Thomas Seissl

Welcome to my website. I am currently finishing my PhD in Philosophy at the University of Vienna. My primary research focus lies on ancient and late-ancient Greek philosophy, particularly natural philosophy and methodology within the Aristotelian tradition. In a bigger picture, I am interested in Aristotle's legacy in Western thought. My work engages in historical questions and questions of reception (“What was the beginning of a systematic understanding of the natural world and how did it influence the history of science?”) as well as in questions of method (“What is a valid argument in Aristotelian natural philosophy?”).

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In the near future, I intend to focus on researching and publishing on questions in natural philosophy and the elucidation of scientific explanations within the Aristotelian tradition. Specifically, I am interested in exploring Aristotle’s account of growth as presented in the Physics, as I believe his notion of continuity may not adequately account for growth under the conditions outlined therein. Furthermore, I envision undertaking a substantial project examining how Aristotelian natural philosophy addresses concepts such as chance, void, and actual infinity, which are scientifically not definable in the strict sense, yet play an explanatory role in the scientific framework.

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Recently, I have developed also a keen interest in exploring the metaphysical foundations of ancient ethics. In contrast to modern concepts of morality, ancient ethics centers around the question of how to live a good life according to ethical virtues, based on strong claims about human nature and its essential activities. I am particularly curious about the metaphysical claims that form the basis of ancient ethics. To learn more about it, I plan to study Simplicius’ commentary on Epictetus' Encheiridion more in detail. 

 

In the academic year 2023-2024, I am a Research Fellow at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Before joining Fribourg, I was a Doctoral Fellow at the University of Vienna, working closely with Prof. George Karamanolis. I spent research visits at the chair of Prof. Barbara M. Sattler at Ruhr-Universität Bochum and the Munich School of Ancient Philosophy at LMU.

 

I spent my formative years in the heart of the Austrian Alps. I hold a Bachelor's degree from the University of Salzburg and an M.phil. from the University of Innsbruck, where I also took courses in classics and theology.

 

You can find my CV here.