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Pauline Sabrier

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Pauline Sabrier

Assistant Professor of Ancient Philosophy

  • Department: History and Politics

Professor Sabrier joined the American University of Paris in 2025. Born in France and a graduate of the Sorbonne, she has lectured and conducted research in a range of international settings. Her academic journey began with a PhD from Trinity College Dublin, followed by appointments in China, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland, as well as a research stay at Yale University. This international experience has shaped her interdisciplinary approach to philosophy and pedagogy.
Her current research focuses on two main projects. The first investigates the Platonic roots of the contemporary notion of 鈥渒ind鈥� (genos), tracing its philosophical lineage to shed light on how we understand kinds both in metaphysical discourse and in contemporary reflections on identity and classification. The second examines the concept of care (epimeleia) for the soul in Plato and Platonic ethics, with particular attention to its relevance in modern philosophical discourse.

  • Ancient Philosophy, especially Plato and the History of Platonism
  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy of Mind and Epistemology
  • History of Philosophy


Education/Degrees

  • Ph.D (2017) in Philosophy, Trinity College Dublin
  • M.A. (2011) in Philosophy, Paris IV-Sorbonne University
  • B.A. (2009) in Philosophy, Paris IV-Sorbonne University

Publications

ARTICLES AND BOOK CHAPTERS

(2024). Are the Five Great Kinds (megista gen锚) of the Sophist Plato鈥檚 Categories? Why This Question Is Worth Asking, And What It Takes to Answer It.听Revue de philosophie ancienne,聽XLII(2), 209-230.听.

(2024). The Way We Divide Forms 鈥檌n Our Soul鈥�: Conceived Parthood at Plato鈥檚 Sophist 250b8.听惭茅迟丑别虫颈蝉,听36(1), 54-72.听

(2022). Plato鈥檚 Method of Enquiry in the聽Sophist, in K. Larsen, V. Haraldsen, J. Vlasist (eds.),听New Perspectives on聽Platonic Dialectic, Routledge: 233-248. DOI: 10.4324/9781003111429-12

(2021). Plato鈥檚 Master Argument for a Two-Kind Ontology in the聽Sophist.听Apeiron, 54 (3): 347-366.听

(2019). Parts, Forms and Participation in the聽Parmenides听补苍诲听Sophist: A Comparison.听Les 脡tudes Platoniciennes, Vol.15.听

Conferences & Lectures

PRESENTATIONS
  • 鈥業s E. J. Lowe a Serious Essentialist?鈥�, EXRE Colloquium, Fribourg (CH), 21 May 2025.
  • 鈥楥ontingent Future in Plato's Theaetetus (178a-179b)鈥�, together with Thomas Seissl, XIV Symposium Platonicum, Madrid, May 5-9 2025.
  • 鈥楽ingular 鈥淏eing鈥� in Plato's Sophist鈥�, lecture series 鈥楤eing Singular. Theoretical and Historical Perspectives鈥�, online, 28 March 2025.
  • 鈥楾he Care for the Soul in Plato's Laches. A Traditional Pattern?鈥�, The Care for the Soul in Plato and Platonic Ethics. A Contemporary Dialogue, Fribourg (CH), 15-17 Jan. 2025.
  • 鈥楲e Mouvement et le Repos dans le Sophiste. Deux lectures du dialogue et leurs enjeux鈥�, S茅minaire Platonicien et N茅oplatonicien, ENS Ulm, Paris, 2 Dec. 2024.
  • 鈥楶rosdokia dans le Lach猫s: le pari du futur鈥�, Workshop, Nanterre, 11-12 Sept. 2024.
  • 鈥楶lotinus鈥� Interpretation of Plato鈥檚 Sophist鈥�, panel organiser, 21st Annual Conference of the International Society for Neoplatonic Studies, Dublin, 19-22 June 2024.
  • 鈥楲鈥檃venir du courage. R茅flexion 脿 partir du Lach猫s de Platon鈥�, Soci茅t茅 Romande de Philosophie, Neuch芒tel, 14 March 2024.
  • 鈥楥learing the Apple of Discord? A Tentative Compromise Over the Dunamis Proposal鈥�, Heidelberg, 24-25 Nov. 2023.
  • 鈥楢 Tale of Two Dialogues: Two Readings of Change and Rest in Plato鈥檚 Sophist and Their Ontological Consequences鈥�, Conference Plato on Change, Lugano, 15-17 Sept. 2023.
  • 鈥楾he stoicheia t么n pant么n at Pol. 278d1: Plato鈥檚 Definition of an Internal Principle?鈥�, West Coast Plato Workshop, Flagsta铿�, 23-26 June 2023.
  • 鈥楥learing the Apple of Discord Once and for All? Soph. 247d8-e4鈥�, Symposium Platonicum XIII, Athens (Georgia), 18-22 July 2022.
  • 鈥楿nveiling the Basic Structure of Being: Plotinus, Plato and Aristotle on the gen锚 tou ontos鈥�, Categories in Ancient Philosophy Conference, Munich, 8-10 July 2022.
  • 鈥楶laton a-t-il oui ou non d茅fini l鈥櫭猼re par la puissance ?鈥�, Nanterre, 10 June 2022.
  • 鈥楶lotin. Die Philosophie des Einen鈥�, Ringvorlesung, FAU Erlangen, 10 May, 2022.
  • 鈥楢re the megista gen锚 of the Sophist Plato's Categories?, SAGP, online event, 12 Nov., 2021.
  • 鈥楶latons Argumente f眉r die Annahme von Ideen鈥�, Ringvorlesung, FAU Erlangen, 2 Nov., 2021.
  • 鈥楶lato's Argument(s) for Forms鈥�, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 21 Oct., 2021.
  • 鈥楾wo Accounts of Parthood in Plato?鈥�, Part and Whole in Antiquity, Leuven, 23-24 Sept., 2021.
  • 鈥極ur Self and Our Friend: Self-Knowledge, Friendship and Er么s in Plato's Alcibiades鈥�, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 16 Sept., 2021.
  • 鈥榃hy Don't Change and Rest Combine With One Another?鈥�, Koinonia In Plato's Philosophy, Lima, 19-23 July, 2021.
  • 鈥楶lotinus on the Ultimate Constituents of Reality鈥�, ISNS, Athens, 10-12 June, 2021.
  • 鈥楢re the Five Great Kinds of the Sophist Plato鈥檚 Categories? (if so, why so, and if not, why not, and what do we mean by categories)鈥�, Platonic Categories, Leuven, 17-18 June, 2021.
  • 鈥楥hange, Rest and Greatest Kinds in the Sophist: Reconsidering the megista gen锚鈥�, West Coast Plato Workshop, Arizona, 14-16 May, 2021.
  • 鈥楶lotin, die gr枚脽ten Gattungen des Sophistes und die Grundbestandteile des Seins鈥�, GANPh Kolloquium, 9 Jan., 2021.
  • 鈥楧o Ontological Categories Exist? Plato versus E.J. Lowe鈥�, Oberseminar, FAU Erlangen, 12 May, 2020.
  • 鈥楻茅ponse 脿 R. Chiaradonna, 鈥淟ife in Enn. VI 2 (and beyond)鈥濃��, Workshop on Plotinus, ENS Ulm, Paris, 10 Jan., 2020.
  • 鈥業s the Sophist a Sequel to the Parmenides? The Question of the Unity of the World in the two Dialogues鈥�, Symposium Platonicum XII, Paris, 15鈥�19 Jul., 2019.
  • 鈥楧ivision and Definition in the Central Sections of the Sophist鈥�, Philosophy and Mathematic, Paris ENS ULM, 12鈥�13 Jul., 2019.
  • 鈥楶lato鈥檚 Argument for a Two-Kind Ontology in the Sophist鈥�, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 10 May, 2019. Also presented at Chinese University of Political Science and Law, 19 Apr, 2019.
  • 鈥楶lotinus鈥� Enn. VI 2 [43]: The Search for the Ultimate Constituents of Reality鈥�, 42nd Annual Workshop Ancient, Trinity University, San Antonio (TX), 7-8 Mar., 2019.
  • 鈥楤eing Itself and the Being in Oneself: Enquiring Into the Nature of Reality in Plotinus鈥� Enn. VI 2 [43]鈥�, Ancient Greek Philosophy Workshop, Beijing, 1-2 Dec., 2018.
  • 鈥楻esponse to G. Klosko鈥檚 鈥淔air Play: A Defense鈥濃��, Global Justice Lectures, Philosophy Department, Zhuhai, 27 Sept., 2018.
  • 鈥楶lato on the Erotic Nature of Human Beings鈥�, World Philosophy Congress, IPS Panel, Beijing, 15 Aug., 2018.
  • 鈥楾he role of the ti esti question in Plato鈥檚 Sophist鈥�, Platonic Dialectic, University of Bergen, 31st May-2nd Jun., 2018.
  • 鈥榃hat Sort of Metaphysical Entities are the Five Great Kinds of Being in Plato's Sophist?鈥�, Visiting Speaker Colloquium, TCD Dublin, 26 Mar., 2018.
  • 鈥楥an Forms Have Parts and Nevertheless Remain One? A Comparison Between the Sophist and the Parmenides鈥�, Workshop 鈥楶lato鈥檚 Parmenides in Relation to Other Platonic Dialogues鈥�, TCD Dublin/Plato Centre/Soci茅t茅 脡tudes Platoniciennes, 24鈥�25 Mar., 2018.
  • 鈥楩orms and Great Kinds (megista gen锚) in Plato鈥檚 Sophist鈥�, Forms. New Perspective on Ancient Metaphysics and Epistemology鈥�, Milan, 13-14 Oct., 2017.
  • 鈥楶lato鈥檚 Defense of a Two-Kind Ontology in the Sophist鈥�, Trinity Plato Centre Workshop, 26鈥�30 May, 2017.
  • Reply to Viktor Ilievski (University of Bucharest) 鈥業s the Platonic Soul indeed kin膿se艒s hapses aitia and therefore t艒n pant艒n aitia as well?鈥�, First Dublin Graduate Conference in Ancient Philosophy, UCD/TCD, 31st Mar.鈥�1st Apr., 2017.
  • 鈥楾he Non-Coreferentiality of Change and Rest in Plato鈥檚 Sophist鈥�, Northern Association for Ancient Philosophy, University of St Andrews, 4-5 Apr., 2016.
  • 鈥楾he Non-Coreferentiality of Kin锚sis and Stasis (Soph. 245e鈥�251a)鈥�, Workshop on Plato鈥檚 Sophist (Keynote: Fiona Leigh, UCL), Trinity Plato Centre, 7-8 Nov., 2015.
  • 鈥楺ue disent les megista gen锚 du Sophiste sur la th茅orie des Formes dans le dialogue? La distinction entre l鈥櫭妕re et l鈥橝utre en 255c鈥揹.鈥�, International Plato Workshop, Nanterre, 11-12 Jun, 2014.

Affiliations

I am a member of the International Plato Society and currently serve as its European representative. If you are interested in collaborative initiatives or have inquiries related to the Society鈥檚 work in Europe, I warmly encourage you to get in touch.

Research Areas

Ancient Philosophy (especially Plato and Neoplatonism), Ancient theories of care and their resonance with contemporary care ethics, Metaphysics, Aategory ontology.

Awards, Fellowships and Grants

  • 2021-2023: Post-doctoral Marie Sk艂odowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020 GA 801505).
  • 2021-2023: Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdoctoral researchers (24 months), declined.
  • 2023-2026: Research Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) (36 months), declined.
  • 2021: Emerging Talent Initiative, Friedrich-Alexander University.
  • 2018: Travel bursary for Early Career Researchers, Univeristy of Durham.
  • 2014-2015: DAAD Research Grant for Doctoral Candidates (10 months).
  • 2013-2016: Mobi鈥檇oc Travel Grant for International Mobility, Ile-de-France Regional Council.
  • 2012-2016: Postgraduate Research Studentship, Trinity College Dublin.
  • 2012-2013: Newman Fellowship, Trinity Plato Centre.