Customer Reviews

The Anatomy of Neoplatonism

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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.