Medieval Persian Thought and Literature: Exploring Intellect

Welcome to our first academic seminar of this term, on the theme of Medieval Persian Literature! This free event is open to all, and refreshments will be provided!

Presentation Abstract:
In explaining the notion of intellect to his son, Kaykavus, the author of the Qābusnāmeh, describes ‘aql-i gharīzī and ‘aql-i kasbī, namely the innate intellect and the acquired intellect respectively. The same idea is found in much earlier Zoroastrian texts. This presentation will discuss if Kaykavus follows the Zoroastrian principles as he gives advice to his son about the dual nature of the intellect.

Speaker Bio:
Sepideh Najmzadeh is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations at the University of Toronto. Her research interests are Zoroastrian literature and Persian languages. Recently she was awarded an Ontario Graduate Scholarship for her thesis proposal on divinities in a Zoroastrian text. Sepideh is also involved in volunteer community service and enjoys the ancient sport of Wushu Taolu.

The talk will be held in the NMC Conference Room (located on the 2nd floor of 4 Bancroft Ave.) from 2-3pm on January 9th 2020.
The talk will be about 40 minutes, with a 20 minute Q&A session afterwards. No RSVP necessary. Please contact nmcsu1@gmail.com with any questions!