HPhil Seminar: February 19, 2026

The HPhil (History of Philosophy) Research Group of the Centre of Philosophy of the University of Lisbon announces the 2025/26 edition of its permanent seminar on the history of philosophy, devoted to the presentation of conferences by renowned specialists while also creating opportunities to emerging scholars, aiming to promote advanced studies in groundbreaking debates and the permanent training of its academic community.

In this session of the seminar, Christopher Schabel (CNRS) will present a work of his, entitled “Pierre Ceffons, the Philosophical Paradigms of the Fourteenth-Century, and Institutional and Societal Censorship”.(abstract below)

The session will take place on February 19, 2026 at 5 p.m., in the Room 201.J (Room Mattos Romão, Department of Philosophy). Admission is free

Abstract

Pierre Ceffons was a brilliant Cistercian monk and polymath active at the University of Paris around the time of the Black Death. As a professional theologian in an age of faith, he often explicitly adopted the persona of a philosopher approaching problems solely in the natural light. From this perspective, he challenged many of the basic philosophical assumptions of his time, such as hylomorphism, the soul, and contingency in nature and human actions. At the same time, he repeatedly complained that it was dangerous to express unpopular views when the authorities were punishing non-conformity with condemnation and fire. This paper investigates some of Ceffons’ salient opinions given qua philosopher and attempts to discern what Ceffons the man actually thought