Neoplatonism (Ancient Philosophies) - Hardcover

"Remes' book benefits extensively from recent work on Plotinus and other Neoplatonic authors, and offers a readable and accurate introduction to the topic. It is a welcome resource and I would certainly recommend that anyone teaching a course on Neoplatonic thought give this book to their students to read." - Peter Adamson, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews "This book excels as an introductory text. It is a nice corrective to older surveys of late ancient philosophy, which tend to present Neoplatonism as decadent, 'spiritualized', and concerned more with theurgic magic than philosophy. Remes does a fine job introducing the metaphysics, but her focus in the book's middle chapters on anthropology, psychology, and ethics really set this book apart. It is these areas that are receiving attention in recent research (including Remes' own work), and this book situates students within the most current and promising trends in the field. This innovative approach and attention to the most current research does not come at the expense of a solid introduction to the basics of the tradition. It would work well as a graduate or advanced undergraduate course text." - Bryn Mawr Classical Review A concise, thematically oriented introduction. Attuned to the originality of Plotinus and Proclus, among others, Remes also treats them as inseparable from the ancient Greek philosophical tradition they were concerned to preserve and defend.A" - Lloyd P. Gerson, University of Toronto

Although Neoplatonism has long been studied by classicists, until recently most philosophers saw the ideas of Plotinus et al as a lot of religious/magical mumbo-jumbo. Recent work however has provided a new perspective on the philosophical issues in Neoplatonism and Pauliina Remes new introduction to the subject is the first to take account of this fresh research and provides a reassessment of Neoplatonism's philosophical credentials. Covering the Neoplatonic movement from its founder, Plotinus (AD 204-70) to the closure of Plato's Academy in AD 529 Remes explores the ideas of leading Neoplatonists such as Porphyry, lamblichus, Proclus, Simplicius and Damascius as well as less well-known thinkers. Situating their ideas alongside classical Platonism, Stoicism, and the neo-Pythagoreans as well as other intellectual movements of the time such as Gnosticism, Judaism and Christianity, Remes provides a valuable survey for the beginning student and non-specialist.