An Intellective Perspective on Aristotle: Iamblichus the Divine, 2016
By: Opsomer, Jan, Falcon, Andrea (Ed.)
Title An Intellective Perspective on Aristotle: Iamblichus the Divine
Type Book Section
Language English
Date 2016
Published in Brill’ Companion to the Reception of Aristotle in Antiquity
Pages 341-357
Categories no categories
Author(s) Opsomer, Jan
Editor(s) Falcon, Andrea
Translator(s)
Iamblichus (ccl 245-320) is sometimes called the second founder of Neoplatonism.1 His innovations were essential to late Neoplatonic philosophy as it developed in the schools of Athens in particular» but also Alexandria. These innovations do not just pertain to philosophical tenets» but also to philosophi­ cal method and style. Iamblichus defined stricter exegetical rules and new metaphysical laws. He also created an alliance between philosophy and theurgy and insisted on the philosophical value of various religious traditions and reli­ gious-philosophical texts like the Chaldaean oracles. Iamblichus was» more­ over, decisive in shaping the school curriculum and, more generally, the canon of texts that, whether philosophical or religious, carried authority for philo­ sophical research. He, for instance, systematically included texts belonging to a Pythagorean tradition— a tradition which to some extent was of his own construal. His selection of philosophically important texts was in line with cer­ tain earlier developments, but it was Iamblichus who established a real canon. Indeed, after Iamblichus the canon remained more or less stable.If we look at the importance assigned to Aristotle and the Peripatetic tra­ dition, it is clear that the difference between Iamblichus and his arch-rival Porphyry does not reside in which texts were held to be worthy of profound study. Hie difference is situated rather in the role and status attributed to them within the Platonic philosophical system. From the early Imperial era onward, Aristotle was seen by most Platonists as an ally, unlike the Stoics and Epicureans, who were regarded as opponents. Yet the extent to which Aristotelian ideas were incorporated varied greatly. Different parts of Aristotle's thought attracted different Platonists and the strategies used for integrating and assimilating them diverged. Here Iamblichus made his mark, as will become clear below. [Introduction, p. 341]

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These \r\ninnovations do not just pertain to philosophical tenets\u00bb but also to philosophi\u00ad\r\ncal method and style. Iamblichus defined stricter exegetical rules and new \r\nmetaphysical laws. He also created an alliance between philosophy and theurgy \r\nand insisted on the philosophical value of various religious traditions and reli\u00ad\r\ngious-philosophical texts like the Chaldaean oracles. Iamblichus was\u00bb more\u00ad\r\nover, decisive in shaping the school curriculum and, more generally, the canon \r\nof texts that, whether philosophical or religious, carried authority for philo\u00ad\r\nsophical research. He, for instance, systematically included texts belonging \r\nto a Pythagorean tradition\u2014 a tradition which to some extent was of his own \r\nconstrual. His selection of philosophically important texts was in line with cer\u00ad\r\ntain earlier developments, but it was Iamblichus who established a real canon. \r\nIndeed, after Iamblichus the canon remained more or less stable.If we look at the importance assigned to Aristotle and the Peripatetic tra\u00ad\r\ndition, it is clear that the difference between Iamblichus and his arch-rival \r\nPorphyry does not reside in which texts were held to be worthy of profound \r\nstudy. Hie difference is situated rather in the role and status attributed to them \r\nwithin the Platonic philosophical system. From the early Imperial era onward, \r\nAristotle was seen by most Platonists as an ally, unlike the Stoics and Epicureans, \r\nwho were regarded as opponents. Yet the extent to which Aristotelian ideas \r\nwere incorporated varied greatly. Different parts of Aristotle's thought attracted \r\ndifferent Platonists and the strategies used for integrating and assimilating \r\nthem diverged. Here Iamblichus made his mark, as will become clear below. [Introduction, p. 341]","btype":2,"date":"2016","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/9PbBFU6HhLHSXvY","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":211,"full_name":"Opsomer, Jan","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":95,"full_name":"Falcon, Andrea","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":935,"section_of":304,"pages":"341-357","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":304,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"en","title":"Brill\u2019 Companion to the Reception of Aristotle in Antiquity","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Falcon2016","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2016","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2016","abstract":"Brill\u2019s Companion to the Reception of Aristotle provides a systematic yet accessible account of the reception of Aristotle\u2019s philosophy in Antiquity. To date, there has been no comprehensive attempt to explain this complex phenomenon. This volume fills this lacuna by offering broad coverage of the subject from Hellenistic times to the sixth century AD. It is laid out chronologically and the 23 articles are divided into three sections: I. The Hellenistic Reception of Aristotle; II. The Post-Hellenistic Engagement with Aristotle; III. Aristotle in Late Antiquity. Topics include Aristotle and the Stoa, Andronicus of Rhodes and the construction of the Aristotelian corpus, the return to Aristotle in the first century BC, and the role of Alexander of Aphrodisias and Porphyry in the transmission of Aristotle's philosophy to Late Antiquity. [author's abstract]","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/vuBWRUwZL9cVKBh","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":304,"pubplace":"Leiden \u2013 Boston","publisher":"Brill","series":"","volume":"","edition_no":"","valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":[2016]}

In defence of geometric atomism: Explaining elemental properties, 2012
By: Opsomer, Jan, Wilberding, James (Ed.), Horn, Christoph (Ed.)
Title In defence of geometric atomism: Explaining elemental properties
Type Book Section
Language English
Date 2012
Published in Neoplatonism and the Philosophy of Nature
Pages 147-173
Categories no categories
Author(s) Opsomer, Jan
Editor(s) Wilberding, James , Horn, Christoph
Translator(s)
Plato introduces what is nowadays called geometric atomism in his Timaeus—more precisely, in the second part of the physical account where he examines the cosmos under the aspect of what he calls ‘necessity’. This resurfaces again in the final part, which is devoted to what comes about from the cooperation of reason and necessity, where he regularly invokes the triangles and polyhedra in order to explain various biochemical processes of the human body. The introduction of geometric atomism is preceded by the infamously obscure description of the receptacle. This mysterious entity is presented as that in which qualities and shapes appear but also appears to provide the stuff out of which things are made.1 I will not here enter into the debates about what the receptacle is supposed to be; it suffices to note that the text in some passages may suggest to readers familiar with the later conception of matter that matter is exactly what Plato means. Since this is certainly what Aristotle1 2 and in his wake all ancient commentators took it to be, we need not for our present purposes consider other readings. [Introduction, p. 147]

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This resurfaces again in the final part, \r\nwhich is devoted to what comes about from the cooperation of reason and necessity, \r\nwhere he regularly invokes the triangles and polyhedra in order to explain various \r\nbiochemical processes of the human body. The introduction of geometric atomism is \r\npreceded by the infamously obscure description of the receptacle. This mysterious \r\nentity is presented as that in which qualities and shapes appear but also appears to \r\nprovide the stuff out of which things are made.1 I will not here enter into the debates \r\nabout what the receptacle is supposed to be; it suffices to note that the text in some \r\npassages may suggest to readers familiar with the later conception of matter that matter \r\nis exactly what Plato means. Since this is certainly what Aristotle1 2 and in his wake all \r\nancient commentators took it to be, we need not for our present purposes consider \r\nother readings. [Introduction, p. 147]","btype":2,"date":"2012","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/x8mHljUEiDjK4jt","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":211,"full_name":"Opsomer, Jan","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":257,"full_name":"Wilberding, James","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}},{"id":256,"full_name":"Horn, Christoph","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":1095,"section_of":299,"pages":"147-173","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":299,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"en","title":"Neoplatonism and the Philosophy of Nature","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Horn\/Wilberding2012","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2012","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2012","abstract":"Despite Platonism\u2019s unquestioned claim to being one of the most influential movements in the history of philosophy, for a long time the conventional wisdom was that Platonists of late antiquity\u2014or Neoplatonists\u2014were so focused on other-worldly metaphysics that they simply neglected any serious study of the sensible world, which after all is \u2018merely\u2019 an image of the intelligible world, and only recently has this conventional wisdom begun to be dispelled. In fact, precisely because these thinkers did see the sensible world as an image of the intelligible world, they devoted much time and energy to understanding its inner workings. Thus we find Neoplatonists writing on embryology, physiology, meteorology, astronomy, and much else. This volume collects essays by leading international scholars in the field that shed new light on how these thinkers sought to understand and explain nature and natural phenomena. It is thematically divided into two parts, with the first part\u2014\u2018The general metaphysics of Nature\u2019\u2014directed at the explication of central Neoplatonic metaphysical doctrines and their relation to the natural world, and the second part\u2014\u2019Platonic approaches to individual sciences\u2019\u2014showing how these same doctrines play out in individual natural sciences such as elemental physics, geography, and biology. Together these essays show that a serious examination of Neoplatonic natural philosophy has far-reaching consequences for our general understanding of the metaphysics of Platonism, as well as for our evaluation of their place in the history of science.","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/xHUG6gdrtjMT7K4","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":299,"pubplace":"Oxford","publisher":"Oxford University Press","series":"","volume":"","edition_no":null,"valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":[2012]}

Autour d'Eudore. Les débuts de l'exégèse des Catégories dans les Moyen Platonisme, 2009
By: Chiaradonna, Riccardo , Bonazzi, Mauro (Ed.), Opsomer, Jan (Ed.)
Title Autour d'Eudore. Les débuts de l'exégèse des Catégories dans les Moyen Platonisme
Type Book Section
Language French
Date 2009
Published in The Origins of the Platonic System: Platonisms of the early empire and their philosophical contexts
Pages 89-111
Categories no categories
Author(s) Chiaradonna, Riccardo
Editor(s) Bonazzi, Mauro , Opsomer, Jan
Translator(s)
The renaissance of dogmatic Platonism and the revival of Aristotelian school treatises are characteristic features of philosophy in the 1st century BCE. Eudorus of Alexandria played an important role in both these processes, being central to constructing Pythagorean Platonism and its interaction with Aristotelianism. Eudorus had a deep knowledge of Aristotelian school treatises, including authoring a work on Aristotle's Categories. The study focuses on this part of his work, as the Categories were at the center of the Aristotelian renaissance in the first century. Eudorus' program of constructing a Platonic-Pythagorean system capable of replacing Hellenistic philosophies is visible in his work, as well as in other Pythagorean apocrypha. The author discusses the dominant position of Categories in the early history of post-Hellenistic Aristotelianism and the influence of Eudorus on the interpretation of Categories in the first century. [introduction]

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Les d\u00e9buts de l'ex\u00e9g\u00e8se des Cat\u00e9gories dans les Moyen Platonisme","main_title":{"title":"Autour d'Eudore. Les d\u00e9buts de l'ex\u00e9g\u00e8se des Cat\u00e9gories dans les Moyen Platonisme"},"abstract":"The renaissance of dogmatic Platonism and the revival of Aristotelian school treatises are characteristic features of philosophy in the 1st century BCE. Eudorus of Alexandria played an important role in both these processes, being central to constructing Pythagorean Platonism and its interaction with Aristotelianism. Eudorus had a deep knowledge of Aristotelian school treatises, including authoring a work on Aristotle's Categories. The study focuses on this part of his work, as the Categories were at the center of the Aristotelian renaissance in the first century. Eudorus' program of constructing a Platonic-Pythagorean system capable of replacing Hellenistic philosophies is visible in his work, as well as in other Pythagorean apocrypha. The author discusses the dominant position of Categories in the early history of post-Hellenistic Aristotelianism and the influence of Eudorus on the interpretation of Categories in the first century. [introduction]","btype":2,"date":"2009","language":"French","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/z2KEGNCGmYhnhG1","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":49,"full_name":"Chiaradonna, Riccardo ","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":210,"full_name":"Bonazzi, Mauro","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}},{"id":211,"full_name":"Opsomer, Jan","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":1269,"section_of":274,"pages":"89-111","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":274,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"no language selected","title":"The Origins of the Platonic System: Platonisms of the early empire and their philosophical contexts","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Bonazzi\/Opsomer2009","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2009","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2009","abstract":"From the 1st century BC onwards followers of Plato began to systematize Plato's thought. These attempts went in various directions and were subjected to all kinds of philosophical influences, especially Aristotelian, Stoic, and Pythagorean. The result was a broad variety of Platonisms without orthodoxy. That would only change with Plotinus. This volume, being the fruit of the collaboration among leading scholars in the field, addresses a number of aspects of this period of system building with substantial contributions on Antiochus and Alcinous and their relation to Stoicism; on Pythagoreanising tendencies in Platonism; on Eudorus and the tradition of commentaries on Aristotle's Categories; on the creationism of the Jewish Platonist Philo of Alexandria; on Ammonius, the Egyptian teacher of Plutarch; on Plutarch's discussion of Socrates' guardian spirit. 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  • PAGE 1 OF 1
An Intellective Perspective on Aristotle: Iamblichus the Divine, 2016
By: Opsomer, Jan, Falcon, Andrea (Ed.)
Title An Intellective Perspective on Aristotle: Iamblichus the Divine
Type Book Section
Language English
Date 2016
Published in Brill’ Companion to the Reception of Aristotle in Antiquity
Pages 341-357
Categories no categories
Author(s) Opsomer, Jan
Editor(s) Falcon, Andrea
Translator(s)
Iamblichus  (ccl  245-320)  is  sometimes  called  the  second  founder  of 
Neoplatonism.1 His innovations were essential to late Neoplatonic philosophy 
as it developed in the schools of Athens in particular» but also Alexandria. These 
innovations do not just pertain to philosophical tenets» but also to philosophi­
cal method and style. Iamblichus defined stricter exegetical rules and new 
metaphysical laws. He also created an alliance between philosophy and theurgy 
and insisted on the philosophical value of various religious traditions and reli­
gious-philosophical texts like the Chaldaean oracles. Iamblichus was» more­
over, decisive in shaping the school curriculum and, more generally, the canon 
of texts that, whether philosophical or religious, carried authority for philo­
sophical  research. He, for instance, systematically included texts belonging 
to a Pythagorean tradition— a tradition which to some extent was of his own 
construal. His selection of philosophically important texts was in line with cer­
tain earlier developments, but it was Iamblichus who established a real canon. 
Indeed, after Iamblichus the canon remained more or less stable.If we look at the importance assigned to Aristotle and the Peripatetic tra­
dition, it is clear that the difference between Iamblichus and his arch-rival 
Porphyry does not reside in which texts were held to be worthy of profound 
study. Hie difference is situated rather in the role and status attributed to them 
within the Platonic philosophical system. From the early Imperial era onward, 
Aristotle was seen by most Platonists as an ally, unlike the Stoics and Epicureans, 
who were regarded as opponents. Yet the extent to which Aristotelian ideas 
were incorporated varied greatly. Different parts of Aristotle's thought attracted 
different Platonists and the strategies used for integrating and assimilating 
them diverged. Here Iamblichus made his mark, as will become clear below. [Introduction, p. 341]

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These \r\ninnovations do not just pertain to philosophical tenets\u00bb but also to philosophi\u00ad\r\ncal method and style. Iamblichus defined stricter exegetical rules and new \r\nmetaphysical laws. He also created an alliance between philosophy and theurgy \r\nand insisted on the philosophical value of various religious traditions and reli\u00ad\r\ngious-philosophical texts like the Chaldaean oracles. Iamblichus was\u00bb more\u00ad\r\nover, decisive in shaping the school curriculum and, more generally, the canon \r\nof texts that, whether philosophical or religious, carried authority for philo\u00ad\r\nsophical research. He, for instance, systematically included texts belonging \r\nto a Pythagorean tradition\u2014 a tradition which to some extent was of his own \r\nconstrual. His selection of philosophically important texts was in line with cer\u00ad\r\ntain earlier developments, but it was Iamblichus who established a real canon. \r\nIndeed, after Iamblichus the canon remained more or less stable.If we look at the importance assigned to Aristotle and the Peripatetic tra\u00ad\r\ndition, it is clear that the difference between Iamblichus and his arch-rival \r\nPorphyry does not reside in which texts were held to be worthy of profound \r\nstudy. Hie difference is situated rather in the role and status attributed to them \r\nwithin the Platonic philosophical system. From the early Imperial era onward, \r\nAristotle was seen by most Platonists as an ally, unlike the Stoics and Epicureans, \r\nwho were regarded as opponents. Yet the extent to which Aristotelian ideas \r\nwere incorporated varied greatly. Different parts of Aristotle's thought attracted \r\ndifferent Platonists and the strategies used for integrating and assimilating \r\nthem diverged. Here Iamblichus made his mark, as will become clear below. [Introduction, p. 341]","btype":2,"date":"2016","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/9PbBFU6HhLHSXvY","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":211,"full_name":"Opsomer, Jan","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":95,"full_name":"Falcon, Andrea","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":935,"section_of":304,"pages":"341-357","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":304,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"en","title":"Brill\u2019 Companion to the Reception of Aristotle in Antiquity","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Falcon2016","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2016","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2016","abstract":"Brill\u2019s Companion to the Reception of Aristotle provides a systematic yet accessible account of the reception of Aristotle\u2019s philosophy in Antiquity. To date, there has been no comprehensive attempt to explain this complex phenomenon. This volume fills this lacuna by offering broad coverage of the subject from Hellenistic times to the sixth century AD. It is laid out chronologically and the 23 articles are divided into three sections: I. The Hellenistic Reception of Aristotle; II. The Post-Hellenistic Engagement with Aristotle; III. Aristotle in Late Antiquity. Topics include Aristotle and the Stoa, Andronicus of Rhodes and the construction of the Aristotelian corpus, the return to Aristotle in the first century BC, and the role of Alexander of Aphrodisias and Porphyry in the transmission of Aristotle's philosophy to Late Antiquity. [author's abstract]","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/vuBWRUwZL9cVKBh","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":304,"pubplace":"Leiden \u2013 Boston","publisher":"Brill","series":"","volume":"","edition_no":"","valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":["An Intellective Perspective on Aristotle: Iamblichus the Divine"]}

Autour d'Eudore. Les débuts de l'exégèse des Catégories dans les Moyen Platonisme, 2009
By: Chiaradonna, Riccardo , Bonazzi, Mauro (Ed.), Opsomer, Jan (Ed.)
Title Autour d'Eudore. Les débuts de l'exégèse des Catégories dans les Moyen Platonisme
Type Book Section
Language French
Date 2009
Published in The Origins of the Platonic System: Platonisms of the early empire and their philosophical contexts
Pages 89-111
Categories no categories
Author(s) Chiaradonna, Riccardo
Editor(s) Bonazzi, Mauro , Opsomer, Jan
Translator(s)
The renaissance of dogmatic Platonism and the revival of Aristotelian school treatises are characteristic features of philosophy in the 1st century BCE. Eudorus of Alexandria played an important role in both these processes, being central to constructing Pythagorean Platonism and its interaction with Aristotelianism. Eudorus had a deep knowledge of Aristotelian school treatises, including authoring a work on Aristotle's Categories. The study focuses on this part of his work, as the Categories were at the center of the Aristotelian renaissance in the first century. Eudorus' program of constructing a Platonic-Pythagorean system capable of replacing Hellenistic philosophies is visible in his work, as well as in other Pythagorean apocrypha. The author discusses the dominant position of Categories in the early history of post-Hellenistic Aristotelianism and the influence of Eudorus on the interpretation of Categories in the first century. [introduction]

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Les d\u00e9buts de l'ex\u00e9g\u00e8se des Cat\u00e9gories dans les Moyen Platonisme","main_title":{"title":"Autour d'Eudore. Les d\u00e9buts de l'ex\u00e9g\u00e8se des Cat\u00e9gories dans les Moyen Platonisme"},"abstract":"The renaissance of dogmatic Platonism and the revival of Aristotelian school treatises are characteristic features of philosophy in the 1st century BCE. Eudorus of Alexandria played an important role in both these processes, being central to constructing Pythagorean Platonism and its interaction with Aristotelianism. Eudorus had a deep knowledge of Aristotelian school treatises, including authoring a work on Aristotle's Categories. The study focuses on this part of his work, as the Categories were at the center of the Aristotelian renaissance in the first century. Eudorus' program of constructing a Platonic-Pythagorean system capable of replacing Hellenistic philosophies is visible in his work, as well as in other Pythagorean apocrypha. 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[introduction]","btype":2,"date":"2009","language":"French","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/z2KEGNCGmYhnhG1","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":49,"full_name":"Chiaradonna, Riccardo ","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":210,"full_name":"Bonazzi, Mauro","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}},{"id":211,"full_name":"Opsomer, Jan","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":1269,"section_of":274,"pages":"89-111","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":274,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"no language selected","title":"The Origins of the Platonic System: Platonisms of the early empire and their philosophical contexts","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Bonazzi\/Opsomer2009","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2009","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2009","abstract":"From the 1st century BC onwards followers of Plato began to systematize Plato's thought. These attempts went in various directions and were subjected to all kinds of philosophical influences, especially Aristotelian, Stoic, and Pythagorean. The result was a broad variety of Platonisms without orthodoxy. That would only change with Plotinus. This volume, being the fruit of the collaboration among leading scholars in the field, addresses a number of aspects of this period of system building with substantial contributions on Antiochus and Alcinous and their relation to Stoicism; on Pythagoreanising tendencies in Platonism; on Eudorus and the tradition of commentaries on Aristotle's Categories; on the creationism of the Jewish Platonist Philo of Alexandria; on Ammonius, the Egyptian teacher of Plutarch; on Plutarch's discussion of Socrates' guardian spirit. 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In defence of geometric atomism: Explaining elemental properties, 2012
By: Opsomer, Jan, Wilberding, James (Ed.), Horn, Christoph (Ed.)
Title In defence of geometric atomism: Explaining elemental properties
Type Book Section
Language English
Date 2012
Published in Neoplatonism and the Philosophy of Nature
Pages 147-173
Categories no categories
Author(s) Opsomer, Jan
Editor(s) Wilberding, James , Horn, Christoph
Translator(s)
Plato introduces what is nowadays called geometric atomism in his  Timaeus—more 
precisely, in the second part of the physical account where he examines the cosmos 
under the aspect of what he calls  ‘necessity’. This resurfaces again in the final part, 
which is devoted to what comes about from the cooperation of reason and necessity, 
where  he  regularly invokes the  triangles and polyhedra in order to explain various 
biochemical processes of the human body. The introduction of geometric atomism is 
preceded by the  infamously  obscure description of the receptacle. This mysterious 
entity is presented as that in  which  qualities and shapes appear but also appears to 
provide the stuff out of which things are made.1 I will not here enter into the debates 
about what the receptacle is supposed to be; it suffices to note that the text in some 
passages may suggest to readers familiar with the later conception of matter that matter 
is exactly what Plato means. Since this is certainly what Aristotle1 2 and in his wake all 
ancient commentators took it to be, we need not for our present purposes consider 
other readings. [Introduction, p. 147]

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This resurfaces again in the final part, \r\nwhich is devoted to what comes about from the cooperation of reason and necessity, \r\nwhere he regularly invokes the triangles and polyhedra in order to explain various \r\nbiochemical processes of the human body. The introduction of geometric atomism is \r\npreceded by the infamously obscure description of the receptacle. This mysterious \r\nentity is presented as that in which qualities and shapes appear but also appears to \r\nprovide the stuff out of which things are made.1 I will not here enter into the debates \r\nabout what the receptacle is supposed to be; it suffices to note that the text in some \r\npassages may suggest to readers familiar with the later conception of matter that matter \r\nis exactly what Plato means. Since this is certainly what Aristotle1 2 and in his wake all \r\nancient commentators took it to be, we need not for our present purposes consider \r\nother readings. [Introduction, p. 147]","btype":2,"date":"2012","language":"English","online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/x8mHljUEiDjK4jt","doi_url":null,"categories":[],"authors":[{"id":211,"full_name":"Opsomer, Jan","role":{"id":1,"role_name":"author"}},{"id":257,"full_name":"Wilberding, James","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}},{"id":256,"full_name":"Horn, Christoph","role":{"id":2,"role_name":"editor"}}],"book":null,"booksection":{"id":1095,"section_of":299,"pages":"147-173","is_catalog":null,"book":{"id":299,"bilderberg_idno":null,"dare_idno":null,"catalog_idno":null,"entry_type":null,"type":4,"language":"en","title":"Neoplatonism and the Philosophy of Nature","title_transcript":"","title_translation":"","short_title":"Horn\/Wilberding2012","has_no_author":null,"volume":null,"date":"2012","edition_no":null,"free_date":"2012","abstract":"Despite Platonism\u2019s unquestioned claim to being one of the most influential movements in the history of philosophy, for a long time the conventional wisdom was that Platonists of late antiquity\u2014or Neoplatonists\u2014were so focused on other-worldly metaphysics that they simply neglected any serious study of the sensible world, which after all is \u2018merely\u2019 an image of the intelligible world, and only recently has this conventional wisdom begun to be dispelled. In fact, precisely because these thinkers did see the sensible world as an image of the intelligible world, they devoted much time and energy to understanding its inner workings. Thus we find Neoplatonists writing on embryology, physiology, meteorology, astronomy, and much else. This volume collects essays by leading international scholars in the field that shed new light on how these thinkers sought to understand and explain nature and natural phenomena. It is thematically divided into two parts, with the first part\u2014\u2018The general metaphysics of Nature\u2019\u2014directed at the explication of central Neoplatonic metaphysical doctrines and their relation to the natural world, and the second part\u2014\u2019Platonic approaches to individual sciences\u2019\u2014showing how these same doctrines play out in individual natural sciences such as elemental physics, geography, and biology. Together these essays show that a serious examination of Neoplatonic natural philosophy has far-reaching consequences for our general understanding of the metaphysics of Platonism, as well as for our evaluation of their place in the history of science.","republication_of":null,"online_url":"","online_resources":"https:\/\/uni-koeln.sciebo.de\/s\/xHUG6gdrtjMT7K4","translation_of":null,"new_edition_of":null,"is_catalog":0,"in_bibliography":0,"is_inactive":0,"notes":null,"doi_url":null,"book":{"id":299,"pubplace":"Oxford","publisher":"Oxford University Press","series":"","volume":"","edition_no":null,"valid_from":null,"valid_until":null}}},"article":null},"sort":["In defence of geometric atomism: Explaining elemental properties"]}

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