Proclus on Aristotle on Plato
A Case Study on Motion

Reassesses the influence of Aristotle on Proclus and his view of an essential harmony between Plato and Aristotle.

Rareș Ilie Marinescu (Author)

9781009527620, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 June 2025

257 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.456 kg

This is a study of Proclus' engagement with Aristotle's theory of motion, with a specific focus on Aristotle's criticism of Plato. It refutes the often-held view that Proclus – in line with other Neoplatonists – adheres to the idea of an essential harmony between Plato and Aristotle. Proclus' views on motion, a central concept in his thought, are illuminated by examining his Aristotelian background. The results enhance our view of the reception and authority of Aristotle in late antiquity, a crucial period for the transmission of Aristotelian thought which immensely shaped the later reading of his work. The book also counteracts the commonly held view that late antique philosophers straightforwardly accepted Aristotle as an authority in certain areas such as logic or natural philosophy.

Introduction
1. The Context and the Project of Proclus' Elements of Physics
2. The Relationship of Unmoved Mover and Self-Mover
3. Soul's Self-Motion and Immortality
4. The Causality of the Unmoved Mover
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Western philosophy: Ancient, to c 500 [HPCA]