Aristotle developed a theory to explain all implications of human activity: the relationship with virtue, free choice, practical activities and theoretical reasoning, with a desire for good. And this function, the activity that defines human beings, is called ergon in Greek.

With this as a basis, Dr Magdalena Bosch, lecturer in the Faculty of Humanities, presented a paper entitled: "[The reaction to Aristotle’s concept of ergon in contemporary Europe", at the Convegno Internazionale Rinascimento Europeo e Rinascimento Veneto, a congress held from 12-15 December in Padua (Italy). 

Dr Bosch’s paper explores these links and shows how important it is to take them into account to avoid some of the 20th-century’s most common reductionist interpretations. More specifically, it focuses on the reduction to essence and reason.