new interpretation of epicureanism and its influence in early modernity.</p></div><div class=""><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p class=""></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b class="">Dimitris Vardoulakis</b> was the inaugural chair of Philosophy at Western Sydney University. He is the author of <i class="">The Doppelgänger: Literature’s Philosophy</i> (2010), <i class="">Sovereignty and its Other: Toward the Dejustification of Violence</i> (2013), <i class="">Freedom from the Free Will: On Kafka’s Laughter</i> (2016), <i class="">Stasis Before the State: Nine Theses on Agonistic Democracy</i> (2018), and <i class="">Spinoza, the Epicurean </i>(2020). He is the director of “Thinking Out Loud: The Sydney Lectures in Philosophy and Society,” and the co-editor of the book series “Incitements” (Edinburgh University Press).</p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Best wishes,</div><div class="">Tristan </div></div><br class=""><div class="">
<div>Tristan Bradshaw</div><div>Co-director</div><div>Critical Antiquities Network</div><div><br class=""></div><div>Adjunct lecturer</div><div>Government and International Relations</div><div>University of Sydney </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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