Proclus on Nature
Philosophy of Nature and Its Methods in Proclus' Commentary on Plato's Timaeus
Published on 22. March 2010
Book
Hardback
372 pages
978-90-04-18191-5 (ISBN)
Description
Of Proclus' immense philosophical system, the part concerning the natural world may well be the most fascinating. Traditional scholarship tends to downplay that part of Neoplatonism, in favour of idealism, but recently this attitude is changing. This study contributes to that development by showing how Proclus' natural philosophy relates to theology, while remaining a science in its own right. Starting from his Commentary on Plato's Timaeus, it presents a revision of Proclus' metaphysics of nature and provides new insight into his surprisingly peripatetic philosophy of science, the role of mathematics, and the nature of discourse in natural philosophy. This book will be of interest both to students of the Platonic tradition, and to historians of natural science, metaphysics and epistemology.
Reviews / Votes
"[...] scholars of late antique philosophy will be very grateful for the synthesis that Marije Martijn presents in this splendid new book on the subject. Philosophers who concentrate on Plato's Timaeus itself, rather than its later reception, can also benefit from this book. [...] This is not an introductory book. It is, however, rich in erudition, philosophically rigorous, and highly original. In my view, Martijn's first book announces her as a name to watch in the rapidly expanding field of late antique philosophy." Dirk Baltzly in BMCR, 20.4.2011"[...] cette these est d'une extraordinaire richesse, d'une maitrise incomparable, a la fois des concepts, et des auteurs, d'une erudition, sans commune mesure, dans leur maniement, leur evocation de l'essence de la Nature, au chapitre II, qu'au chapitre III, a propos de la methode geometrique, la ou elle part des definitions, des demonstrations, ou des axiomes, dans cette approche epistemologique tres pointue, et au chapitre IV sur les mathematiques, les sens et la vue. Ce qui fait de l'ouvrage un instrument incomparable pour tous ceux qui voudraient entreprendre une recherche, a quelque niveau que soit sur le Commentaire sur le Timee de Proclus. Jean-Michel Charrue in Revue philosophique de Louvain 1/2012
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Leiden
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Paper over boards
Dimensions
Height: 244 mm
Width: 168 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
748 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-04-18191-5 (9789004181915)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Marije Martijn, Ph.D. (2008) in Philosophy, Leiden University, is lecturer at the VU University Amsterdam. She has published on different aspects of Proclus' work and is currently working on the metaphysical foundations of his scientific aesthetics.
Content
I INTRODUCTION
I.2 Philosophy of nature as theology
I.3 ????????????? - the prooemium of the Timaeus
II PLATONIC ????? ACCORDING TO PROCLUS
II.1 Introduction
II.2 The essence of nature
II.3 Nature, soul, and the natural
II.4 The ontological level of Nature
II.5 Nature's working
II.6 Conclusion
III THE PROOEMIUM: THE GEOMETRICAL METHOD OF PHYSIOLOGIA
III.1 Introduction - ??????????, ????????, and the geometrical method of the Timaeus
III.2 The constituents of the geometrical method in the prooemium
III.3 After the starting points - Proclus takes stock
IV AFTER THE PROOEMIUM: MATHEMATICS, THE SENSES, AND LIFE
IV.1 Introduction
IV.2 Book III: Intermediate Philosophy of Nature and mathematics
IV.3 Books IV and V: Lower Philosophy of Nature, the Senses, and Life
IV.4 General conclusion
IV.5 Appendix: The Elements of Physics
V DISCOURSE AND REALITY: THE ????? ?????
V.1 Introduction
V.2 The ????? ????? today - a selection
V.3 Proclus on the ????? ?????: preliminaries
V.4 The nature of the ????? ?????: resemblance
V.5 Unlikeness
V.6 A true and likely story
V.7 The practice of discourse: assimilation
V.8 In conclusion: ?????????? as scientific mimesis
VI CONCLUSION
VI.1 Introduction
VI.2 Chapter II: Nature
VI.3 Chapter III: Theological philosophy of nature
VI.4 Chapter IV: Mathematical, empirical, biological philosophy of nature
VI.5 Chapter V: The likely story
I.2 Philosophy of nature as theology
I.3 ????????????? - the prooemium of the Timaeus
II PLATONIC ????? ACCORDING TO PROCLUS
II.1 Introduction
II.2 The essence of nature
II.3 Nature, soul, and the natural
II.4 The ontological level of Nature
II.5 Nature's working
II.6 Conclusion
III THE PROOEMIUM: THE GEOMETRICAL METHOD OF PHYSIOLOGIA
III.1 Introduction - ??????????, ????????, and the geometrical method of the Timaeus
III.2 The constituents of the geometrical method in the prooemium
III.3 After the starting points - Proclus takes stock
IV AFTER THE PROOEMIUM: MATHEMATICS, THE SENSES, AND LIFE
IV.1 Introduction
IV.2 Book III: Intermediate Philosophy of Nature and mathematics
IV.3 Books IV and V: Lower Philosophy of Nature, the Senses, and Life
IV.4 General conclusion
IV.5 Appendix: The Elements of Physics
V DISCOURSE AND REALITY: THE ????? ?????
V.1 Introduction
V.2 The ????? ????? today - a selection
V.3 Proclus on the ????? ?????: preliminaries
V.4 The nature of the ????? ?????: resemblance
V.5 Unlikeness
V.6 A true and likely story
V.7 The practice of discourse: assimilation
V.8 In conclusion: ?????????? as scientific mimesis
VI CONCLUSION
VI.1 Introduction
VI.2 Chapter II: Nature
VI.3 Chapter III: Theological philosophy of nature
VI.4 Chapter IV: Mathematical, empirical, biological philosophy of nature
VI.5 Chapter V: The likely story