Authority and Authoritative Texts in the Platonist Tradition

Sheds light on the meaning, import and philosophical outlook of the notion of authority throughout the Platonist tradition.

Michael Erler (Edited by), Jan Erik Heßler (Edited by), Federico M. Petrucci (Edited by)

9781108926065, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 April 2023

293 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.43 kg

'The importance of this volume goes far beyond the field of Platonic studies.' Olga Alieva, Méthexis

All disciplines can count on a noble founder, and the representation of this founder as an authority is key in order to construe a discipline's identity. This book sheds light on how Plato and other authorities were represented in one of the most long-lasting traditions of all time. It leads the reader through exegesis and polemics, recovery of the past and construction of a philosophical identity. From Xenocrates to Proclus, from the sceptical shift to the re-establishment of dogmatism, from the Mosaic of the Philosophers to the Neoplatonist Commentaries, the construction of authority emerges as a way of access to the core of the Platonist tradition.

Introduction Michael Erler, Jan E. Heßler and Federico M. Petrucci
1. Xenocrates' invention of Platonism David Sedley
2. An iconography of Xenocrates' Platonism David Sedley
3. Arcesilaus' appeal to Heraclitus as a philosophical authority for his sceptical stance Anna Maria Ioppolo
4. Authority beyond doctrines in the 1st century BC: Antiochus' model for Plato's authority Federico M. Petrucci
5. Authority and doctrine in the pseudo-pythagorean writings Bruno Centrone
6. Constructing authority: a re-examination of some controversial issues in the theology of Numenius Alexandra Michalewski
7. Plutarch's E at Delphi: the hypothesis of platonic authority George Boys-Stones
8. Aristotle's 'physics' as an authoritative work in early Neoplatonism (Plotinus and Porphyry) Riccardo Chiaradonna
9. Conflicting authorities? Hermias and Simplicius on the self-moving soul Saskia Aerts
10. Kath?gem?n the importance of the personal teacher in Proclus and later Neoplatonism Christian Tornau
11. 'In Plato we can see the bad characters being changed by the good and instructed and purified' attitudes to platonic dialogue in later Neoplatonism Anne Sheppard.

Subject Areas: Ethics & moral philosophy [HPQ], Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], History of Western philosophy [HPC]