Night of Philosophy

Presentation of a research project as part of the "Jeudis de la Maison Suger", a residents' research seminar.

Scarlett Marton is a full professor at the University of São Paulo, where she founded the GEN-Groupe d'Études Nietzschéennes. She is a member of HyperNietzsche, Nietzsche Studies and Monographs and Texts on Nietzschean Research Scientific Councils. She is the author of several books on Nietzsche's philosophy, as well as numerous articles published in specialist journals in Europe and South America.

Ivo Da Silva Junior is professor of Contemporary Philosophy at the Federal University of São Paulo since 2006. He is President of the Institute for Advanced and Convergent Studies (IEAC), and of the Federal University of São Paulo since 10/02/2020. He was Head of the Philosophy Department at Federal University of São Paulo, from 18/05/2017 to 08/06/2020.

The theme of the session

"Are we condemned to a perpetual peace... of cemeteries? In his little book Towards Perpetual Peace, Kant reminds us that two forms of lasting peace are possible: the peace of cemeteries and the peace to be built in a concert of nations - a cosmopolitan peace. It is well known that this little book was fundamental to the creation of the League of Nations, which later took the form of an organization, the UN. We propose here to revisit a few “articles” from Towards Perpetual Peace, whose relevance today is blatantly obvious, in order to then ask ourselves why the idea of a cosmopolitan peace has been transformed, since the Gulf War, into a cosmopolitan war. In other words, with the help of Nietzsche, we intend to question the reasons for this 180-degree turn which, contrary to what Kant had candidly predicted, has placed the world in a situation towards perpetual war.

Could there be peace without war? And could Nietzsche provide us with an answer to this question? It's well known that he is one of the most radical critics of Western civilization. But he never ceases to assert that every creator is a destroyer. Based on an analysis of several chapters ofThus Spake Zarathustra, in particular the chapter entitled “On War and Warriors”, we intend first to examine the concepts of war and peace present therein. We then hope to show how, from Nietzsche's point of view, a civilization where the opposition between war and peace no longer exists would be possible."

Speakers

• Scarlett Marton is a full professor at the University of São Paulo and founder of the GEN-Groupe d'Études Nietzschéennes.
• Ivo Da Silva Junior is Professor of Contemporary Philosophy at the Federal University of São Paulo. Founder and president of the Institute for Advanced and Convergent Studies (IEAC).