Neo Platonism

“a system of philosophical
and religious doctrines
composed of elements of
Platonism and
Aristotelianism and
oriental mysticism”

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Neo Platonism
✢ Influenced
○ Islam
○ Christian
○ Jewish
✢ Idea common in Neoplatonist
○ Monistic - all of reality can be
derived from a single principle, "the
One".
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Plotinus of Alexandria
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 Plotinus of Alexandria
✢ Born in Lycopolis, Egypt in 204 or 205 C.E
✢ Former student of Ammonius Saccas
✢ Generally regarded as the founder of
Neoplatonism
✢ Most influential philosophers in antiquity after
Plato and Aristotle
✢ Deep study of the dialogues of Plato and the
Metaphysics of Aristotle 5
Ammonius Saccas

✢ Greek philosopher

✢ One of the founders

of Neoplatonism

✢ Teacher of Plotinus

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Porphyry
✢ Student of Plotinus
✢ He edited Plotinus Writings

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 What is neo Platonism?
✢ Mystical philosophical system
✢ Neoplatonism colored the thought of
medieval mysticism and magic
✢ The term ‘Neoplatonism’ is an invention of
early 19th century European scholarship
and indicates the penchant of historians
for dividing ‘periods’ in history
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The One
o Is the absolutely simple first
principle of all
o It is both ‘self-caused’ and the
cause of being for everything else
in the universe
o The derivation of the complex from
the simple.
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✢ Intellect.
○ Is the locus of the full array of
Platonic Forms, those eternal and
immutable entities that account for or
explain the possibility of intelligible
predication.
○ Is the principle of essence or
whatness or intelligibility.

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✢ Soul
○ is the principle of desire for objects
that are external to the agent of
desire matter .

✢ Matter
○ is to be identified with evil and
privation of all form or intelligibility

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Platonic criticism

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Platonic criticism
✢ Based on the philosophical
writings of Plato.
✢ It focuses on
○ Moral
○ Ethical
○ historical
In modern criticism
✢ The term refers to discussions and
investigations of the work of art not in
terms of its intrinsic, formal qualities but
rather in recognition of its value as
shaping social attitudes and in its vision
of universal truths.

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Activity
✢ Pair work
✢ Analyze the story “A Rose for
Emily” by Emily Dickson using
Platonic Criticism.
✢ Use at least 2-3 sentences.
✢ Time: 5 – 10 mins.
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references
✢ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoplatonism
✢ https://www.britannica.com/art/Platonic-criticism
✢ https://theosophy.wiki/en/Neoplatonism
✢ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonius_Saccas

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