Customer Reviews

Neoplatonism

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Neoplatonism is an ancient movement of philosophical thought which has endured as the basis of most western metaphysics from its inception to the present day. Wallis' book is probably the best and most up-to-date general guide to neoplatonism, with clear elucidation of its main schools and figures, a useful map to help contextualize them, and a great bibliography (current to about 1995) of original texts and secondary scholarship that makes this a book for seasoned scholars as well as beginners. It is also -- without a doubt -- the most lucid of such guides available.

The book has a couple of drawbacks that do not really compromise its overall utility: 1) In the understandable interest of concision, Wallis has reproduced almost no extended quotations from original sources. In consequence, the reading can be barren. I'd suggest reading Wallis alongside with Dodds' short work "Select Passages Illustrating Neoplatonism" to provide a more spirited overview. 2) Some of Wallis' frequent contrasts between neoplatonic and orthodox Christian doctrine seem to a) privilege the Christian perspective b) make neoplatonism appear more motivated than it is with issues that are of greater interest to Christian theologians. These are both very minor points, and do not challenge this book's well-deserved reputation as a classic in the field.

Clear, serious, erudite and yet accesible. Plotinu's study is first rate.