The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded its Starting Grants. Among this year's recipients are six KU Leuven researchers: Pieter Beullens (Institute of Philosophy), Esther Klingler (VIB-KU Leuven, Department of Neurosciences), Pablo Marchant (Department of Physics and Astronomy), Colinda Scheele (VIB-KU Leuven, Department of Oncology), Xin Shi (Department of Chemistry) and Cecilia Vergnano (Social and Cultural Anthropology).
ERC Starting Grants provide funding for promising early-career researchers with two to seven years of post-PhD experience. The grants are awarded for a five-year period and may be worth up to € 1.5 million.
Pieter Beullens: FitMA: The reconstruction of Aristotle's teachings
FWO special research associate; De Wulf-Mansion Centre for Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy
Aristotle laid the foundation for numerous sciences and fields of knowledge, significantly shaping our way of thinking. The fact that we have a fairly precise understanding of what the Greek philosopher and scientist committed to papyrus in the fourth century BC is thanks to countless translations throughout history. However, the process of translating the Greek texts into Latin-sometimes via an Arabic intermediary-was not flawless. "It is understandable that each translation was influenced by the perspective and linguistic knowledge of the translator, leading to the circulation of numerous different Latin versions in our regions from the mid-12th century onward."
The FitMA project examines three works of Aristotle and compares the existing Latin manuscripts with one another. Where do the similarities and differences lie? "By placing the versions side by side, we want to get closer to the original version of the translation from Greek."
In a second phase, the project will also investigate how these textual variations impact the way the texts are read. "Since each reader studies a slightly different version, the texts can be understood and interpreted in different ways. The multitude of translations and translators has led each period to develop its own way of interpreting philosophical texts. FitMA aims to reconstruct the historical interpretation."
