On a snowy Thursday, February 27, 2003, George Mason University Libraries Fenwick Fellow recipient Dr. Rose Cherubin, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, presented a lecture entitled, "Change and Knowledge: Aristotle, the Eleatics, and the Possibility of a Science of Nature." The lecture formed part of the Libraries' yearlong Millionth Volume Celebration.

Can truth be found, and would we recognize it when we found it? Can we gain knowledge of things that change? During her fellowship, Dr. Cherubin explored the standard views of Eleatic philosophers Zeno, Parmenides, and Melissus in relationship to Aristotle and his Physics. She found that certain ancient Greek philosophers anticipated these questions and gave us tools for addressing them. The Thesaurus Linguae Graecae database, a digital library of all ancient Greek texts from Homer to 600 AD, with additional texts up to 1453 AD, (http://www.tlg.uci.edu) facilitated her research (Thesaurus Linguae Graecae is available for use at GMU's Fenwick Library).

Dr. Cherubin's research found evidence that neither Zeno nor Parmenides made direct assertions about the nature of what is, and that Aristotle's response to the two was more subtle and sensitive than the blanket refutation commonly attributed to him. Aristotle explored the assumptions that would enable us to gain knowledge of a world of change, and assessed the value and cost of using such things for learning about the observable world. Aristotle's ideas are of continuing importance for our understanding of what we can say about the nature of what is.

Two Fenwick Fellows are selected each academic year to support instructional faculty research projects. Recipients are awarded a stipend and have a research office located in Fenwick Library. During the following academic year, fellows are invited to chare the results of their research through a lecture open to the entire university community.

Rose Cherubin is Assistant Professor of Philosophy. She received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. Her research focuses on ancient Greek philosophy, especially as it provides ideas and ways of thinking that are valuable for addressing contemporary questions. She has published on Parmenides, Zeno, Plato, and Aristotle. Her work has appeared in the collection (ed. G.A. Press, Rowman and Littlefield, 1993), the journal , and the proceedings of both the Ancient Philosophy Society and the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy. Forthcoming articles are slated to appear in the journals and , as well as in a volume on ancient understandings of sex and gender. Before coming to GMU, Prof. Cherubin taught at Hunter College and Iona College. At GMU, she teaches Introduction to Philosophy; History of Western Philosophy: Ancient; and various special topics courses in ancient Greek philosophy. She also taught a course entitled "The Legacy of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle" at the Smithsonian Institute, Smithsonian Associates Program, in 1999.

Prof. Cherubin was the recipient of a GMU summer research grant in 1997, of a Mathy Fellowship for Junior Faculty in 1999, and of a Provost's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1999.

Contact Information: Adriana Ercolano 703-993-3389 or Kelly Jordan 703-993-3712