Arthur M. Melzer, professor of political science at Michigan State University and author of “Philosophy Between the Lines: The Lost Art of Esoteric Writing,” will be speaking this Sunday at 8 p.m. in Lane 125. The talk will be hosted by the Office of the President, the Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship, the Dow Journalism Program, and the departments of education and politics.
Professor of History Paul Rahe invited Melzer to campus to discuss the topic of his book, the practice of “esoteric writing” found in some philosophers’ works. These writers consciously composed their public works with one message intended for the majority of their audience to understand, and another message intended only for the philosophically adept few.
“They were writing for two different audiences at the same time,” Rahe said.
According to Rahe, Melzer’s book is the first in-depth study of the forgotten practice. In it, Melzer has attempted to chronicle every available piece of testimony to esoteric meaning available to the modern historian. It was inspired in part by a section on the practice in one of Rahe’s own works, “Republics Ancient and Modern.”
“I had a lengthy digression in this book, but he’s taken the subject as his own,” Rahe said. “There are a lot of people who are curious about reading works with this approach who don’t know where to go, including faculty, graduate students, undergraduates.”
In addition to his public lecture Sunday night, Melzer will be conducting a seminar with faculty and graduate students on Monday afternoon in the Dow Leadership Center.
