Nietzsche’s Basel Lectures

It is now widely accepted among experts on Nietzsche’s work that his Basel lectures are essential to a proper understanding of the development of his thinking. Now that the lectures have been published in the critical edition of the complete works, it is necessary to study their sources and the methods used in them, as well as their philological and philosophical content. Despite this, they remain largely unexplored. While some relevant research has emerged, it has focused mainly on specific lectures. There is therefore still a need for research that covers all the lectures, studies them systematically and in their interrelationships, looking for differences and similarities and seeking to determine to what extent decisive aspects of what distinguishes Nietzsche’s thought are already present in them or not. This seminar aims to be a first contribution to filling this gap. It will consist of ten monthly sessions. Each session will focus on one of the series of lectures and its key topic. And it will feature two speakers. The seminar format, with its discussion among all participants after each presentation, is a fruitful model for a project of this kind. Attendance to each seminar session must be preceded by registration through one of the organisers, who will provide the respective link (carlottasantini@hotmail.it, enasser@uol.com.br, plima@fcsh.unl.pt). For more information, see the full seminar programme below.

Org. Carlotta Santini (CNRS/ENS, Paris), Eduardo Nasser (UFPE/UFABC), Paulo Lima (IFILNOVA/NOVA FCSH)

Programme

Session 1: The Divine Service of the Greeks

3 September 2025 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC+1)

Manfred Posani Loewenstein, “Nietzsche, Burckhardt and the Greek Cult: Comparing Two Lectures”

Emmanuel Salanskis, “Towards a Genealogy of the Greek Cult”

Session 2: Greek Rhythmics

1 October 2025 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC+1)

Christophe Corbier, “Difference and Repetition in the Fragments on Greek Rhythm”

Alice Giordano, “The Force of Rhythm: Philology, Physiology, and Philosophy”

Session 3: Encyclopedia of Classical Philology

5 November 2025 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC)

Christian Benne, “Drives: Romantic Reflections in Encyclopädie der klassischen Philologie”

James Porter, “Thinking Backwards: Theocrasy and Syncretism in The Encyclopedia of Philology”

Session 4: Latin Grammar

16 December 2025 (exceptionally on Tuesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC)

Christian Wolleck, “A Philosopher Talks About Grammar: On the Philosophical Implications of a Philological Stint”

Marina Silenzi, “Instinct, Shout and Mimicry: Toward a Genealogy of Language”

Session 5: The Pre-Platonic Philosophers

14 January 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC)

André Laks, TBD

Helmut Heit, “The Pre-Platonic Philosophers”

Session 6: Plato

18 February 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC)

João Constâncio, “Nietzsche on Plato’s Phaedrus and the Question of Writing”

Pieter De Corte, “Nietzsche on Plato’s Political Thought in the Basel Lectures”

Session 7: Cicero’s Academica

18 March 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC)

Luca Lupo, “Saying Yes: The Doctrine of Assent”

Stefano Busellato, TBD

Session 8: Rhetoric

15 April 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC+1)

Rogerio Lopes, “Much Ado About (Almost) Nothing: How to Avoid Philosophical Inflation of Genealogical Claims”

Aritz Pardina Herrero, “F. Nietzsche’s Rhetoric Lectures: Dating and Interrelationship (and Why These Are Important)”

Session 9: Tragedy

13 May 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC+1)

Sotera Fornaro, TBD

Enrico Mueller, TBD

Session 10: Greek Literature

17 June 2026 (Wednesday), 16:00–18:00 (UTC+1)

Gemma Adesso, “The Art of Reading and Writing”

Rafael Carrión Arias, “History of Greek Literature from 1874-76: The Origins of Genealogical Method in F. Nietzsche”