Hellenic Studies Seminar Series 2026-2027
Panagiotis Zervos and the Foundations of the Philosophy of Science in Greece (1900–1950)

When:
Monday, November 23, 2026 | 18:00

Where:
Deree Faculty Lounge, The American College of Greece

Organized by:
The Institute for Hellenic Culture and the Liberal Arts, The American College of Greece

Speaker:
Chrysovalantis Stergiou, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Deree – The American College of Greece

About the seminar

This paper examines the work of Panagiotis Zervos (1878–1952), a leading Greek mathematician and early advocate of scientific philosophy in Greece. Situating his work within Greek intellectual developments between 1900 and 1950, it explores his conception of “mathematical philosophy,” particularly mathematics as a model for philosophical inquiry. It considers his views on mathematical reasoning, creativity, intuition, and scientific method, alongside his reception of Henri Poincaré’s ideas on conventionalism, truth, and scientific hypothesis. The paper also examines his contributions to teaching and scholarly institutions. Although Zervos developed no original philosophical system, his significance lies in the breadth of his intellectual engagement and his efforts to promote philosophy of science in Greece, even if these did not give rise to a sustained intellectual tradition.

About the speaker:

Chrysovalantis Stergiou studied Physics and earned his PhD in Philosophy and History of Science from the National Kapodistrian University of Athens. His research interests are focused on the areas of Philosophical and Structural Foundations of Physical Theories and the Formal Methodology of Science. He has published several articles in the Foundations of Physics and has co-authored entries in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. He has participated in international conferences, including as an invited speaker at the London School of Economics (2020), and contributed to the Thales Research Project on realism in the philosophy of science and mathematics as a post-doctoral researcher (2012–2015). Dr. Stergiou is a member of the Philosophy of Science Association, the Greek Philosophical Society, and an (extraordinary) member of the Hellenic Mathematical Society.