PhD position (full-time, 4 years) on The Body in the Philosophical Context:

the ancient debate and its reception in the Renaissance and Early Modern Period at the Erasmus School of Philosophy

Application deadline: March 3rd 2024, 23h55 CET

The Project: The Body in the Philosophical Context:
Is human nature more body or more soul? The Platonic theory of the soul as separable from the body sets out a philosophical battleground which has been raging ever since. If the terminology has changed in our own modernity, more familiar with questions such as the mind-body problem, the ‘hard problem of consciousness’, or more recently still the simulation theory and the bodyless aspirations of virtual reality, the question remains. And if robotics, AI and the ideology behind virtual reality seem to inject a new life into the Platonic view, neo-materialism, biopolitics and degrowth economic theories remotivate the critique of Platonism.

Anti-Platonism has often been reduced to materialism. But the variety of critical responses is not easily reduced to one common denominator. The critique has been constant through the ages, taking on different forms depending on the historical context. It is on this tradition of critique that the PhD project focuses, and specifically on its reappraisal in the Modern Era with a special emphasis on the Renaissance and Early Modern period.

What makes the Renaissance and Early Modern period also the roots of modern conceptions of the body? One of the hypotheses the candidate will pursue is that the rediscovery of the ancient anti-Platonic materialist theories contributes, with regard to conceptions of the body, to the tensions between religion and scientific development and the dynamics of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. How does a reappraisal of the body bolster atheistic currents? And how does the rediscovery of the debates provoked by ancient Stoicism, Epicureanism, Cynicism and Scepticism against transcendence (in Plato and Aristotle) initiate a variety of expressions of a rediscovered freedom of the body (in art, in dance, in the development of erotic literature, in a new conception of architecture, in early forays into anti-speciesism, a non-utilitarian relation to other animals, ideas of cosmopolitanism, and more)?

The PhD project proposes to follow the path of revisiting the ancient debate. It is a project firmly set within the history of philosophy in terms of the texts and authors it will focus on. It will stay at a distance from the contemporary debate by framing the work within the Early Modern period broadly conceived. However, the project is irrigated by the way this debate evolves in the 20th and 21st centuries, with the ultimate aim to contribute a more nuanced perspective on the philosophical history of the notion of the body. There is an Early Modern biopolitics and it is one of the aims of the PhD to reveal its foundations, with a guiding hypothesis that the debate could have evolved differently. The project aims to show how.

The PhD position is located within the Erasmus School of Philosophy and is part of the Making of Modernity Research Group. The PhD candidate will be jointly supervised by Dr Ada Bronowski (ESPhil) and Prof. Wiep van Bunge (ESPhil).

Job description
The candidate’s primary responsibility is to conduct research and write a PhD thesis. The work that this involves will also contribute to the development of the field of the history of the philosophy of materialism and the reception of ancient theories of materialism.

This is a vast field, a great deal of which remains understudied and will allow for freedom and exploration for the potential candidate, who, depending on interests and competence will be able to develop their research in a variety of different directions.

The candidate will contribute by giving presentations and co-organising reading groups and workshops. The candidate will become part of a large and diverse group of PhD candidates and is expected to join the tutor academy.

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate with the following background :

• Completed MA in philosophy
• Proven acquaintance with major themes in ancient philosophy
• Acquaintance with and interest in Renaissance and Early Modern philosophy from one or more traditions (Italian, French, Dutch and/or others)
• Knowledge of Latin desirable, (ideally also Ancient Greek but not required)
• Desirable familiarity/interest in the contemporary debate on theories of the body and materialism
• Excellent speaking and writing skills in English,
• Ideally, knowledge of at least one other modern language specific to the focus of interest
• Conceptual capacity, presentation and planning skills, self-discipline
• Enthusiasm, curiosity, open-mindedness and self-motivation
• Interest in collaborative and interdisciplinary work

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 01-MAY-2024 and you will be based at [class.26087] in Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte FTE. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.770 to a maximum of € 3.539 gross per month Scale PhD on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of (contractduur).

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare.
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service
Erasmus School of Philosophy is a leading research and teaching institution of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The faculty is one of the two independent faculties of philosophy in the Netherlands. ESPhil has a broad international orientation, with many international students (total number of students is currently about 800), PhDs (about 20), and staff members (about 40), and has excellent connections with universities abroad.