Antonio Vargas

Antonio Vargas

Antonio Vargas
Dr.
Antonio
Vargas
Philosophy
antoniov@gmail.com

Metaphysics
History of Metaphysics  
Philosophy of Time

 

Current Projects: 

  • "Proclus and the Metaphysics of Time"

  • Revision for publication of my doctoral dissertation on Proclus, a platonist philosopher active in Athens in 5th century A.D., and his unified account of the ultimate reasons for temporal phenomena (such as the passage of time, the division of time into past/present/future, simultaneity, and the existence "opportune moments.") I trace Proclus' reception of the previous philosophies of time from Plato to Iamblichus and reconstruct both the problems he responded to as well as the arguments he had for his theory.

  • "Proclus’ Beastly Philosophy: Animal Minds and Divine Vices in a Late-Ancient Metaphysician"

  • I am reconstructing Proclus' conjoint theory of evil and animal minds, two phenomena he connects through the myth of metempyschosis ("reincarnation" if you will), with a view to considering the theory's metaphilosophical consequences (e.g. what can this tell us about the connection between esoteric and exoteric writing in Proclus and his school, what can it tell us about the connection between the metaphysical project of Platonism and evil.)

  • “Vicente Ferreira da Silva: a Polytheist Heideggerian from Brazil”

  • I am studying and translating a few select articles of Vicente Ferreira da Silva, a little-known yet highly original Brazilian philosopher who developed a polytheist appropriation of Heidegger’s philosophy in the 50s in Brazil.

Curriculum Vitae 

 

Education

  • 2012 - 2016 PhD, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Philosophy) (summa cum laude) 

  • 2013 - 2014 Visiting Student Research Collaborator at Princeton University (Classics)

  • 2009 - 2012 MA, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Philosophy)

  • 2004 - 2008 BA, Universidade de Brasília (Philosophy)

Publications 

Chapters in books

  • C. Helmig / A.L.C. Vargas, "Ascent of the soul and grades of freedom. Neoplatonic Theurgy between Ritual and Philosophy", in: d'Hoine, P. and Van Riel, G. eds. Fate, Providence, and Moral Responsibility: Festschrift for Carlos Steel. Leuven: Leuven University Press 2013.

Articles

  • "Proclus on Time and the Units of Time", in David Butorac and Danielle Layne (eds.) Proclus and His legacy, (Series: Millenium studies 65), Leiden: Brill

  • "Time, King of Heaven and Earth: Proclus on Timeless and Timebound Metaphysics" Dionysius XXXIV (December 2016)

  • Review of “Proclus, Dirk Baltzly, John F. Finamore, and Graeme Miles (eds., trs,),  Commentary on Plato’s Republic, Volume I, Essays 1-6, Cambridge University Press, 2018,” at Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

Translations

  • “A Brazilian Philosopher on the Plurality of Afterlives: “Religion, Salvation and Immortality” by Vicente Ferreira da Silva in Walking the Worlds Vol. 4 No.2 Summer 2018

Presentations

  • “The Beautiful World and the Beautiful Helen: on the Ambiguity of Beauty in Proclus” at the Tübinger Platon-Tage 2018: Plato und das Schöne, 19-21.4.2018, Tübingen (Germany)

  • “German Blut on Brazilian Boden: Race and Myth in Vicente Ferreira da Silva” at the Rosenzweig Minerva Center Seminar. 27.05.2019, Jerusalem (Israel)

  • “Proclus and Thomas on the Necessity of Evil” at Symposium Thomisticum IV, 4-6.7.2019, Rome (Italy) (delivered by proxy)

 

alumni