CALL FOR PAPERS
VII DELPHOS INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 2026
Event Coordinators:
- Dr. Jorge Luis Gutiérrez, DELPHOS, Brazil.
- Dr. David Torrijos Castrillejo, Universidad San Dámaso de Madrid, Spain.
Scientific Committee:
- Dr. David Torrijos Castrillejo, Universidad San Dámaso de Madrid, Spain. (Chair)
Under construction
Organizing Committee:
- Jorge Luis Gutiérrez, Delphos, Brazil.
- David Torrijos Castrillejo, Universidad San Dámaso de Madrid. Spain.
- José Antonio García-Lorente, Universidad de Murcia, Spain.
- Ângela Zamora Cilento, Mackenzie University, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Rosario Neuman Lorenzini, Universidad San Dámaso de Madrid, Spain.
- Marcelo Martins Bueno, Mackenzie University, Brazil.
- André da Paz, University of Brasília, Brazil.
The DELPHOS research group, in partnership with the Philosophy Course at Mackenzie University, is pleased to invite researchers, students, and professors to participate in the VII Delphos International Symposium 2026. The general theme of the Symposium is "Philosophy and Religion in Ancient Greece", and the specific theme for this year is The Other Shore: Life Beyond Death in the Philosophy and Religion of Ancient Greece.
The event will be held virtually on April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 2026. The detailed program will be announced soon.
We invite the entire academic community to participate in this event, which promises to be a valuable opportunity to discuss and reflect on philosophy and religion in Ancient Greece.
About the Proposed Theme
The Other Shore: Life Beyond Life in the Philosophy and Religion of Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece was a crucible of ideas and beliefs that shaped Western civilization. Among the most fascinating and complex are the conceptions about life after death, which are intertwined in the philosophy and religion of the time. In this context, the metaphor of "the other shore" refers to the transition from mortal life to eternity, a theme that occupied a central place in the philosophical and religious reflection of the ancient Greeks.
Death as Transition
In Ancient Greece, death was not seen as an absolute end, but as a transition to another form of existence. The belief in the immortality of the soul and the existence of an afterlife was shared by various philosophical and religious currents. The Orphic mysteries, for example, promised salvation and union with the gods through rituals and ascetic practices.
The Pre-Socratics and the Search for Eternal Reality
The pre-Socratic philosophers, such as Heraclitus and Parmenides, laid the foundations for reflection on the nature of reality and human existence. Heraclitus, with his doctrine of constant becoming, suggested that reality is dynamic and constantly changing. Parmenides, on the other hand, with his idea that being is one and unchanging, pointed to the existence of an eternal and immutable reality. These ideas profoundly influenced the understanding of life and death in Greek philosophy.
Philosophy and the Search for Immortality
Philosophers like Plato and Pythagoras explored the idea of the immortality of the soul, arguing that true reality lies in the world of eternal and immutable Forms. For Plato, philosophy was an exercise in death, a preparation, a training before dying to be well-disposed, in the sense that it allowed the soul to free itself from the bonds of the body and achieve true wisdom.
Aristotle and the Philosophy of the Soul
Aristotle, in his work "De Anima", developed a philosophy of the soul that profoundly influenced the understanding of life after death. For Aristotle, the soul is the substantial form of the body, and its relationship with the body is essential to human existence. Although Aristotle did not develop an explicit theory of the immortality of the soul, his idea that the intellective part of the soul can survive the death of the body was the subject of debate and interpretation throughout history.
Christian Greek Philosophy and the Immortality of the Soul
Christian Greek philosophy, represented by thinkers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, integrated elements of classical Greek philosophy with Christian theology. In this perspective, the immortality of the soul is seen as a gift from God, and life after death is understood as a continuation of human existence in a spiritualized form.
The Influence of Greek Philosophy on Christian Theology
Classical Greek philosophy had a profound influence on Christian theology, especially in the formulation of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. The idea that the soul is immortal and that life after death is a spiritualized reality was influenced by Platonic and Aristotelian conceptions of the soul. At the same time, Christian theology also transformed and reinterpreted these ideas, giving them a new meaning in the light of Christian revelation.
Transcendence and Eternity
The human search for transcendence and eternity is a deep and complex theme that permeates the philosophy and religion of Ancient Greece. Through philosophical reflection and religious practice, the ancient Greeks sought to understand and overcome mortality, leaving a legacy that continues to influence our understanding of the world and the human place in it.
Submission Guidelines for Presentations
Those who wish to present a paper must submit an abstract with the characteristics indicated below by August 12, 2024.
Abstract Submission Guidelines
To register, please send a Word document to jorgelrg@uol.com.br with the subject "VII Delphos International Symposium 2026", including the following information:
- *Paper Title*: title of the paper to be presented.
- *Author's Name*: name of the author (must be the same as the presenter).
- *Category*: student or professor.
- *Academic Degree*: Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D.
- *Institutional Affiliation*: current institutional affiliation.
- *Abstract*: abstract of no more than 600 words.
Important Information
- Papers (presentations) that focus on the relationship between philosophy and religion in ancient Greece, specifically on the theme "The Other Shore: Life Beyond Death in the Philosophy and Religion of Ancient Greece", will be accepted.
- *Virtual Event*: The event will be held entirely online.
- *Field Completion*: Please fill out all fields. Only complete submissions will be considered.
- *Abstract Submission Deadline*: March 15, 2026.
- *Publication of Accepted Papers*: March 20, 2026.
- *Presentation Time*: 15 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of questions and debate.
- *Paper Limit per Proposer*: Each proposer may submit only one paper proposal.
- *Presentation*: Only the author of the paper may present; presentation by another person is not allowed.
- *Certificate*: Mackenzie University will issue a certificate attesting to the presentation of the paper.
Download the Poster
View the Poster
