Authority and Authoritative Texts in the Platonist Tradition
Authority and Authoritative Texts in the Platonist Tradition
Jan Erik Heßler, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany
Federico M. Petrucci, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy
All disciplines can count on a noble founder, and the representation of this founder as an authority is key in order to construe a discipline's identity. This book sheds light on how Plato and other authorities were represented in one of the most long-lasting traditions of all time. It leads the reader through exegesis and polemics, recovery of the past and construction of a philosophical identity. From Xenocrates to Proclus, from the sceptical shift to the re-establishment of dogmatism, from the Mosaic of the Philosophers to the Neoplatonist Commentaries, the construction of authority emerges as a way of access to the core of the Platonist tradition.
- Provides a fresh view of different models of authority throughout the history of Platonism
- Offers a comprehensive and up-to-date exploration of the Platonist tradition
- Sheds light on a series of issues whose impact goes beyond the Platonist tradition
Reviews & endorsements
‘The volume is a success. It addresses problems about conceptions of authority, a topic that is rightly seeing growing interest by historians of philosophy, in the diverse yet cognate contexts of the Platonic tradition. Its contributions are engaging and provoke thought on a wide range of material.’ Peter Osorio, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
‘The importance of this volume goes far beyond the field of Platonic studies.’ Olga Alieva, Méthexis
Product details
April 2023Paperback
9781108926065
293 pages
229 × 152 × 15 mm
0.43kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Introduction Michael Erler, Jan E. Heßler and Federico M. Petrucci
- 1. Xenocrates' invention of Platonism David Sedley
- 2. An iconography of Xenocrates' Platonism David Sedley
- 3. Arcesilaus' appeal to Heraclitus as a philosophical authority for his sceptical stance Anna Maria Ioppolo
- 4. Authority beyond doctrines in the 1st century BC: Antiochus' model for Plato's authority Federico M. Petrucci
- 5. Authority and doctrine in the pseudo-pythagorean writings Bruno Centrone
- 6. Constructing authority: a re-examination of some controversial issues in the theology of Numenius Alexandra Michalewski
- 7. Plutarch's E at Delphi: the hypothesis of platonic authority George Boys-Stones
- 8. Aristotle's 'physics' as an authoritative work in early Neoplatonism (Plotinus and Porphyry) Riccardo Chiaradonna
- 9. Conflicting authorities? Hermias and Simplicius on the self-moving soul Saskia Aerts
- 10. Kathēgemōn the importance of the personal teacher in Proclus and later Neoplatonism Christian Tornau
- 11. 'In Plato we can see the bad characters being changed by the good and instructed and purified' attitudes to platonic dialogue in later Neoplatonism Anne Sheppard.
