Neoplatonic Theory of Virtues

Neoplatonic Virtue: Socrates' Ignorance Is Wisdom | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_vbsXQqamY This session covers paragraphs 47–52 of Proclus' On Providence, closing the discussion of hedonism and then…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Casting Vote and the Mixing Bowl | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW3CUZ2CjfM This session covers paragraphs 39–46 of Proclus' On Providence, completing the response to…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Three Causes of Every Action | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i69hyIKDIU After eight sessions of setup, this class finally reaches Part Two of Proclus' On Providence…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Divine Knowledge and the Lame Horse | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLOlVQ_sRME This session spends ninety minutes on a single paragraph — ¶32 of Proclus' On…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Virtue, Freedom, and the Willing Slave | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5EvjDGv2y8 This session works through paragraphs 22–26 of Proclus' On Providence, completing the second major…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Fate as the Nature of the World | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIR08r61Ysg This session works through paragraphs 7–14 of Proclus' On Providence, completing his initial…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Fate, Providence, and the Soul | Reading Proclus' On Providence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNWH-QYZElE In this session we begin Proclus' On Providence, a philosophical letter addressed to an engineer…

Virtue as Vital Power: Rethinking Ἀρετή Through Value and Original Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwLr5e-ErDU In this lecture from an ongoing reading course on Neoplatonic philosophy, I develop a reinterpretation of…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Ancestral Fault and the Inspired Poet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wFvgEy3TiI We move fully into Hermias of Alexandria's word-by-word commentary on the Phaedrus, working through the passage on divine madness…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Love, Ritual, Crafts and WholenessWe close Hermias of Alexandria's theoretical introduction to the four divine madnesses and begin his word-by-word commentary on the Phaedrus text. The…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Four Derivations of the Theia ManiaIn this session we continue reading Hermias of Alexandria's preliminary theōria on the four divine madnesses in his commentary on Plato's…

Neoplatonic Virtue (Open Class): Purification as the Way to GodA Commentary of Damascius on The Phaedo I paragraphs 119-124: You can download the text here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mZ8dlW0NBhbEt4XV0CF3aIJIt-t5hMg4/view?usp=sharingTranscriptNo transcript is…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Unity of InspirationWe discuss the unity of the four kinds of inspiration or divine madness in Hermias and also start reading his account of the…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Hermeias on Madness IWe start reading Hermeias' commentary on the four kinds of divine madness discussed in the Phaedrus.TranscriptNo transcript is available for this video.

Neoplatonic Virtue: Philosophy and InitiationWe come to the end of the section on virtue from Damascius' Commentary on the Phaedo, reading his comments on the proximity between philosophy…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Gods and CourageWe Continue Damascius' account of treu virtue, focussing on the nature of philosophical courage and the presence of virtue amongst the gods.TranscriptNo transcript is…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Paradigmatic, Hieratic and True VirtueWe discuss the highest levels of virtue, the paradigmatic and the hieratic, which occurs at every level of moral development. Additionally we…

Neoplatonic Virtue: From Natural to Contemplative VirtueWe discuss Damascius' short descriptions of the different levels of virtue, with some curious digressions: natural virtue leads us to talk about…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Steps of PurificationDamascius on the Phaedo: Hope, Purification, and the Three Moments of Embodiment In this session we read Damascius' commentary on Phaedo 67b-68c, covering…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The True PhilosophersWe discuss various points of detail in Damascius' description of the true philosophersTranscriptNo transcript is available for this video.

Neoplatonic Virtue: Knowing the Forms and Perfect DeathWe continue our reading, finishing the discourse on detachment and starting on the reflections of the true philosophers.TranscriptNo transcript is available…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Grades of KnowledgeIn this class we discuss the argument that the philosopher should detach himself from the body because true knowledge is to be had…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Despising PleasuresWe start Damascius' discussion of Socrates' discourse on detachment, covering his first point, that the philosophy is indifferent to pleasures. We go into particular depth…

Neoplatonic Virtue: How Does the Philosopher Die?We continue reading Damascius' commentary on the Phaedo, including discussing the interruprtion by the jailor and the beginning of Socrates' defense where…

Neoplatonic Virtue: It's Good to be a God's SlaveIn this class, we discuss Simmias' and Cebes' objections to the philosophical will to die, based on Socrates' exoteric argument…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Exoteric Argument against SuicideIn this class we go over Damascius' commnents on the exoteric argument against suicide: That the young gods produce our bodies and…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Does the Sun Rule the World?In this lesson, we turn to paragraph 14 of Damascius' Commentary on the Phaedo, where we find opposing opinions between Proclus…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Punishment of the Titans and the Esoteric Argument against SuicideWe continue reading Damascius' Commentary on Plato's Phaedo, going through paragraphs 3-13, where he discusses the…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Suicide, Dionysos and the Two DemiurgiesIn order to understand the esoteric argument against suicide in the Phaedo ("according to the language of the mysteries, we are…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Proclus' Socratic DeathIn this class, we see how Marinus presents Proclus as a Socratic philosopher, setting up a series of parallels between the death of Socrates…

Neoplatonic Virtue: The Fulfillment of Proclus' LifeIn this week’s Neoplatonic Virtue class, Yitzchok and I finish our reading of The Life of Proclus (paragraphs 33–38), reflecting on the…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Orphism, Theurgy and Theia PhiliaIn this class we explore paragraphs 27–32 of Marinus’ Life of Proclus, where Proclus’ contemplation turns from interpretation to direct theurgic activity.…

Neoplatonic Virtue: From Purification to Contemplation in the Life of ProclusIn this session, Antonio-Luis Costa-Vargas and Yitzchok Lowy continue their reading of The Life of Proclus, reaching the…

Neoplatonic Virtue: Proclus the HierophantIn this class, we complete Proclus’ account of the political virtues and turn to the purificatory virtues. We look at how sympathia (fellow feeling)…