Videos by Humberto Ballesteros
Una charla sobre los neologismos del Paradiso dantesco y sus implicaciones teológico / filosófica... more Una charla sobre los neologismos del Paradiso dantesco y sus implicaciones teológico / filosóficas, presentada en el marco de la celebración del séptimo centenario de la muerte de Dante organizada por la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. 4 views
Papers by Humberto Ballesteros
The Commedia's Metaphysics of Human Nature: Essays on Charity, Free Will and Ensoulment Humberto ... more The Commedia's Metaphysics of Human Nature: Essays on Charity, Free Will and Ensoulment Humberto Ballesteros This dissertation aims to show that the Commedia develops an original and coherent philosophy of human nature. Deploying the methodologies of two separate disciplines, the history of philosophy and literary criticism, it places the poem's ideas in the intellectual context in which they developed, and analyzes the learnedness, freshness and validity of its conclusions. The topic is divided in three themes, discussed in the same number of chapters: 1) Love and desire. After following Arendt in tracing a tension in Augustine's works between the theological primordiality of dilectio Dei and the biblically endorsed importance of love for one's neighbor, I argue that the Commedia develops a concept of social charity that seeks to reconcile that seminal Christian paradox. 2) Free will. Based on a study of the theory of free will advanced by Purgatorio and Paradiso, I advance the idea that Dante's metaphysics and psychology of human freedom, particularly in regards to his description of the workings of absolute and relative will, contrast in a fundamental way with Aquinas' in the Appendix of the Summa theologica; and based on that conclusion, and on an analysis of the example of Piccarda Donati, it is possible to conclude that the Commedia not only postulates a hierarchy of volitions as a necessary condition for human freedom, but also defines free will as the ability to formulate a self-forming action. 3) Body and soul. Based on the account of the creation of the universe found in Paradiso XXIX, I argue that the Commedia's cosmos is strictly hylomorphic, and postulate that this theory also applies to the relationship between body and soul. Thus the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane. i Table of contents Acknowledgments ______________________________________________________ii Dedication______________________________________________________________iv Introduction ___________________________________________________________1 Chapter 1. Caritas in Augustine, Aquinas and Dante: From dilectio Dei to disio degli altri cari 9 1.1. A seminal paradox in Augustine 9 1.2. A partial rehabilitation of desire: Thomas Aquinas 22 1.3. The Commedia, or the poem of social caritas 39 1.3.1. A causal chain of desire, love and word: Inferno II 42 1.3.2. Dilectio of the Other, prison or deliverance? Inferno V 50 1.3.3. Dante's interpersonal charity: Paradiso XXVI 56 1.3.4. Disio degli altri cari: social caritas in Heaven 79 1.4. Visual representations of a universe in love 83 Chapter 2. Augustine, Aquinas and Dante on freedom: From an intuition of liberty to a self-forming absolute will 92 2.1. Purgatorio XVI, XVII and XVIII: To be freely subjected 98 2.2. Second order volitions in Frankfurt, Aquinas and Dante 2.3. Dante on the paradox of Buridan's ass 2.4. Dante's self-forming absolute will: The Piccarda Donati experiment 2.5. Cato of Utica as the epitome of absolute will Chapter 3. Dante's hylomorphic ontology and embryology: Body, soul and the crux of transcendence 3.1. Dante's strictly hylomorphic universe: Paradiso XXIX 3.2. Aristotle's hylomorphic understanding of the human soul and its Christian reinterpretation 3.3. Dante's hylomorphic embryology: Purgatorio XXV, 1-75 3.4. An account of human identity across birth, time and death: Purgatorio XXV, 79-108 3.5. Embodied salvation in Paradiso XXXII Chapter 4. Conclusion: The point that contains the sea Bibliography ii Acklowledgments It is a trite but undeniable truth that a doctoral dissertation is the product of a long journey. Before approaching its end, however, I had never realized how much my intellectual path coincides with il cammin della mia vita.
Dante's Volume from Alpha to Omega, 2021
Based on the account of the creation of the universe found in Paradiso
XXIX, this paper argues th... more Based on the account of the creation of the universe found in Paradiso
XXIX, this paper argues that the Commedia conceives the cosmos as strictly hylomorphic, and advances that this theory also applies to the poem’s understanding of the relationship between body and soul. This implies that the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of the materiality and historicity of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane.
Perífrasis. Revista de Literatura, Teoría y Crítica
The Commedia’s Metaphysics of Human Nature: Essays on Charity, Free Will and Ensoulment Humberto ... more The Commedia’s Metaphysics of Human Nature: Essays on Charity, Free Will and Ensoulment Humberto Ballesteros This dissertation aims to show that the Commedia develops an original and coherent philosophy of human nature. Deploying the methodologies of two separate disciplines, the history of philosophy and literary criticism, it places the poem’s ideas in the intellectual context in which they developed, and analyzes the learnedness, freshness and validity of its conclusions. The topic is divided in three themes, discussed in the same number of chapters: 1) Love and desire. After following Arendt in tracing a tension in Augustine’s works between the theological primordiality of dilectio Dei and the biblically endorsed importance of love for one’s neighbor, I argue that the Commedia develops a concept of social charity that seeks to reconcile that seminal Christian paradox. 2) Free will. Based on a study of the theory of free will advanced by Purgatorio and Paradiso, I advance the ide...
The London Magazine, 2021
A short story, translated by the author from the Spanish, from an in-progress book tentatively en... more A short story, translated by the author from the Spanish, from an in-progress book tentatively entitled "Cuaderno de psicología anormal" (A Notebook on Abnormal Psychology).
Rio Grande Review, 2018
A short story in Spanish about a nun whose mystical visions are invaded by a disquieting cockroach.
En el canto xxix del " Paradiso " , Beatriz le explica al peregrino que el universo y los ánge-le... more En el canto xxix del " Paradiso " , Beatriz le explica al peregrino que el universo y los ánge-les fueron creados simultáneamente. Este pasaje es esencial para la comprensión no solo de la ontología, sino también del mensaje moral del poema y de su concepto del ser humano. Tras un recorrido por varias lecturas de dichos versos, este artículo sostiene que la ontología de la Comedia es estrictamente hilemórfica, y que por consiguiente es incorrecto afirmar que para Dante la materia es un principio negativo, y que la trascen-dencia consiste en dejarla atrás. Por el contrario, según la Divina Comedia, el cuerpo con toda su sensualidad y su historicidad, con toda su humanidad, es imprescindible para la salvación del alma.
In the 29 th Canto of Dante's " Paradiso " , Beatrice explains that both the angels and the universe were created simultaneously. This passage is essential for understanding, not only the ontology, but also the moral message of Dante's poem and, extensively, its concept of the human. After a review of several readings of these verses, the article argues that the Comedy's ontology is strictly hylomorphic. Thus it is incorrect to state that, for Dante, matter is a negative principle, and transcendence consists in leaving it behind. On the contrary, in the Commedia the body, with all its sensuality and historicity, with all its humanity, is indispensable for the salvation of the soul.
Based on a close reading of two philosophical passages of the Divine Comedy, Beatrice's account o... more Based on a close reading of two philosophical passages of the Divine Comedy, Beatrice's account of the birth of the universe in Paradiso XXIX, and Statius' explanation of the origin of the human embryo in Purgatorio XXV, this paper argues that the ontology upheld by the poem is strictly hylomorphic. This, in turn, has significant implications in regards to the role of matter in the Comedy's moral system.
Fecha de recepción: 24 de enero de 2013 Fecha de aceptación: 15 de mayo de 2013 Fecha de modiicac... more Fecha de recepción: 24 de enero de 2013 Fecha de aceptación: 15 de mayo de 2013 Fecha de modiicación: 7 de junio de 2013
Dissertation by Humberto Ballesteros
This dissertation aims to show that the Commedia develops an original and coherent philosophy of ... more This dissertation aims to show that the Commedia develops an original and coherent philosophy of human nature. Deploying the methodologies of two separate disciplines, the history of philosophy and literary criticism, it places the poem’s ideas in the intellectual context in which they developed, and analyzes the learnedness, freshness and validity of its conclusions.
The topic is divided in three themes, discussed in the same number of chapters:
1) Love and desire. After following Arendt in tracing a tension in Augustine’s works between the theological primordiality of dilectio Dei and the biblically endorsed importance of love for one’s neighbor, I argue that the Commedia develops a concept of social charity that seeks to reconcile that seminal Christian paradox.
2) Free will. Based on a study of the theory of free will advanced by Purgatorio and Paradiso, I advance the idea that Dante’s metaphysics and psychology of human freedom, particularly in regards to his description of the workings of absolute and relative will, contrast in a fundamental way with Aquinas’ in the Appendix of the Summa theologica; and based on that conclusion, and on an analysis of the example of Piccarda Donati, it is possible to conclude that the Commedia not only postulates a hierarchy of volitions as a necessary condition for human freedom, but also defines free will as the ability to formulate a self-forming action.
3) Body and soul. Based on the account of the creation of the universe found in Paradiso XXIX, I argue that the Commedia’s cosmos is strictly hylomorphic, and postulate that this theory also applies to the relationship between body and soul. Thus the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane.
Conference Presentations by Humberto Ballesteros
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg55wO1Zf2xHYf9dly3R-kVVkuysFT6K3
The Commedia's discussion of Piccarda Donati's defective will in Paradiso is famously polemic: Ho... more The Commedia's discussion of Piccarda Donati's defective will in Paradiso is famously polemic: How can it be just to consider the actions of a raped nun as pseudo-voluntary? This paper follows Beatrice in discussing Piccarda in philosophical terms via Thomas Aquinas; but it also proposes that Dante uses the concepts of absolute and relative will in a way that differs slightly but significantly from the Summa Theologica's, and more importantly, it argues that by doing so Dante has disclosed a fundamental aspect of the nature and the workings of human freedom.
Drafts by Humberto Ballesteros
Several Dante scholars, Bruno Nardi, Étienne Gilson and Manuele Gragnolati among them, have discu... more Several Dante scholars, Bruno Nardi, Étienne Gilson and Manuele Gragnolati among them, have discussed in illuminating ways how, in the explanation of human embryology that takes place in Purgatorio XXV, Dante chooses to draw from Albert the Great’s commentaries on Aristotle, instead of relying on Thomas Aquinas’ teachings. After explaining in some detail the differences between the two theories, and briefly discussing the way in which Dante recounts these philosophical views in terza rima, this paper delves into the reasons why the Commedia prefers a non-Thomistic version of the ensoulment of the human foetus. Making use of Fabrizio Amerini’s illuminating reading of the broader philosophical implications of Aquinas’ embryology, the paper posits that Dante espouses Albert’s theory because it does not place a radical divide between the essences of the vegetal, the animal and the human. Thus, for Dante it is essential to conceive human nature as flowing in unbroken fashion from nature at large; as a wave among many in the "gran mar dell’essere" of Creation, intellectually distinguishable from the rest and yet ontologically continuous with it.
Books by Humberto Ballesteros
Infierno, 2019
Breve texto introductorio a la edición del "Infierno", en traducción de Jerónimo Pizarro y Norman... more Breve texto introductorio a la edición del "Infierno", en traducción de Jerónimo Pizarro y Norman Valencia, publicada por Milserifas en 2019.
Diez cuentos del Decamerón, 2020
Una breve introducción a una selección de diez cuentos del "Decamerón" publicada por Idartes en B... more Una breve introducción a una selección de diez cuentos del "Decamerón" publicada por Idartes en Bogotá, Colombia, en 2020.
Infierno: Comedia, 2019
Dante Alighieri, 1265 -1321.
Infierno: Comedia / Dante Alighieri
Ensayos y notas: Humberto Balle... more Dante Alighieri, 1265 -1321.
Infierno: Comedia / Dante Alighieri
Ensayos y notas: Humberto Ballesteros Capasso.
Traducción: Jerónimo Pizarro, Norman Valencia.
Diseño de la pauta gráfica, diagramación y viñetas: Camila Cardeñosa Echeverri.
Bogotá: Ediciones Milserifas, 2019.
528 páginas: ilustraciones; 21 cm.
lSBN 978-958-48-6147-4
La presente publicación se realizó gracias a la Beca para proyectos editoriales independientes y emergentes en literatura, concedida por el programa Distrital de Estímulos de ldartes 2018.
Primera edición: abril de 2019
@ de la presentación, Humberto Ballesteros
@ de la traducción, Jerónimo Pizarro y Norman Valencia @ de los ensayos y las notas, Humberto Ballesteros
@ de esta edición: Ediciones Milserifas
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia www.milserifas.com www.facebook/milserifas
https://milserifas.com/project/infierno/
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Videos by Humberto Ballesteros
Papers by Humberto Ballesteros
XXIX, this paper argues that the Commedia conceives the cosmos as strictly hylomorphic, and advances that this theory also applies to the poem’s understanding of the relationship between body and soul. This implies that the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of the materiality and historicity of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane.
In the 29 th Canto of Dante's " Paradiso " , Beatrice explains that both the angels and the universe were created simultaneously. This passage is essential for understanding, not only the ontology, but also the moral message of Dante's poem and, extensively, its concept of the human. After a review of several readings of these verses, the article argues that the Comedy's ontology is strictly hylomorphic. Thus it is incorrect to state that, for Dante, matter is a negative principle, and transcendence consists in leaving it behind. On the contrary, in the Commedia the body, with all its sensuality and historicity, with all its humanity, is indispensable for the salvation of the soul.
Dissertation by Humberto Ballesteros
The topic is divided in three themes, discussed in the same number of chapters:
1) Love and desire. After following Arendt in tracing a tension in Augustine’s works between the theological primordiality of dilectio Dei and the biblically endorsed importance of love for one’s neighbor, I argue that the Commedia develops a concept of social charity that seeks to reconcile that seminal Christian paradox.
2) Free will. Based on a study of the theory of free will advanced by Purgatorio and Paradiso, I advance the idea that Dante’s metaphysics and psychology of human freedom, particularly in regards to his description of the workings of absolute and relative will, contrast in a fundamental way with Aquinas’ in the Appendix of the Summa theologica; and based on that conclusion, and on an analysis of the example of Piccarda Donati, it is possible to conclude that the Commedia not only postulates a hierarchy of volitions as a necessary condition for human freedom, but also defines free will as the ability to formulate a self-forming action.
3) Body and soul. Based on the account of the creation of the universe found in Paradiso XXIX, I argue that the Commedia’s cosmos is strictly hylomorphic, and postulate that this theory also applies to the relationship between body and soul. Thus the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane.
Conference Presentations by Humberto Ballesteros
Drafts by Humberto Ballesteros
Books by Humberto Ballesteros
Infierno: Comedia / Dante Alighieri
Ensayos y notas: Humberto Ballesteros Capasso.
Traducción: Jerónimo Pizarro, Norman Valencia.
Diseño de la pauta gráfica, diagramación y viñetas: Camila Cardeñosa Echeverri.
Bogotá: Ediciones Milserifas, 2019.
528 páginas: ilustraciones; 21 cm.
lSBN 978-958-48-6147-4
La presente publicación se realizó gracias a la Beca para proyectos editoriales independientes y emergentes en literatura, concedida por el programa Distrital de Estímulos de ldartes 2018.
Primera edición: abril de 2019
@ de la presentación, Humberto Ballesteros
@ de la traducción, Jerónimo Pizarro y Norman Valencia @ de los ensayos y las notas, Humberto Ballesteros
@ de esta edición: Ediciones Milserifas
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia www.milserifas.com www.facebook/milserifas
https://milserifas.com/project/infierno/
XXIX, this paper argues that the Commedia conceives the cosmos as strictly hylomorphic, and advances that this theory also applies to the poem’s understanding of the relationship between body and soul. This implies that the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of the materiality and historicity of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane.
In the 29 th Canto of Dante's " Paradiso " , Beatrice explains that both the angels and the universe were created simultaneously. This passage is essential for understanding, not only the ontology, but also the moral message of Dante's poem and, extensively, its concept of the human. After a review of several readings of these verses, the article argues that the Comedy's ontology is strictly hylomorphic. Thus it is incorrect to state that, for Dante, matter is a negative principle, and transcendence consists in leaving it behind. On the contrary, in the Commedia the body, with all its sensuality and historicity, with all its humanity, is indispensable for the salvation of the soul.
The topic is divided in three themes, discussed in the same number of chapters:
1) Love and desire. After following Arendt in tracing a tension in Augustine’s works between the theological primordiality of dilectio Dei and the biblically endorsed importance of love for one’s neighbor, I argue that the Commedia develops a concept of social charity that seeks to reconcile that seminal Christian paradox.
2) Free will. Based on a study of the theory of free will advanced by Purgatorio and Paradiso, I advance the idea that Dante’s metaphysics and psychology of human freedom, particularly in regards to his description of the workings of absolute and relative will, contrast in a fundamental way with Aquinas’ in the Appendix of the Summa theologica; and based on that conclusion, and on an analysis of the example of Piccarda Donati, it is possible to conclude that the Commedia not only postulates a hierarchy of volitions as a necessary condition for human freedom, but also defines free will as the ability to formulate a self-forming action.
3) Body and soul. Based on the account of the creation of the universe found in Paradiso XXIX, I argue that the Commedia’s cosmos is strictly hylomorphic, and postulate that this theory also applies to the relationship between body and soul. Thus the transumanar depicted by the last canticle, far from a rejection of worldly existence, rather implies a reencounter with those inalienably human characteristics, but on a higher plane.
Infierno: Comedia / Dante Alighieri
Ensayos y notas: Humberto Ballesteros Capasso.
Traducción: Jerónimo Pizarro, Norman Valencia.
Diseño de la pauta gráfica, diagramación y viñetas: Camila Cardeñosa Echeverri.
Bogotá: Ediciones Milserifas, 2019.
528 páginas: ilustraciones; 21 cm.
lSBN 978-958-48-6147-4
La presente publicación se realizó gracias a la Beca para proyectos editoriales independientes y emergentes en literatura, concedida por el programa Distrital de Estímulos de ldartes 2018.
Primera edición: abril de 2019
@ de la presentación, Humberto Ballesteros
@ de la traducción, Jerónimo Pizarro y Norman Valencia @ de los ensayos y las notas, Humberto Ballesteros
@ de esta edición: Ediciones Milserifas
Bogotá, D.C., Colombia www.milserifas.com www.facebook/milserifas
https://milserifas.com/project/infierno/