Causation and Creation in Late Antiquity

This book explores ancient thinking about causation and creation, considering the perspectives of key Christian and pagan thinkers.

Anna Marmodoro (Edited by), Brian D. Prince (Edited by)

9781107695320, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 March 2018

311 pages
23 x 15.3 x 1.7 cm, 0.48 kg

'Causation and Creation in Late Antiquity contains uniformly excellent scholarly articles, collected around the related themes of the respective origins of the cosmos and of human action.' Matthew W. Knotts, Augustiniana

Written by a group of leading scholars, this unique collection of essays investigates the views of both pagan and Christian philosophers on causation and the creation of the cosmos. Structured in two parts, the volume first looks at divine agency and how late antique thinkers, including the Stoics, Plotinus, Porphyry, Simplicius, Philoponus and Gregory of Nyssa, tackled questions such as: is the cosmos eternal? Did it come from nothing or from something pre-existing? How was it caused to come into existence? Is it material or immaterial? The second part looks at questions concerning human agency and responsibility, including the problem of evil and the nature of will, considering thinkers such as Plotinus, Porphyry, Proclus and Augustine. Highlighting some of the most important and interesting aspects of these philosophical debates, the volume will be of great interest to upper-level students and scholars of philosophy, classics, theology and ancient history.

Introduction Anna Marmodoro and Brian D. Prince
Part I. The Origin of the Cosmos: 1. Two early Stoic theories of cosmogony Ricardo Salles
2. Plotinus' account of demiurgic causation and its philosophical background Riccardo Chiaradonna
3. Creation and divine providence in Plotinus Christopher Isaac Noble and Nathan M. Powers
4. Waiting for Philoponus Richard Sorabji
5. Gregory of Nyssa on the creation of the world Anna Marmodoro
6. Simplicius on elements and causes in Greek philosophy: critical appraisal or philosophical synthesis? Han Baltussen
Part II. The Origins of Human Agency: 7. Divine and human freedom: Plotinus' new understanding of creative agency Kevin Corrigan
8. Consciousness and agency in Plotinus D. M. Hutchinson
9. Neoplatonists on the causes of vegetative life James Wilberding
10. Astrology and the will in Porphyry of Tyre Aaron P. Johnson
11. Proclus on the ethics of self-constitution Michael Griffin
12. Deficient causes: Augustine on creation and angels Gillian Clark
13. Willed causes and causal willing in Augustine Mark Edwards
References
Index locorum
General index.

Subject Areas: Theology [HRLB], Christianity [HRC], Philosophy of religion [HRAB], Philosophy: metaphysics & ontology [HPJ], Western philosophy: Medieval & Renaissance, c 500 to c 1600 [HPCB], Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA], History of Western philosophy [HPC], Philosophy [HP], Medieval history [HBLC1], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1]