Reading Groups

Convenor: Prof. Michail Peramatzis

Venue: Worcester College
Time: Fridays, 11am-1pm
Text: Aristotle's Topics (starting from Bk I)

While this Graduate and Faculty reading group is not listed in the Philosophy Faculty lecture or seminar lists, it has been taking place for several decades now. It is organised by Prof. Michail Peramatzis, whom you should contact if you would like to take part (michail.peramatzis@philosophy.ox.ac.uk).

We are reading the Topics (starting from Bk I) and the time is 11 am - 1.00 pm on Fridays. The venue is Seminar Room A (main quad, staircase 5), Worcester College.

Convenors: Prof. Alexander Bown, Prof. Luca Castagnoli, Prof. Marion Durand, Prof. Simon Shogry, Dr. Stefan Sienkiewicz

Venue: Oriel College, MacGregor Room (third quad)
Time: Mondays, 2-3.30pm
Text: Cicero, Academic Books

In Michaelmas Term 2026, Hilary Term 2027 and Trinity Term 2027 we will read Cicero’s Academic Books. Cicero’s Academic Books are our most important surviving source for the debates about knowledge and scepticism within Plato’s Academy in the Hellenistic period. They explore fundamental questions about whether knowledge is possible, how we can distinguish truth from error, and how rational inquiry and action are possible under conditions of uncertainty. They are a must read for anyone interested in the history of epistemology, the Platonic tradition and Cicero’s philosophical method.

Each week a volunteer will translate a section and introduce exegetical and philosophical questions raised by the text (but no extensive preparation is expected of the weekly presenter!). Those with limited or no knowledge of Latin are also welcome to attend.

If you would like to participate or have questions about the reading group, please contact For questions please feel free to contact Luca Castagnoli at luca.castagnoli@philosophy.ox.ac.uk. 

More information can be found here.

Convenor: Dr Ibrahim Safri

Venue: Magdalen College, McFarlane Library 
Time: Tuesdays, 2-3.30pm
Text: Avicenna, The Physics of The Healing

The theory of time remains one of the most complex and significant subjects of inquiry, central to both philosophical and physical discourse globally. Throughout the history of world philosophy, this concept has been continually refined, spanning Late Antiquity and Neoplatonism through to Islamic, Medieval, and Early Modern philosophical traditions. Within the global corpus of Arabic philosophy, diverse interpretations of time have emerged, shaped by three primary perspectives that influenced Islamic medieval conceptions of this theory. This reading class will focus on Avicenna's The Physics of The Healing, in which he presents various notions of time before establishing his own account. 

This MT26, and following a comprehensive introduction to the concept of time in global Arabic philosophy, we will continue with Chapter 11, on the Essence of Time.

More information can be found here.

Convenor: Prof Jan Westerhoff

Venue: LMH, Lavinia Talbot Room
Time: Thursdays, 1pm-2pm
Text: Tsong kha pa, 'Eight difficult points of Madhyamaka' (dka' gnad brgyad)

This term, Prof Jan Westerhoff and Dr Jorge Bartolomé Herrero will be reading a Tibetan text, Tsong kha pa's concise discussion of the 'Eight difficult points of Madhyamaka' (dka' gnad brgyad). We will meet on Thursdays during weeks 1-8, at 13.00, in the Lavinia Talbot room at Lady Margaret Hall. The first meeting will be on Thursday, 15th October 2026.

We will try to find a good balance between translating the text and discussing the contents of the work, which provides a sophisticated account of key problems in Buddhist philosophy. Electronic copies of the dka' gnad brgyad and of an English translation by David Ruegg can be found here.

For any questions, please contact jan.westerhoff@lmh.ox.ac.uk.