Syros, Vasileios
Senior Fellow: September–October 2018 and May–June 2019
Research Project: Scepticism and History in Simone Luzzatto’s Thought
The goal of this project is to explore the trajectories of scepticism construed as a specific constellation of ideas emanating from the ancient heritage of philosophical scepticism. The project will also engage with the second strand of MCAS’ mandate, i.e. the exploration of scepticism in a broader sense, conceived as an ensemble of concepts, strategies, and modes of thinking enshrined in reflection about the various forces operative in human history and the reliability of historical knowledge. Early modern debates on the study of the past took place not only in the context of traditional vehicles, such as biblical narratives and historical examples, but also in connection with the Jewish experience of exile and the expulsion of Iberian Jewry. My research will demonstrate that these themes of learning are a key motif of Simone Luzzatto’s works, in particular the Socrate. Prior academic literature has examined intersections between Luzzatto’s thinking and sixteenth- and seventeenth-century political discourse. However, Luzzatto’s engagement with debates about the certainty of historical learning as a guide for good government has received scant scholarly attention. The project will remedy this lacuna and relate Luzzatto’s ideas to early modern debates on the scope and ramifications of historical learning.
Vasileios Syros is the director of the “Political Power in the European and Islamic Worlds” research programme at the Academy of Finland.