Platonopolis: Platonic Political Philosophy in Late Antiquity

262 Pages·2003·1.55 MB·English

by  Dominic J. O'Meara

Platonopolis
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Platonopolis
Platonic Political Philosophy in Late Antiquity
Dominic J. O'Meara
CLARENDON PRESS · OXFORD
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Preface
In an earlier book (Pythagoras Revived, 1989), I proposed taking a theme in the legend of Pythagoras, Pythagoras as a
mathematizing philosopher,as awayofexaminingthedevelopmentofPlatonicphilosophyinthelateRomanEmpire,
between the third and the sixth centuries AD. The late antique philosopher was also aware of another theme in the
Pythagoras legend, Pythagoras as political thinker, as legislator and reformer of cities. In the present work, a sister to
theearlierbook, thissecondthemeistakenup(indeedthetwothemes, mathematicaland political,are linked, as itwill
turn out), in the context of an attempt to reconstruct the political philosophy of the late antique Platonist.
For reasons which willbe discussed below in Chapter 1, this is the first reconstruction of this kind to be undertaken.
My purpose in consequence has been to make a sketch of the main contours of the subject. I have adopted for this
purpose a thematic approach, dealing with a range of subjects in political philosophy, rather than a chronological
method which would have attempted to track in detail the evolutionof ideas throughout the period. However, within
thethematicframeworkIhavetriedtonotesomemajordevelopments inthehistoryoftheideas whichIexplore.Itis
my hope that the book might serve as a provisional chart of a largely unexplored field of research, an outline to be
filled and corrected by further detailed investigation.
The ambition of this book is limited furthermore in that it is concerned with the reconstruction of philosophical
theories; in general no attempt is made to demonstrate that these theories did or did not influence historical events.
Whether or not one believes that philosophical ideas actually matter in the course of human history, it is at least
necessary tobereasonablyclear first aboutthese ideas, beforethequestionoftheirhistoricalimpactcanbeexamined.
The matter presented here was first proposed in a lecture course at the Université de Fribourg, in a seminar at the
ÉcoleNormaleSupérieure(Paris)andinvariouslecturesgiveninWashington,D.C.,Dublin,Liverpool,Oxford,Paris,
Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Pavia, Thessaloniki, and Würzburg, which produced generous suggestions and criticisms which
viii PREFACE
havebeenofgreatassistance.IamalsoverygratefultoJohnJ.O’Meara,Henri-DominiqueSaffrey,IlsetrautandPierre
Hadot, and Oxford University Press's readers for detailed criticism. Completionof the book was made possible by a
sabbaticalleavefrom theUniversitédeFribourg,withthesupportofthePrinceFranzJosephIIofLiechtensteinPrize
and with help provided by Valérie Cordonier and Marlis Colloud-Streit.
D.J.O'M.
Fribourg, Switzerland
May 2002
Contents
Abbreviations xii
INTRODUCTION
1. The Two Functions of Political Philosophy 3
1. The Conventional View 3
2. Preliminary Definition of ‘Political Philosophy’ 5
3. Divinization and Politics: Two Functions 8
4. Plan of the Work 10
2. Neoplatonist Philosophers in Time, Place, and Social Context 13
1. Plotinus' Circle in Rome 13
2. The lamblichean Schools in Syria and Asia Minor 16
3. The Athenian School 19
4. The Alexandrian School 23
PART I. NEOPLATONIC POLITICAL THEORY RECONSTRUCTED: THE DIVINIZATION OF SOUL
3. Divinization in Greek Philosophy 31
1. Aristotle, Epicurus, and Stoics 32
2. Plato 35
3. Neoplatonism 36
4. The Scale of Virtues 40
1. Plotinus, Ennead I 2 40
2. Porphyry, Sentences, ch. 32 44
3. Iamblichus and Later Neoplatonism 46
5. The Scale of Sciences 50
1. Science as the School of Virtue 50
2. The Scale of Sciences in lamblichus 53
3. Some Difficulties 55