Neoplatonic Philosophy: Introductory Readings [Hardcover]

John M. Dillon (Editor), Lloyd P. Gerson (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0872207080 | ISBN-13: 978-0872207080 | Publication Date: March 2004

The most comprehensive collection of Neoplatonic writings available in English, this volume provides translations of the central texts of four major figures of the Neoplatonic tradition: Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus. The general Introduction gives an overview of the period and takes a brief but revealing look at the history of ancient philosophy from the viewpoint of the Neoplatonists. Historical background -- essential for understanding these powerful, difficult, and sometimes obscure thinkers -- is provided in extensive footnotes, which also include cross-references to other works relevant to particular passages.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a valuable anthology which makes a selection of key Neoplatonic texts available in new, accurate, and readable translations..." -- Anne Sheppard, Senior Lecturer in Classics, Royal Holloway, University of London.

About the Author

John Dillon is Regius Professor of Greek, Trinity College, Dublin. Lloyd P Gerson is Professor of Philosophy, University of Toronto.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872207080
• ISBN-13: 978-0872207080
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,718,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Neoplatonic Canon, September 12, 2006

By 

Johannes Platonicus (South Bend, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Neoplatonic Philosophy: Introductory Readings (Paperback)

This is the best and most affordable collection of Neoplatonic writings under the standard of a single volume. These selections and translations were made by the foremost scholars in the modern Neoplatonic sphere; and they were unified by the guiding principle that readers need an introduction to NP that is altogether lucid, systematic, and thorough. The textual apparatus contains learned footnotes that direct readers to other main texts, while explaining obscurities, delivering occasional exegesis, and providing variants to the meaning of some of the most technical language. It also lends readers valuable introductory material pertinent to each of the works selected; and the definitive glossary highlights key philosophical concepts and terms. Found here will be some of the primary writings of Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus, which together form the first veritable canon of Neoplatonism.

11 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Should come with a gift certificate for a free hair shirt, May 17, 2007

By 

tepi "tepi" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Neoplatonic Philosophy: Introductory Readings (Paperback)

Do you have strong sado-masochistic leanings?

Were you tortured to death in a previous incarnation and do you long to undergo an agony of like kind once again?

Do you enjoy feeling that you are going blind, or feeling that you are peering through thick fog because the words of a book you are trying to read are a ghostly light gray instead of black?

Do you enjoy thermoplastic bindings which prevent you from concentrating on what you are trying to read because you are having to expend so much energy struggling to try to keep the book held open?

If you answered YES! to most or all of these questions you are really going to enjoy this book, and might enjoy it even more if it came with a gift certificate for a free hair shirt.

Less abnormal readers, on the other hand, would no doubt prefer that a bit of ink had been put in the printing machine before copies of this book had been run off, and that for their money they had been given something corresponding a little more closely to what the word BOOK is supposed to mean.

Bottom line: Although the contents of this book (a brief introduction to Neoplatonism followed by annotated extracts from Plotinus, Porphyry, Iamblichus, and Proclus) are excellent and of very real value, the poor printing and stiff binding make it very tiresome to read; hence the single star.