July 2-5, 2012 Int'l Philosphy Conference at Assos, Turkey (near Troy)
 

I have been posting about this annual meeting for the last two years, to draw attention to this beautiful region of Turkey with Troy and Pergamon within easy reach and where Aristotle still presides in spirit if not in body.

I also posted a trip report of our trip to the 2010 conference, as follows :

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodo...-travel.cfm?33

All you have to do is send an e-mail to attend the conference. And even if you do not apply but just appear there, no one will stop you. (just as long as you can remember to give me the secret password :) )

The sea is clean as can be, or as wet as can be as Lewis Carol once said. Lesvos looks mystical in the distance and the concert in the ancient theatre is eerie, especially if you have already had over one bottle of the cheap philosophical wine while waiting for the violonist to appear.

here is the program, copied from the site, www.philosophyinassos.org :

Passions and Emotions in Ancient and Modern Philosophy

July 2, Monday

19:00 Temple of Athena: Welcome, Blue Waters, Wine & Sunset

21:30 Dinner at the Harbour (Nazlıhan Hotel Restaurant)



July 3, Tuesday

13:30 Walter Cavini (University of Bologna): “I Wonder at the Existence of the World: Wondering as a Philosophical Emotion”

15:00 Fulvia De Luise (University of Trento): “Eros the Builder: Intensive Passions and Personal Identity in Plato”

16:30 Stephen Leighton (Queen’s University): “Aristotle on Fear’s Expression”

18:00 Pascal Engel (University of Geneva): “Epistemic Anxiety and Other Epistemic Emotions”

20:00 Dinner at the Village (Assosyal Hotel Restaurant)



July 4, Wednesday

13:30 Amy Schmitter (University of Alberta): “Classification and Forms of Explanation in Early Modern Approaches to the Passions”

15:00 Simon Blackburn (University of Cambridge): “An a priori Vindication of Hume on Motivation”

16:30 Kevin Mulligan (University of Geneva): “Affective Identification”

18:00 Toni Ronnow-Rasmussen (Lund University): “Favouring and Motivating Reasons”

21:30 Dinner at Kadırga Beach (Yıldızsaray Hotel Restaurant)

23:00 Classical Music in the Ancient Theater (Anne Monika Sommer-Bloch)



July 5, Thursday

16:30 Visit to the Temple of Smintheion and the city of Troy

21:30 Farewell Dinner (Assos Terrace Hotel Restaurant)


Hope to see you at Assos, then to share the passion and the emotion. If you do not show up, I will have to write another trip report, I guess, this time in verse (verse libre that is) as in Archie and Mehitabel or the psychoanalysis of the lady in the book "White Hotel"

Have just posted some restaurant and hotel reviews of our Southeastern Turkey trip of March on Trip Advisor, in case some of you, gentle readers, are adventurous enough to face the perils of the proximity to the Syrian border.

What an amazing Conference.

Michael and I will travel to Assos on our trip, but I may have to save the dollars for a trip to the Conference.
Liz

Liz, the conference is free, and we have deals with a number of hotels in and around Assos for participants with excellent rates. Even the conference dinners are prepriced reasonably with the restaurants. Because, you see we cannot pay with ideas or arguments for our rooms and meals.

I hope you and Michael can make it.

ahmet

Is this an annual thing? I'd love to do it but not this year...?
Spent a couple of weeks in the area last year but missed the conference. Fantastic location.

Sadly,

This year michael and I will be visiting Patrick in Cambodia in July.

Maybe next year.

Liz

I did not read your first post closely enough. I remember A and M . I have not thought of the cockroach and cat for years!

Liz

gertie3751, yes this conference has been going on for over ten years.

The location is scenic and windy. Not very hot, but hard to concentrate if you eat or drink too much during lunch. Best to have a few questions and declarations ready to show how learned you are also and squirm in your seat waiting for the opportunity to pop them.

I may also distribute before the conference a short essay I wrote some years ago about conference attending, to ease you conscience when you do drift off.

Both Archie and Mehitable are unforgettable characters for me, just as George in "Three Men in a Boat", the Walrus and the Carpenter, the Cheshire Cat and the Snark all of whom left some mark on my character and perceptions.

Sounds wonderful. Not this year though. Maybe next year/sometime... I need a bit of time to practice being learned.

I will be there this year. I look forward to meeting you and Eser.

Hope to see you there patricia.

We are trying to book at Lila Motel near kucukkuyu (which I reviewed on Trip Advisor) but their telephone does not answer. Just sent an e-mail.

i do not recommend that you stay at Assos Terrace Hotel where the conference will take place because people were not happy with it in the past. They have shuttles from assos port and from Kadirga beach hotels to assos Terrace for the conference anyway, and we can also help to drive since we will be with car.

Just received mail from Lilian, owner of Lila motel. Apparently their lease ran out and she could not renew it this year. So, we will be looking for alternative accommodation.

there was another similar motel near Lila, which we stupidly did not fully check before.

will let you know result of our search.

We know that kervansaray at Assos port is decent with a small beach and a wooden pier, but with small rooms. They also have a B&B a little further from the seaside. Nazlihan is on the sea but right on the fishing boat harbour so no beach or swimming pier.

Kadirga beach is not as interesting a location but they have a large rather pebbly beach with cheaper accommodation.

Other
When you come to NY, I will have a similar agenda waiting for you.

Adu, I come prepared. I will also visit Troy, NY. Am also bringing discussion materials for passions while leaving emotions behind.

I will also visit Troy, NY

Yes they continually fight the great war of the snow against the shovel.

I am staying at Eris Pansiyon up in the upper village. Emily is an American who runs it with her husband who just happens to be a philosophy lecturer. I was reading an article on them, linked to their site - interesting lives.

Emily said she would drive me there herself if necessary, and hopes to attend some of the lectures herself.

<<Am also bringing discussion materials for passions while leaving emotions behind.>>
I look forward to the teasing of my life.

We made reservations at Villa del Mar, about 10-15 kilometres from Assos.

Patricia, we will come to Eris pansiyon the first evening to walk up to the temple together for the introductary meeting. Very casual and laid back.

I was joking about discussion materials although I have googled some of the subjects. My pet subject these days is Pyrhonism and my attempts to associate it to perceptions regarding risk.

Although attendance at the conference is theoretically free, the Association has difficulty in finding sponsors for the wine, the location and the bus transfers from hotels to conference site. So, donations to the following account are more than welcome :

Felsefe Sanat Bilim Derneği
Garanti Bankası
Taksim Şubesi
28 / 6297429 (İBAN numarası: TR110006200002800006297429)

Donations can be anything, but usually 50TL minmum. We donated 75 each this year.

Please give your name and specify the words "dernege bagis" on your bank transfer.

I hope you filled the application form and e-mailed it, if you are going to attend. The application approval arrives in a few days and is not connected to any donations.

The meetings are very casual, on the terrace of the assos Teras hotel. There is an open bar where you can get tea, coffee, beer, wine, etc. and a few tables to the side where they will also serve food from the restaurant. You can wear shorts, strap tops, sandals, sneakers, whatever (no bathing suits please)

There is a free transfer bus or minibus from the port, from the village and from Kadirga beach to the venue.

Patricia, let me know if you or Emily need anything from istanbul and we can bring it because we will be driving down on July 2.

Some last minute info on the conference :

About the speakers:

Pascal Engel: University of Geneva Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Logic, Epistemology. He is the author of the books “The Norm of Truth”, “Davidson et la Philosophie du Langage”, “Introduction à la Philosophie de L’esprit”, “Philosophie et Psychologie”, “La Dispute”, “Truth”, “Ramsey, Truth and Success” (with Jérôme Dokic), “A Quoi Bon la Vérité?” (with Richard Rorty), “Va savoir!”
Ivan Soll: University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Philosophy. His areas of interest and research: Ethics, Aesthetics, Existentialism, Nietzsche, Sartre, Freud, Hegel. He is the author of "Introduction to Hegel's Metaphysics"
Toni Ronnow-Rasmussen: Lund University Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Ethics and Value Theory. He is the author of the books “Personal Value” and “Logic, Fact and Representation”
Fulvia De Luise: University of Trento Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Ethics, Political Philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, Augustinus, Kant, Nietzsche, Wittgenstein, Heidegger. She is the author of the books “Felicita Socratica” and “Storia Della Felicita” (with Guiseppe Farinetti)

Walter Cavini: University of Bologna Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Ancient Greek philosophy, Plato, Aristotle, Zeno, Sextus Empiricus and Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Kevin Mulligan: University of Geneva Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Philosophy of Mind, Ontology and Philosophy of Logic.

Stephen Leighton: Queen’s University Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Philosophical Psychology, Ethics, Ancient Greek philosophy.

Amy Schmitter: University of Alberta Department of Philosophy. Areas of interest and research: Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics, Aesthetics, Feminist Philosophy, Aristotle, Locke, Hobbes, Descartes, Leibniz, Spinoza, Marx, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Derrida, Foucault, Althusser.

The place of the meetings:

The meetings for the presentations and discussions will be held at ASSOS TERRACE HOTEL (Tel: 286-7640285). ASSOS TERRACE HOTEL is on the Behramkale-Kucukkuyu road, 6 km. from Assos Village (Behramkale) and 2 km. from Kadirga Beach. Each session is one hour (including the speech and discussion). There will be a 30 minute break between each presentation and it is possible to use the food and drink facilities of the hotel as well as the beach of the hotel for swimming during the break. To avoid possible complications we advise that you pay in advance and check the prices on the menu before making your order.

Local Transportation:

Philosophy in Assos arranged a free of charge shuttle bus service between the Harbour - Behramkale Village - Kadirga Beach - Terrace Hotel (Behramkale Liman - Behramkale Köy - Kadırga Plajı - Terrace Otel). The bus schedule and places of the stops are indicated in the bus programme below. Hours indicated on the schedule are departure hours from the first stop of the route. The bus should arrive at your stop within 5-15 minutes depending on the distance of your point to the first point of departure. The busses will post on their windshields the turquoise coloured 2012 posters of Philosophy in Assos for easy recognition; the busses have the title “Ayvacık Belediyesi” (Municipality of Ayvacık) on them. For transportation independent of the Philosophy in Assos programme, there are also regular buses from the Harbour to Behramkale Village. Those buses charge a fare and do not belong to the organization. The buses to Kadirga Beach and Terrace Hotel are very rare, so it is strongly recommended to prefer the free transportation of Philosophy in Assos for the programmed meetings and other activities. Our buses are scheduled according to the meetings and activities of Philosophy in Assos. If you prefer not to take these buses you may miss the meetings and activities as well. The only option other than bus services and hitchhiking is, on foot (under the scorching heat – but worth once in a lifetime), if you are ready for long and scenic walks. (Aristotle did walk as well!)

PHILOSOPHY IN ASSOS FREE OF CHARGE BUS ROUTE AND SCHEDULE

July 2 Monday

18:00 Terrace Hotel – Kadirga – Village – Harbour – Village
21:00 Village – Harbour
24:00 Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
02:00 Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel


July 3 Tuesday

12:45 Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
19:30 Terrace Hotel – Kadirga – Village - Harbour
23:30 Village – Harbour – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
01:30 Village – Harbour – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel



July 4 Wednesday

12:45 Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
19:30 Terrace Hotel – Kadirga – Village - Harbour
22:30 Kadirga – Ancient Theater – Harbour – Village – Terrace Hotel
24:30 Ancient Theater – Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
01:30 Ancient Theater – Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel


July 5 Thursday

14:30 Terrace Hotel – Kadirga – Village – Harbour – Smintheion - Troy
18:30 Troy – Village – Harbour – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
20:45 Harbour – Village – Kadirga – Terrace Hotel
24:00 Terrace Hotel – Kadirga – Village – Harbour
02:00 Terrace Hotel – Kadirga – Village – Harbour

PS: The stop at Terrace Hotel is the parking area of the hotel. The stop at Kadirga is in front of the Eden Beach Hotel. The stop at the Village (Behramkale Köy) is at the entry road to the village, at the crossroad, next to the statue of Aristotle. The stop at the Harbour (Liman) is the parking area right across the Archeological House (Kazi Evi), approximately 500 meters away, a five minute walk from the harbour, on the road towards the village.

Temple of Athena, Ancient Theater and dinners on the programme:

The ruins of the Temple of Athena are in the village, at the end of the road passed the village square, at the top of the hill. The spot is very breezy and we recommend you to bring outfit which can protect you from the wind. The wine on July 2 at the welcome meeting at the ruins of the Temple of Athena is free of charge. The Ancient Theater is about 700 meters from the harbour, on the road to the village. We recommend that you bring a torch / pocket lamp to be able to see your way while walking to the Ancient Theater at night, because lighting will be very limited. (Stars and the moon and a few candles only!)

The dinner on July 2 Monday at the harbour at Nazlihan Hotel Restaurant: The price for a fixed menu (mezes, salad, fish, fruit and limited drinks –small bottle of wine or small bottle of raki or two beers or two non-alcoholic beverages) is 60 TL + tax. Payments have to be made to the restaurant directly.

The dinner on July 3 Tuesday in the village at Assosyal Hotel Restaurant: The price for an open buffet fixed menu (warm dish, meze, salad and fruit) including 1 drink is 50 TL. You can find out about the prices of the extra drinks from the menu. Payments have to be made to the restaurant directly.

The dinner on July 4 Wednesday in Kadirga at Bronz Motel Restaurant: The price for an open buffet fixed menu excluding drinks (warm dish, meze, salad, fruit) is 30 TL. The prices of the drinks are available at the menu. Payments have to be made to the restaurant directly.

The farewell dinner on July 5 Thursday at the Terrace Hotel Restaurant: The price for a fixed menu (meze, warm entry, fish, fruit) excluding drinks is 35 TL. You can find out about the prices of the drinks from the menu. Payments have to be made to the restaurant directly.

There is no arrangement about content and price of the dinners other then the indicated fixed one. (Those who are vegetarian may choose more meze and fruit but will have to pay the same price).

For assistance:

The volunteers of Philosophy in Assos will help you out if you have any problems and/or questions. Their mobile phone numbers are: Ayşegül Denizci: 532-5650475, Nimet Küçük: 532-4471300, Baver Demircan: 534-8718455. For further info please visit: www.philosophyinassos.org

We are back.

The conference took place with no problems.

Two speakers could not make it. Walter Cavini, unfortunately was robbed of his wallet the day before he left for Turkey and Simon Blackburn also could not make it. However we were lucky to have others who could fill in for them with presentations within the general context.

Anna Monika again played a piece for my wife's birthday for which we thanked her effusively. The full moon shone beautifully on the melodies drifting up from the ethereal shape of Anna and her violin in the Amphitheatre which had a few hundred additional listeners from assos village and port.

patricia and we met briefly just befor the first presentation. After that we had to leave for the rest of the day and she did not come the second day.

she also did not wait for us to pick her up from Eris pansiyon and drive her up to the temple of Athena and introduce her to the people. When we stopped at eris pansiyon, i was treated very rudely by the owner Emily, who just said, "she has already gone up" and turned back and left without even opening the courtyard gate for us. Actually, I was hoping to check the facilities for a possible lodging for next year and for a review on Trip Advisor. Well, I actually did write a review on Trip Advisor on her understanding of the service sector.

Sounds like an interesting and satisfying time.

I will attend this in the next year or two!

Too good an opportunity to miss.