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The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism

Grant awarded - Living Ideas: Dynamic Philosophies of Life and Matter, 1650–1850

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science has awarded a multi-year grant "Living Ideas: Dynamic Philosophies of Life and Matter, 1650–1850", which the Centre is collaborating in.

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science is awarding a multi-year grant to "Living Ideas: Dynamic Philosophies of Life and Matter, 1650–1850", an international project running in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism. The project will study how dynamic philosophies from the Cambridge Platonists, through thinkers including Shaftesbury, Herder, and Kant, to post-Kantians such as Schelling, Hegel, and S. T. Coleridge, understood the existence, development, and variegated phenomena of matter and biological life from their respective, often inter-related, metaphysically idealist perspectives.  

Principle Investigator: Dr Peter Cheyne; the research team consists of around 25 international, interdisciplinary project members including Centre director Prof. Douglas Hedley and Fellow Dr Adrian Mihai.

Latest news

Workshop | 'An Anthology of the Cambridge Platonists' | 25th-26th April 2025

19 April 2025

The University of Münster in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism is hosting a workshop on the recent volume An Anthology of the Cambridge Platonists , edited by Douglas Hedley and Christian Hengstermann (Routledge, 2024). This event will begin with a public lecture by Douglas Hedley on the...

New Publications from Centre Members

8 March 2025

Two new publications by Centre members, published by the Prometheus Trust. Harold Tarrant’s monograph, Chaerephon: Rethinking Platonic Characters in the Light of the Derveni Papyrus examines the significance of minor characters in the dialogues of Plato in the light of recent advances in our understanding of the Orphic...

Talk | Sean McGrath, 'The Soul of Nature: Boehme / Schelling / Jung' | 11th March 2025

5 March 2025

On Tuesday 11th March 2025, the Centre will host Prof. Sean McGrath, who will give a talk, 'The Soul of Nature: Boehme / Schelling / Jung'. This event will take place in the Runcie Room of the Faculty of Divinity, beginning at 5pm (UK time). The talk can be joined remotely via this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/...

Conference | Theosis | 9th-10th June 2025

7 February 2025

On Monday 9th and Tuesday 10th June 2025, the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism will host a conference on the theme of 'Theosis'. As this year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, this event will explore this crucial aspect of theology and philosophy through Christian history, and in...

Talk | John Vervaeke, 'Awakening from the Meaning Crisis'

30 January 2025

On Tuesday 4th March 2025, the Centre will host Dr John Vervaeke, who will give a talk, 'Awakening from the Meaning Crisis'. This event will take place in the Runcie Room of the faculty of Divinity, from 1-3pm (UK time). The talk can be joined via this Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83321325592