Andrea Argenti

Andrea Argenti

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College: College of Humanities

My chief interest is in ancient philosophy and metaphysics, with specific focus on Aristotle’s essentialism. I began my studies at the University of RomaTre, where I earned my Laurea Triennale (2010, BA) and my Laurea Magistrale (2012, MA) in Theoretical Philosophy. Originally, I worked on continental theories of subjectivity; during my specializing studies, I moved to ancient philosophy, on which I wrote my final dissertation ‘Form and Substance in Metaphysics Z.10-11: problems of definition and ontology’. In 2013, I moved to Durham for a second MA in Classics. There, I could enlarge my knowledge of ancient thought and work on Aristotle’s logic and demonstrative science.

 

My Ph.D. project is a re-examination and philosophical discussion of Book Z of Metaphysics, in which Aristotle expounds his views on the nature and the structure of sensible objects. Its aim is to provide new understanding of Aristotle’s ontology by employing his remarks on definition as main perspective of my inquiry. It revolves around two key points: i) the reconstruction of the framework of Aristotle’s discussion with reference to the logical works (esp. Topics and Posterior Analytics) and Plato’s late dialectic; ii) the analysis of the main problems raised by hylemorphic essentialism. In this attempt, I intend to combine both a historical and a philosophical treatment of issues; this should highlight the peculiarity of Aristotle’s thinking compared to contemporary metaphysics.

 

As part of the South, West & Wales Consortium, my project is supervised by a Classics Dept. (Exeter University) and a Philosophy Dept. (Reading University). This combination provides ideal conditions for the development of a research that is intended to contribute to ancient philosophy scholarship as well as to the contemporary debate on these themes.