Proclus

The Pythagorean idea that number is the key to understanding reality inspired philosophers in the fourth and fifth centuries to develop theories in physics and metaphysics using mathematical models. These theories were to become influential in medieval and early modern philosophy, yet until now, they have not received the serious attention they deserve. This book marks a breakthrough in our understanding of the subject by examining two themes in conjunction for the first time: the figure of Pythagoras as interpreted by the Neoplatonist philosophers of the period, and the use of mathematical ideas in physics and metaphysics.

During the post-Vatican I period, in the course of the Church's anti-Modernist campaign, Roman Catholic scholars isolated St. Thomas Aquinas's philosophical theology from its neo-Platonism, and other scholars have also tended to treat the various parts of his Summa Theologiae without regard to their historical context. Here, Hankey contends that Thomas Aquinas was less of an Aristotelian than is commonly supposed, and that a proper appreciation of his work requires us to take fuller notice of his reliance on neo-Platonism. In setting out his case, Hankey pays special attention to the influence of Proclus, providing a critical exposition of his work. The author also supports his position by making a careful analysis of the first forty-five questions of the Summa Theologiae.

This is a collection of new essays on the theme of ethics and rhetoric in classical literature by an extremely prestigious array of scholars from the UK, US, and Europe. Writing in honor of Professor Donald Russell, former Professor of Classical Literature at Oxford, the contributors look at issues of ethics and rhetoric within Latin literature, Greek imperial literature, and ancient literary criticism.

R. J. Hankinson traces the history of ancient Greek thinking about causation and explanation, from its earliest beginnings through more than a thousand years to the middle of the first millennium of the Christian era. The ancient Greeks were the first Western civilization to subject the ideas of cause and explanation to rigorous and detailed analysis, and to attempt to construct theories about them on the basis of logic and experience. Hankinson examines the ways in which they dealt with questions about how and why things happen as and when they do, about the basic constitution and structure of things, about function and purpose, laws of nature, chance, coincidence, and responsibility. Such diverse questions are unified by the fact that they are all demands for an account of the world that will render it amenable to prediction and control; they are therefore at the root of both philosophical and scientific enquiry. Hankinson offers a rich harvest of information and a fresh panoramic view of the origins and development of these kinds of enquiry.

The ideas of the Neoplatonists affected approaches to Plato as late as the 19th century & had a considerable influence on Christian thought. Andrew Smith explores the thinking of the Neoplatonist philosophers of late antiquity & also the milleu in which they worked.

The theorem of Pythagoras, Euclid's "Elements", Archimedes' method to find the volume of a sphere: all parts of the invaluable legacy of ancient mathematics. But ancient mathematics was also about counting and measuring, surveying land and attributing mystical significance to the number six.This volume offers the first accessible survey of the discipline in all its variety and diversity of practices. The period covered ranges from the fifth century BC to the sixth century AD, with the focus on the Mediterranean region. Topics include:* mathematics and politics in classical Greece* the formation of mathematical traditions* the self-image of mathematicians in the Graeco-Roman period* mathematics and Christianity* and the use of the mathematical past in late antiquity.

Translated by Henrik Rosenmeier, A History of Ancient Philosophy charts the origins and development of ancient philosophical thought. For easy reference, the book is divided chronologically into six main parts. The sections are further divided into philosophers and philosophical movements:*Pre-Socratic Philosophy, including mythology, the Pythagoreans and Parmenides*The Great Century of Athens, including the Sophists and Socrates*Plato, including The Republic, The Symposium and The Timaeus*Aristotle, including The Physics, The Metaphysics and The Poetics*Hellenistic Philosophy, including the Sceptics, the Stoics, the Epicureans and Cicero*Late Antiquity, including Neoplatonism, Origen and St Augustine.This comprehensive and meticulously documented book is structured to make ancient philosophical thought and ancient thinkers accessible. It contains:*full references to primary sources*detailed interpretations of key philosophical passages, including surveys of previous philosophical readings*an overview of the development of ancient philosophical thought*discussions of the relationships between philosophers and their ideas*analyses of key philosophical concepts and ideologies including ontology, epistemology, logic, semantics, moral and political philosophy, theology and aesthetics*explanations of Greek philosophical terminology.