Professor Joachim Küpper's Talk “The Humanities and the Conceptualization of Time”

in September 2016, Professor Joachim Küpper visits the School of Philology for the second time. He will give a talk “The Humanities and the Conceptualization of Time”on the 28th September at 6 pm at Staraya Basmannaya bld, room 501.

“The Humanities and the Conceptualization of Time”

 

The talk will address the emergence of the disciplines we call ‘humanities’ in present-day universities. The classical (Latin) name of this group of disciplines is ‘studia humanitatis’, that is: the study of everything produced by humans (in contrast to things produced by nature, or by God). The ‘studia humanitatis’ originated in the early modern age only; medieval European universities whose standard curricula dedicated a certain attention to cultural phenomena had organized their respective studies according to a conceptual frame that differs dramatically from (early) modern humanities. The lecture will try to demonstrate that the origin of the humanities as well as their methodology are contingent upon a revolution concerning the conceptualization of time. In the fifteenth century, and for the first time in human history, the standard parameter for conceptualizing time abandoned the circular model and embraced a linear model. The prerequisites as well as the consequences of this epistemological revolution will be commented on, before detailing the consequences for cultural studies.

This lecture is conceived for a broader audience taking interest in the history of the humanities and in the diverse conceptualizations of time one may observe in the species’ cultural history at large.

Professor Joachim Küpper is Director of the Dahlem Humanities Center, Dean of the Humanities (since 2009) Member of Leopoldina/ German National Academy of Sciences Member of the Scientific Committee for the German Academies’ Research Programme; Member of the Standing Committee on Research of the German University Presidents’ Conference (HRK)