Plutarch of Athens

Plutarch of Athens (Greek: Πλούταρχος Plutarch, * 350; † about 432), a late ancient philosopher was ( Neoplatonist ). He was the founder and first conductor ( Scholarch ) of the Neo-Platonic school of philosophy in Athens, which is often referred to as the " Academy " as it renewed the tradition of the Platonic Academy.

Life

Little is known about the life of Plutarch. He came from a prominent family of Athens. After understanding the source statements that prevails in the research, contributed his father and his paternal grandfather 's name Nestorius; Grandfather worked as a Theurgist, that is, he dealt with religious practices that would enable it to contact with divine beings. The origin of the theurgic practices was attributed to the Chaldeans. In this area, Nestorius had knowledge which he passed on to his grandson. Plutarch brought his daughter Asklepigeneia at the theurgic teachings; of Asklepigeneia later learned the famous Neoplatonist Proclus theurgy.

A different interpretation of the sources represents Polymnia Athanassiadi. She says Plutarch himself had carried his father's name Nestorius as a second name and the details of his supposed grandfather had to refer to his father.

Where and with whom Plutarch received his philosophical training, it is not clear from the sources. In research, several hypotheses have been considered, one of which, however, no has prevailed.

According to an anecdote that tells the Neoplatonist Damascius, consulted Plutarch, when he was ill, sleeping in the temple of Asclepius, the god of healing. Asklepios advised the philosophers to eat a lot of pork. Plutarch but I can not bring themselves to use the recommended remedies, although not a traditional diet rule forbade him such food. Therefore he had after he was awakened from sleep, turned to the statue of the god and asked for an alternative proposal, which he argued that it must be a solution also for sick Jews. Asclepius was at once received it; the statue spoke and called another remedy. This story shows the loose, uninhibited use of Theurgists with the deity.

Plutarch founded in Athens a Neo-Platonic school of philosophy, which he continued the tradition of the Platonic Academy. However, the name " Academy " for this school is not correct; classes were not on the site of the original Academy Plato held, but in a private home of Plutarch, which remained after his death seat at school and home of its leader. This building, the "House of Proclus ," identify some archaeologists with a complex of buildings ( "Buildings chi" ) on the south slope of the Acropolis, which was partially excavated in 1955. Probably benefited a part of Plutarch's considerable assets of the school.

The identification of the Neo-Platonist Plutarch with the same inscription testified benefactor of Athens, to the extremely generously contributed three times to finance the Panathenaic is controversial. It has also been suggested that two fragmentary inscriptions preserved epigrams in which a Platonist is praised, must be made in Plutarch, but this hypothesis has little support found.

Plutarch died about 432 at an advanced age. His successor as head of the school was his pupil Syrianos.

Works

Plutarch's works are lost except for fragments. There are comments on Plato's dialogue Parmenides and his De anima ( " On the Soul " ) of Aristotle, Plato also likely to Gorgias, perhaps also for Phaidon. In the commentary on De anima he criticized an earlier commentator, the Peripatetic Alexander of Aphrodisias, which he accuses of having falsified the authentic teaching of Aristotle.

Teaching

Plutarch is concerned primarily with the interpretation of the teachings of Plato and Aristotle. According to the prevailing in the late antique Neoplatonism understanding of the history of philosophy, he starts from a basic line of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy and Aristotle interpreted in this sense. It is unclear, his attitude to the different directions in Neo-Platonism; some researchers - particularly Rudolf Beutler and Étienne Évrard - think that Plutarch's relation to of Iamblichus of Chalcis dominated flow of Neoplatonism was distant, others believe that he anknüpfte to the ideas of Iamblichus. Évrard suspected influence of Porphyry.

In the interpretation of Plato's Parmenides Plutarch assumes in the dispute over the number there put forward hypotheses that there are nine proof courses ( today's research is of eight out ). In the first five hypotheses he sees true statements (correct inferences from true assumptions) in the hypotheses 6-9 absurd consequences of false allegations. He thinks the investigation of hypotheses 6-9 reviewing serve them opposite hypotheses 2-5 and confirm their accuracy. The ontological levels correspond to order a graded order of knowledge.

In the controversial question of the nature and activity of the human nous ( intellect ) Plutarch is of the opinion that it was a simple ( non-duplicate ) and not continuously active intellect. The Phantasia ( imagination) has Plutarch to a middle position between the Nous and the AISTHESIS ( sensory perception). The phantasia is activated after Plutarch's teaching by a concrete sense perception, but the ideas are not only - as according to the definition of Aristotle - the effect on the activity of the sense organs; Instead of acting on the phantasia mind is involved in their production. Imagination is also active in a dream; it is one of the causal soul faculties, bring about the changes. Higher ( adaptive ) animals Plutarch writes this ability, but not lower species such as worms and caterpillars. But it can not cause a movement, the phantasia of himself, but only with the involvement of cognitive abilities.

Reception

For Plutarch's pupils were his successor Syrianos, his daughter Asklepigeneia and the Neoplatonists Hierocles of Alexandria. His most famous student was Proclus, whom he greatly appreciated. But Proclus met only to a 431 than about nineteen in Athens and could therefore only a short time when the already aged Plutarch, who died about two years later, study.

Plutarch's works were much attention in the late ancient Neoplatonists. His commentary on Aristotle's De anima was used by Simplicius, John Philoponus, Priskianos Lydos and Ammonius Hermeiou; Ammonius turned against its there set forth Nous teaching.

During the Renaissance, the humanist Marsilio Ficino drew on the neo-Platonic tradition of late antiquity and praised as an outstanding Platonists Plutarch and Parmenides commentator. But Here it underwent a serious mistake: He did not realize that the Neo-Platonist Plutarch of Athens is another person than the far more famous Mittelplatoniker Plutarch of Chaeronea. So he wrote to the Parmenides commentary Plutarch of Chaeronea, which he consequently wrongly zuwies a key role in the history of the interpretation of this dialogue.

Source book

• Daniela Patrizia Taormina ( ed.): Plutarco di Atene. L' Uno, l' anima, le Forme. Università di Catania, Catania and L' Erma di Bretschneider, Rome, 1989, ISBN 88-7062-696-2 ( compilation of the source text with Italian translation and commentary )