3 - 4 pm (CET)

Dr. Peter N. Singer

The paper takes as its starting point the exhortation, found in some Stoic texts as well as in certain contemporary therapeutic practices, to 'live in the moment' – to focus on the now without allowing either past or future to impinge upon one's present well-being. I place such an approach in opposition to views which foreground the role of memory (and sometimes crucially also of forgetting) both in the formation of desired ethical and emotional outlooks and in the construction of the self. I investigate this opposition on the basis of Stoic texts and texts of Plato and the Platonic tradition, while also considering some of the literary and dramatic texts – especially of Greek tragedy – which stand in their background. On the basis of these discussions and narratives I explore how selective memories of the past may be seen as crucial both for present emotional states and for the understanding of personal identity.

Participants can join the online Chronoi Talk by clicking on the following link:

https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin-en/j.php?MTID=mea9ce1b7e610839838a502e4c0b0fdf2

The conference room can be accessed using the following methods:

• Joining directly in your browser; simply click the link above, and look for a button with this option near the bottom  of the webpage;

• Downloading the program to your computer (instructions can be found by following the meeting link);

• Using the smartphone app called “Cisco Webex Meetings."

You are welcome to enter the online conference room up to 15 minutes in advance of the start time.