Death and Immortality in Late Neoplatonism
Studies on the Ancient Commentaries on Plato’s Phaedo
Sebastian Ramon Philipp Gertz, Leyde: Brill, 2011
Description
The belief in the immortality of the soul has been described as one of the twin pillars of Platonism and is famously defended by Socrates in Plato s Phaedo. The ancient commentaries on the dialogue by Olympiodorus and Damascius offer a unique perspective on the reception of this belief in the Platonic tradition. Through a detailed discussion of topics such as suicide, the life of the philosopher and arguments for immortality, this study demonstrates the commentators serious engagement with problems in Plato’s text as well as the dialogue’s importance to Neoplatonic ethics. The book will be of interest to students of Plato and the Platonic tradition, and to those working on ancient ethics and psychology.
(Text from the publisher)
Table of contents
Preliminary Material
Introduction
I. Olympiodorus On Suicide
II. Politics And Purification In Socrates’ Second Defence (Phd. 63b–69e)
III. Syrianus And Damascius: Two Interpretations Of The Argument From Opposites In Plato’s Phaedo (Phd. 69e–72d)
IV. Memory, Forgetfulness And Recollection In The Commentaries On Plato’s Phaedo
V. The Affinity Argument In Plato’s Phaedo
VI. The Final Argument In Plato’s Phaedo
VII. After Death: The Phaedo Myth And Its Neoplatonic Interpreters
General Conclusions
Bibliography
Index Rerum
Index nominum Veterum et Recentiorum
Index Locorum Potiorum
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