Platonism in Athens: From Plato’s Academy to the Schools of Proclus and Damascius
The reviewed book is a substantial contribution to understanding the institutional history of ancient Platonism. The study of three sources on the history of the Academy in Athens (Philodemus’ History of the Academic Philosophers, the fragments from a lost treatise by Numenius (fr. 24-28 Des Places), and the Philosophical History (Life of Isidore) by Damascius), translated and commented, allow us the following: 1) to clarify the reasons that prompted Plato to institutionalize philosophy; 2) to discuss the question of the unity of the Academic tradition in the context of the “Sceptical turn” of Arcesilaus; 3) to reveal the characteristic features of the lifestyle of Athenian Platonists in the second half of the 5th century. The research of the second part of the book demonstrates the possibilities of an interdisciplinary approach in relation to the reconstruction of Athenian Platonism, in particular the use of archaeological evidence to understand the functioning of philosophical schools in Athens. J. Dillon’s conclusions regarding the evolution of Platonism deserve special attention and discussion. According to the scholar, the monism of Platonism - the recognition of only one first principle - is formed in the Old Academy under the influence of Xenocrates and is preserved despite dualistic tendencies among the Middle Platonists. Dillon convincingly proves the unity of Platonism as a self-regulating monistic system.