Aretai Center on Virtue is an interdisciplinary research center that gathers scholars from several Italian universities and establishes research collaborations and partnerships with international research centers or institutes.  Aretai is a partner with our project and we’re pleased to share their  upcoming events (2017). Click here  to download this as a PDF.

1. [Spring semester 2017] Reading Group: Exemplars and Exemplarism (Italian)

For the second year, Aretai’s reading group will represent a moment of common reading and discussion.In preparation of the Annual Conference (see below), this year’s selection includes key texts on exemplars and Exemplarism.
When: every other Tuesday, from March 14th to May 9th, 2.15 PM.
Venue: DAFIST Seminar Room, via Balbi 30, 7th floor.
Calendar:
• March 14th. Exemplarism as a Moral Theory. Discussion of L.T. Zagzebski, Exemplarist
Virtue Theory
• March 28th. Admiration for Exemplars/1. Discussion of L.T. Zagzebski, Admiration and the
Admirable.
• April 11th. Admiration for Exemplars/2. Discussion of T.H. Irwin, Nil Admirari? Uses And
Abuses Of Admiration
• May 2nd. Criticisms to the role of exemplars. Discussion of S. Wolf, Moral Saints
• May 9th. Exemplarity and supererogation. Discussion of J. Urmson, Saints and Heroes

2. [Spring semester 2017] Seminar series: Exemplars and Exemplarism (Italian)

This seminar series, such as the reading group, will focus on moral exemplarity. However, instead of being based on philosophical reflections only, it will benefit from speakers from a plurality of approaches (history of philosophy, literature, and film studies).
When: every other Tuesday, from February 28th to April 20th, 3.00 PM.
Venue: Aula Magna of the Humanities School, via Balbi 2, 2nd floor.
Calendar:
• February 28th. Carmelo Vigna (Ca’ Foscari University, Venice). Ethical exemplarity as
testimony.
• March 6th. Elisabetta Cattanei (Cagliari University). Phronimos vs. Akrates. Exemplarism and
Counter-Exemplarism in Aristotle
• March 23rd. Letterio Mauro (Genoa University). Francis, a “responsible” saint.
• April 6th. Lino Pertile (Harvard University). Dante, Ulysses and intelligence
• April 20th. Luca Malavasi (Genoa University). Exemplarity from classical cinema to the new media

3. [1-3.06] Summer school: The Virtues (Italian)

This 3-days Summer School – the first in Italy entirely devoted to the topic of the virtues – aims to provide an opportunity for highly motivated graduate (or even advanced undergraduate) and doctoral students, as well as early stage researches, to learn, discuss and exchange ideas about currently debated virtue-ethical issues in close contact with expert scholars. There will be two kinds of sessions, lectures and group sessions, which will alternate on each of the three days.
When: June 1st-3rd, 2017.
Venue: Capodifaro University College. More info at http://www.capodifaro.it/it/
Speakers: Angelo Campodonico (Genoa), Elvio Ancona (Udine), Mario De Caro (Rome 3 – Tufts), Gabriele De Anna (Udine – Bamberg), Matteo Negro (Catania), Giacomo Samek Lodovici (Catholic University, Milan), Luca Tuninetti (Urbaniana, Rome), Markus Krienke (Lugano), Simona Langella (Genoa).

4. [October 5th-6th 2017] Second Annual Conference: Exemplars and Exemplarism
(English)

The aim of Aretai’s second annual conference is to gather scholars working on exemplarity, discussing both the Exemplarist theory and the topic of exemplars broadly conceived, exploring their strengths, but also their weaknesses, as well as addressing potential and actual criticisms. About the topic. Moral exemplarity, but also epistemic and aesthetic exemplarity, are cornerstones of philosophical reflection. Admiring and imitating the sage, or the saint, has for long been considered the standard path to wisdom and morality, and – in religious contexts – to salvation. Figures like Socrates and Jesus Christ, among many others, have been taken as sources of inspiration, as well as terms for  comparison of one’s own conduct. After a quite long neglect, the philosophical community has recently seen a resurgence of interest in such topic, highlighting both its theoretical and educational relevance. Such rehabilitation of exemplarity is mainly due to the work of Linda T. Zagzebski, whose Exemplarist Moral Theory is now a landmark.
When: October 5th-6th 2017
Venue: Aula Magna of the Humanities School, via Balbi 2, 2nd floor
Invited Speakers: Elisabetta Cattanei (University of Cagliari)
Piergiorgio Donatelli (Sapienza University, Rome)
Ian J. Kidd (University of Nottingham)
Linda T. Zagzebski (University of Oklahoma)

CFP is now open! For more information browse the conference website
http://exemplarsgenoa.weebly.com/
Or email us at exemplarsgenoa2017@gmail.com