Plato’s Philosophical Society emerged in 1993 as an initiative of the young lecturers and the students at the Philosophy Faculty of the Saint Petersburg State University. In course of time the representatives of Historical, Philological and some other Faculties as well as the scholars from Higher Education and Research Institutions of Saint Petersburg and some other North-Western cities and towns (Novgorod, Syktyvkar, Kaliningrad, Vologda etc.), have joined the Society. This Society is now a true community of humanity scholars aiming at moving along some mainstream research lines, at organizing University, Russia and International scientific events (symposia, seminars, conferences, round tables), at supporting the aspiring young researchers.
This scientific community having been created as some kind of a tentative approach to acquiring both new and forgotten materials, have united some 100 or so specialists from the spheres of philosophy, history and classical studies. The number of participants is always on the increase, as new young specialists and students are coming to take part. The representatives of Moscow, Kaliningrad, Voronezh, Saratov, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk, Kiev, Odessa, Kharkov (the Ukraine), Toronto (Canada), Honolulu, Seattle (the USA), Athens, Thessaloniki (Greece), Sydney (Australia), Perugia (Italy), Copenhagen (Denmark), Jerusalem (Israel), London (the GB), Paris (France) took part as the members of the Society or as visitors.
Scientific events and research projects headed by the Plato’s Society within the long-termed research program “Universe of Plato’s Thought” set the goals of the development of philosophical thought and pedagogical activity in Russia.
The project as such is intended to making clear the origins of the philosophical idealism.
Participants of Plato’s Philosophical Society
In 1997 the Society was incorporated into The International Plato’s Society, headed by Professor Thomas Robinson (Toronto).
Our results:
– 20 conferences and 7 seminars had been organized with the further publication in “Vestnik. Saint-Petersburg State University”, in journal “Saint-Petersburg University”, in almanac of Saint Petersburg Philosophical Society “Thought”, in “Vestnik. Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy”.
– 8 paper and research volumes “AKAΔHMEIA: research materials on the Platonism history” were published, the first translations into Russian of the Neo-Platonism: Iamblichus Chalcidensis, Proclus Diadochus, Damascius and others; of the XVII-th century Cambridge Platonism Sources
– 8 Summer Schools “ΠΛΑΤΩΝΟΠΟΛΙΣ”
– 25 doctorate and 8 doctoral dissertations have been defended with both informational and theoretical support of the Society.
– a number of translation were carried out and reediting some classical works was fulfilled .
They are Russian Humanitarian Scientific Foundation, Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Open Society Foundations (OSF), Federal Target Program “Integration of Fundamental Science and Higher Education” 2001-2006, Federal Target Program «Scientific and pedagogical human resources of innovative Russia for 2009-2013», the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation that had supported financially the activity of Plato’s Philosophical Society.