The Anatomy of Neoplatonism [Paperback]

A. C. Lloyd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 1998

This study proposes that Neoplatonism, while not a modern philosophy, is philosophy in the modern sense. Lloyd analyzes the key structures that underlie the dogmas of the Neoplatonic world picture, including the concept of emanation, the return of the soul to the One, the place of mystical knowledge, epistemology, and Porphyry's theory of predication, and shows that they rest on original but intelligible concepts and arguments.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Should be of great interest to the specialist in philosophy and related fields."--Classical World

"The new view of Neoplatonism that the book offers is one that is worth saving."--Bryn Mawr Classical Review

"A comprehensive study of Neoplatonism . . . from the pen of A. C. Lloyd is greatly to be welcomed . . . a worthy and valuable culmination of many years of thought."--International Studies in Philosophy

"interesting and important . . . very rewarding."--Times Literary Supplement

"learned and fascinating . . . I doubt whether any other living scholar could have written so effectively on Neoplatonism in this way."--Contemporary Philosophical Reviews

About the Author

A. C. Lloyd was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool from 1957 to 1983, and Emeritus Professor thereafter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (August 27, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198238061
• ISBN-13: 978-0198238065
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,165,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not an introduction, but may be of value to the specialist.., October 16, 2004

By 

Nicq MacDonald (Sioux Falls, SD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anatomy of Neoplatonism (Paperback)

I picked up A.C. Lloyd's "Anatomy of Neoplatonism" expecting a good, solid introduction to Neoplatonic thought. I'd read a bit of Plotinus and Pseudo-Dionysius, but I wanted a more general "overview" of Neoplatonism that would help better explain many of the concepts and tie together the various strands of Neoplatonic thought (Not only Plotinus and Ps-Dionysius, but Iamblichus, Proclus, Boetheus, Ammonius Saccas, and the Renaissance Neoplatonists as well).

This is not the book.

"Anatomy of Neoplatonism" is, for someone not already thoroughly steeped in ancient philosophy, extremely dense and nearly incomprehensible. I just finished a major in Philosophy, and I still could barely make heads or tails of this book- it meanders, it makes few points, and is about as much fun to read as Kant. Aristotle's "De Anima" was much more comprehensible than this work.

At the same time, however, I can't really give this book a bad review, as it could be very valuable to the specialist- I have no way to judge. But for the general reader or undergraduate student looking for an overview of Neoplatonism, look elsewhere- this isn't the book for you.