Ontology in Early Neoplatonism

Ontology in Early Neoplatonism PDF

Author: Riccardo Chiaradonna

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2023-08-07

Total Pages: 236

ISBN-13: 3110986396

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Neoplatonists from Plotinus onward incorporate Aristotle’s logic and ontology into their philosophies: this process is of both intrinsic and historical interest and paves the way for subsequent philosophical debates in the Middle Ages and beyond. The ten essays collected in this book focus on the readings of Aristotle by Plotinus, Porphyry, and Iamblichus in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Their discussions cover key issues in the history of logic and metaphysics such as substance, hylomorphism, causation, existence, and predication. Among the topics tackled in this volume are Plotinus’ criticism of Aristotle’s physical essentialism, which is a major chapter in the history of metaphysics, and the interpretation of Porphyry’s Isagoge, one of the most influential and enigmatic works in the history of philosophy. Further essays focus on the readings of Aristotle’s categories developed by Porphyry and Iamblichus, which raise interesting questions at the intersection of logic and ontology, and on the integration of Aristotle’s ontology into Neoplatonist accounts of being and existence.

The Structure of Being

The Structure of Being PDF

Author: International Society for Neoplatonic Studies

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1982-01-01

Total Pages: 204

ISBN-13: 9780873955331

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Neoplatonism has sometimes been seen as a species of mysticism. This volume shows that Neoplatonism has, on the contrary, a characteristic and definable structure. It presents the logic of Neoplatonism and carefully distinguishes it from the logic of other forms of philosophy.

Forms, Souls, and Embryos

Forms, Souls, and Embryos PDF

Author: James Wilberding

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-07-15

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1317355245

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Forms, Souls, and Embryos allows readers coming from different backgrounds to appreciate the depth and originality with which the Neoplatonists engaged with and responded to a number of philosophical questions central to human reproduction, including: What is the causal explanation of the embryo’s formation? How and to what extent are Platonic Forms involved? In what sense is a fetus ‘alive,’ and when does it become a human being? Where does the embryo’s soul come from, and how is it connected to its body? This is the first full-length study in English of this fascinating subject, and is a must-read for anyone interested in Neoplatonism or the history of medicine and embryology.

Heidegger, Neoplatonism, and the History of Being

Heidegger, Neoplatonism, and the History of Being PDF

Author: James Filler

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-05-04

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 3031309073

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This book argues that Western philosophy's traditional understanding of Being as substance is incorrect, and demonstrates that Being is fundamentally Relationality. To make that argument, the book examines the history of Western philosophy's evolving conception of being, and shows how this tradition has been dominated by an Aristotelian understanding of substance and his corresponding understanding of relation. First, the book establishes that the original concept of Being in ancient Western philosophy was relational, and traces this relational understanding of Being through the Neoplatonists. Then, it follows the substantial understanding of Being through Aristotle and the Scholastics to reach its crisis in Descartes. Finally, the book demonstrates that Heidegger represents a recovery of the original, relational understanding of Being.

Thinking Being: Introduction to Metaphysics in the Classical Tradition

Thinking Being: Introduction to Metaphysics in the Classical Tradition PDF

Author: Eric Perl

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2014-02-06

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9004265767

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In Thinking Being, Eric Perl articulates central ideas and arguments regarding the nature of reality in Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Aquinas. He shows that, throughout this tradition, these ideas proceed from and return to the indissoluble togetherness of thought and being, first clearly expressed by Parmenides. The emphasis throughout is on continuity rather than opposition: Aristotle appears as a follower of Plato in identifying being as intelligible form, and Aquinas as a follower of Plotinus in locating the first principle “beyond being”. Hence Neoplatonism, itself a coherent development of Platonic thought, comes to be seen as the mainstream of classical philosophy. Perl’s book thus contributes to a revisionist understanding of the fundamental outlines of the western tradition in metaphysics.

The First Principle in Late Neoplatonism

The First Principle in Late Neoplatonism PDF

Author: Jonathan Greig

Publisher: Philosophia Antiqua

Published: 2020-11-05

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 9789004439054

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In 'The First Principle', Jonathan Greig examines the philosophical theology of the two Neoplatonists, Proclus and Damascius (5th-6th centuries A.D.), on the One as the first cause. Both philosophers address a tension in the Neoplatonic tradition: namely that the One was seen as absolutely transcendent, yet it was also seen as intimately related to other things as the source of their unity and being. Proclus' solution is to posit intermediate causes after the One, while Damascius posits a distinct principle, the 'Ineffable', above the One. This book provides a new, thorough study of the theories of causation that lead each to their respective position and reveals crucial insights involved in a rigorous negative theology employed in metaphysics.

Commentary on the Book of Causes

Commentary on the Book of Causes PDF

Author: Saint Thomas (Aquinas)

Publisher: CUA Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780813208442

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Thomas's Commentary on the Book of Causes, composed during the first half of 1272, offers an extended view of his approach to Neoplatonic thought and functions as a guide to his metaphysics. Though long neglected and, until now, never translated into English, it deserves an equal place alongside his commentaries on Aristotle and Boethius. In addition to the extensive annotation, bibliography, and thorough introduction, this translation is accompanied by two valuable appendices. The first provides a translation of another version of proposition 29 of the Book of Causes, which was not known to St. Thomas. The second lists citations of the Book of Causes found in the works of St. Thomas and cross-references these to a list showing the works, and the exact location within them, where the citations can be found.

The Significance of Neoplatonism

The Significance of Neoplatonism PDF

Author: R. Baine Harris

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 2019-10-01

Total Pages: 382

ISBN-13: 1438405901

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This is a collection of essays on the sources, interpretations, and influences of Neoplatonism.

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