Order from disorder : Proclus' doctrine of evil and its roots in ancient Platonism / by John Phillips.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Phillips, John (John Frederick), 1950-

Series:

Ancient Mediterranean and medieval texts and contexts

Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic tradition ; v. 5.

Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic tradition ; v. 5

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Proclus, approximately 410-485--Criticism and interpretation.

Proclus.

Proclus, approximately 410-485.

Platonists--History.

Platonists.

Good and evil.

Philosophy, Ancient.

History.

Criticism and interpretation.

Physical Description:

ix, 280 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, The Netherlands ; Boston : Brill, 2007.

Summary:

This study places the doctrine of evil of the Neoplatonist Proclus in its proper context, the exegetical tradition as it developed within the various schools of ancient Platonism, from Middle Platonism to early Neoplatonism.

With regard to the evil of the body, there are chapters on the various interpretations of Plato's notion of a pre-cosmic disorderly motion as the source of corporeal evil and on the role of what Platonists referred to as an irrational Nature in the origin of that motion. As for evil of the soul, there are chapters dealing with the concept of an evil World Soul and with the view that the evil that is ascribed to the human soul is a form of psychological weakness.

Contents:

Methodology 3

Rival Schools 16

Stoicism 17

Aristotle 19

Chapter 1 Proclus' Doctrine of Evil 23

Texts 23

Analysis 43

Appendix 1 53

Appendix 2 54

Chapter 2 Evil as Privation 57

Texts 57

Analysis 67

Proclus 67

Divergent Readings 71

Plotinus 74

Evil as Privation: The Body

Chapter 3 Evil as a Disorderly Motion 93

Texts 93

Analysis 105

Divergent Readings 107

The Primal Soul, the Demiurge, and Disorder 111

Matter as the Principle of Corporeal Evil 114

1 Numenius 114

2 Plotinus 117

3 The Irrational Soul and Matter 125

4 Bodies as the Principles of Corporeal Evil: Porphyry 134

5 The Cause of Corporeal Evil 136

Neoplatonists on the Cause of the Disorderly Motion 140

Chapter 4 Irrational Nature 151

Texts 151

Analysis 162

Proclus on Nature I 162

1 The Irrational Nature as Sub-Psychic 164

2 Influences 170

3 Proclus' Application 172

Evolution of the Principle 174

1 First Interpretation 176

Plutarch 176

Numenius 179

2 The Opposing View 180

Atticus 180

3 A Compromise: The Neoplatonists 189

Plotinus 189

Plotinus and Proclus on the "Nature of Body": Similarities and Differences 198

Proclus on Nature II 201

Evil as Privation: The Soul

Chapter 5 The Evil World Soul 209

Texts 209

Analysis 213

The Dualists 214

1 Plutarch 214

2 Numenius 218

Chapter 6 Evil as Weakness of the Human Soul 227

Texts 227

Analysis 237

Proclus 238

Plotinus 241

The Seduction of the Soul 248.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [269]-276) and index.

ISBN:

9004160183

9789004160187

OCLC:

159921572