This four-week course will focus on ideas about ecstasy in ancient Greece – the locus from which grew western culture and modern psychology. Together, we will examine some key Greek texts (such as Euripedes’ The Bacchae) and relevant arts (dance, chant, medicine, etc.) that describe ecstatic experiences, teach how to achieve them, or even – as in the work of Parmenides – directly trigger or facilitate them. Inevitably, we will uncover the way the ancient Greek thinkers like Sappho related love, sex, and gender to powerful ecstatic experiences. Through media presentations, readings, lectures and discussions, we will explore the ancient Greek understanding of the intellectual, psychological, and physical processes involved in ecstasy, and assess their use and relevance for us today.
Ecstasy through the Ages: Ancient Greece
About this event
Speaker
Speaker
-
Kathleen Andersen-Wyman
Organiser
