Classics Colloquium with Evan Keeling
Join us for a presentation by Evan Keeling, University of São Paulo, on “Aristotle on Colors and Transparency.”
Tea at 4 p.m. in the Quita Woodward Room.
Click here to register for the Zoom meeting.
Aristotle holds that for us to see, both the medium of vision and the inner eye must be transparent. This is easy to understand. We must be able to see through air or water to see the colors of objects. And since vision doesn’t really occur in the eye, it must be able to transmit the color to the central sense-organ. In other words, air, water and eyes are necessary for vision because they pass along the colors of other objects. But for Aristotle, actually transparent things like glass, air and water are also themselves visible, and not just because we can see through them. Even more surprising, colors are visible because colored objects are more or less transparent. So transparency is the key to understanding the visibility of everything. The aim in this talk is to begin to explain what transparency is and how it plays this role.
Bryn Mawr College welcomes the full participation of all individuals in all aspects of campus life. Should you wish to request a disability-related accommodation for this event, please contact the event sponsor/coordinator. Requests should be made as early as possible.