Erismann, Christophe

Christophe Erismann’s project "This_one_There. From the Paradox of Individuality to the Logic of Representation. Individuals and descriptions in Byzantine thought (4th-12th century)" examines how Byzantine thinkers understood and dealt with the philosophical question of individuality. A theory of individuality attempts to explain what distinguishes two individuals belonging to the same species. When analysing individuality, ontological, logical, semantic and epistemological considerations intermingle, which makes individuality a particularly complex philosophical problem. By combining the analysis of philosophical sources with the study of literary descriptions and the examination of painted portraits, Erismann and his team attempt to reveal common structures of thought in these three areas.