Proclus: Neo-Platonic Philosophy and Science [Hardcover]

Lucas Siorvanes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0300068069 | ISBN-13: 978-0300068061 | Publication Date: January 31, 1997

In this survey of the ideas, life, and times of Proclus, Siorvanes explores all the interests of this leading philosophical figure of Late Antiquity-including religion, physics, astronomy, mathematics, and poetry. Siorvanes relates the ideas of Proclus to other major thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy and traces the remarkable impact of Proclus`s Neo-Platonism across cultures, religions, and centuries.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (January 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300068069
• ISBN-13: 978-0300068061
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,154 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The End of a School, May 1, 2000

By 

A. Coles - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Proclus: Neo-Platonic Philosophy and Science (Hardcover)

This is the only general introduction to Proclus that I have found on this important systematic thinker of the late Athenian School of Neoplatonic Philosophy.

The title's inclusion of 'Science' is a theme carried through the work in an emphasis of Proclus' contribution and presentation of Natural Philosophy: following one link on an internet search for 'Proclus' leads to the Mathematics Department in St Andrews University!

There are some slight disappointments with the book connected with this.

Proclus and the late Athenian School contrast greatly with Plotinus' ideas regarding rational/irrational in Theology and there is no section dealing with this specifically.

What there is on Theurgy - again an important theme in this branch of Neoplatonism - is rather sketchy.

Some of Proclus' most interesting works are not cited at all. De malorum subsistentia, for instance, deals with the nature of evil and has some important discussions on why matter is not the cause of evil (quite a different message from the common 'received' view of Neoplatonism).

The style is also quite difficult to read at times and contrasts with one or two excellent works displaying a revived interest in post-Iamblichean Neoplatonism.

Siorvanes has definitely 'got inside' Proclus but leaves this reader with the taste of contemporary Philsophy: more to do with Science and less with Theology. This may be the author's outlook but I am not certain Proclus would agree.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid introduction to Proclus, June 24, 2004

By 

"mythologue" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Proclus: Neo-Platonic Philosophy and Science (Hardcover)

The last ten years have been eventful for readers of Proclus: the French edition of the Platonic Theology has been completed, and in its wake numerous studies on that seminal work and on other aspects of Proclus' thought have appeared; after decades of neglect, Proclus has been rehabilitated as a mystic. This impressive book by L. Siorvanes was also published during that span, but it is mainly geared towards the scientific implications of his thought. It accomplishes a daunting task: introducing the reader to Proclean metaphysics and physics in a few hundred pages. All the levels of reality (and knowledge) are considered, and key notions such as similarity, participation and causation are judiciously explained, with numerous excerps taken from Proclus' writings. Siorvanes often uses everyday examples to elucidate some complex points. Still, his agenda is such that very little space is awarded to myth and theurgy; readers should be aware that these elements are central to Proclus' life and thought. In spite of this warning, the book is well worth reading by students of Neoplatonism. (There are many extant works by Proclus. Where should the newcomer start? The first step would be to read the Life of Proclus written by his disciple Marinus, and also Proclus' hymns. Where to go next? Here are a few suggestions: readers interested in the history of mathematics should look for Proclus' Commentary on Euclid's Elements; those intrigued by theurgy should read the short work 'On the hieratic art' - it can easily be found on the Internet; those into metaphysics and theology should turn to the Elements of Theology and the Platonic Theology; as for Proclus' commentaries on Plato's dialogues, the Commentary on the Alcibiades serves as an excellent introduction to his philosophical exegesis.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars recommanded reading to any Proclus reader, July 18, 2005

By 

A. Bernard (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Proclus: Neo-Platonic Philosophy and Science (Hardcover)

I found Siorvanes's impressive synthesis on Proclus very useful - modern readers have essentially paid attention to Proclus the metaphysician, whereas in the Renaissance period his 'scientific' writings, such as his commentary on Euclid, his astronomical hypotyposis (a critical summary of Ptolemy's hypotheses) and his commentary on Plato's Timaeus, were held in high esteem and deeply influenced the course of modern science. In this respect, Siorvanes' detailed discussions of these texts in ch. 4 and 5 are rare, convincing and useful. Moreover, the book is very well written and insightful. My only caveat is on the numerous quotations that Siorvanes makes of Proclus' texts - an excellent thing in itself, but the context, to which they belong, is not always clearly mentioned. But in the face of the overall achievment this is only a detail.