Platonism

Neoplatonic Virtue: Christ, Typhon, and the Chaos at the Center of the World In this session of the Neoplatonic Virtue course, we continued reading Marinus’ Life of Proclus…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Education of Proclus In this session, we continue our reading of Marinus’ Life of Proclus, following the philosopher’s education step by step. We trace: Proclus’…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Fate, Daimon, and the Life of Proclus In this session of the Neoplatonic Virtue course, we weave together myth, astrology, and biography. We begin with questions…

Proclus Rising: The Philosopher's Natal Chart Join me for a special livestreamed class where we explore the natal chart of the late Neoplatonist philosopher Proclus, reconstructed from a…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Iamblichus' Curriculum and Proclus' Philosophical Nature In this session of the Neoplatonic Virtue course, we explore Iamblichus’ curriculum for reading Plato as preserved in the Anonymous…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Astrology, the Daimon, and the Higher Self In this session, we conclude our reading of Book IX of De Mysteriis, where Iamblichus explores the role of…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Daimon, Narrative and Astrology In this session of the Neoplatonic Virtue course, we begin with Plato’s Myth of Er, exploring the soul’s choice before birth and…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Material Sacrifice and Divine Friendship In this class, we delve into Iamblichus’ critique of the idea that sacrifice can be explained purely through natural sympathy —…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Beyond Sympathy: Plotinus, Iamblichus, and the Hidden Power of Ritual In this session of the Neoplatonic Virtue course, we conclude our reading of De Mysteriis II.11…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Plato, Iamblichus, and Divine Madness In this class, we return to the Platonic texts that form the background for Plotinus and Iamblichus, focusing especially on the…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Contemplation and Theurgy In this session of our Neoplatonic Virtue course, we first finish Porphyry’s Sententiae 32 by wrapping up our discussion of purification: How does…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Grades of Virtue and Purificatory Virtue In this session, we explore Porphyry’s account of the four classes of virtue and their connection to different types of…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Porphyry on Contemplation and Paradigms of Virtue In this second session on Porphyry’s Sentence 32, we explore the Neoplatonic hierarchy of virtues in greater depth, focusing…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Porphyry on Political and Purificatory Virtue In this 90-minute seminar, we begin reading Sentence 32 of Porphyry’s Sentences, a text that distills and systematizes Plotinus’ teachings…

Neoplatonic Virtue: On the Daimon and the Soul’s Ascent In this class, we complete our reading of Plotinus’ treatise On Our Allotted Guardian Spirit (Ennead III.4), focusing on…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Daimonic Tension Yitzchok Lowy and I go through chapters 3,4 and 5 of Plotinus' On Our Allotted Daimon, which discuss PLotinus' variable theory of daimones, where…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Plotinus on the Soul's Cosmic Role Yitzchok Lowy and I discuss chapters 1 and 2 of Ennead III.4 "On Our Allotted Spirit". In these chapters Plotinus…

Neoplatonic Virtues: Sources on Daimones Yitzchok Lowy and I discuss the non-social virtues mentioned in the Life of Plotinus and how Porphyry's biography presents a few aspects of…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Self in Alcibiades I and in Plotinus' Life Yitzchok Lowy and I recap Plotinus' thought on contemplation, turning towards nous and identifying with your higher…

Plotinus on Virtue: Becoming God Yitzchok Lowy and I discuss the last chapters on Plotinus' On Virtue, in which the shift of perspective from the person who seeks…

Plotinus on Virtue: Turning towards Nous Yitzchok and I discuss chapter IV of Plotinus' on Virtue and its background in Plato's Republic. Plotinus here inquires whether purificaiton is…

Plotinus On Virtue: Virtue and Purification Yitzchok Lowy and I finish chapter 2 and read through chapter 3 of Plotinus' on Virtue, reviewing the connection between virtue and…

The Neoplatonic Theory of the Virtues: Introduction Yitzchok Lowy and I start a new course on the Neoplatonic Theory of the Virtues. I present the syllabus, discuss translation…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Virtue and Measurement Yitzchok Lowy and I finish going over the first chapter of Plotinus' on Virtue and start the second, in which the question of…

Commentary on the Republic: Summary of Essays 5 and 6 and What's Next We end the course with an overview of the whole 5th and 6th essays and…

Commentary on the Republic: End of Essay 6 We finish essay six, looking at the different bards in Homer and how they correspond to the kinds of poetry…

Commentary on the Republic: Rational and Mimetic Poetry We end Proclus' discussion of the kinds of poetry, looking at what he has to say about rational poetry and…

Commentary on the Republic: Poets as Magnetics and Children of Gods Yitzchok Lowy and I conclude Proclus' discussion of inspired poetry in Plato looking at Plato's Ion and…

Commentary on the Republic: Poetry and the Light of the Gods We read Proclus' account of the three kinds of life and the three kinds of poetry and…

Commentary on the Republic: the Blindness of Poets Yitzchok Lowy and I discuss Proclus' explanation of Plato's account of the blindness of Homer and Stesichorus in the Phaedrus.…

Commentary on the Republic: Names and Selves Yitzchok Lowy and I discuss Proclus interpretation of Plato's use of the distinct divine and human names in Homer and also…

Commentary on the Republic: Homer as a Source Yitzchok Lowy and I go over a list of teachings that Proclus thinks Plato got from Homer in some way.

Commentary on the Republic: Plato banished from the city! Yitzchok Lowy and I discuss a new argument that Proclus brings in Homer's defense: Plato can't have mean to…

Commentary on the Republic: Homer as an Authority Yitzchok Lowy and I go over Proclus' prooftexts that show that Plato quotes Homer as an authority and as a…