The Once and Future History of Neoplatonism: From Early Modernity to Postmodernity
Location
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
Presentation Type
Presentation
Start Date
17-9-2018 12:00 PM
Description
The history of Neoplatonic philosophy is one of the great dramas of Western intellectual culture. Beginning in the third century A.D. with Plotinus’ attempt to systematize key insights from the Platonic corpus, the paths of Neoplatonism through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to early modernity and postmodernity have influenced almost every domain of culture, including literature, art, and politics. One of the most intriguing aspects of this complex evolution is the fact that every epoch has had to reinterpret Neoplatonic philosophy for its own purposes, and this process has almost always involved rewriting the history of Neoplatonism itself. This is true of the 15th century Florentine Platonism of Marsilio Ficino as well as the so-called Cambridge Platonists of the 17th century. This paper charts the complexities of this evolution from early modern Europe to the advent of postmodern philosophy in the 20th century. It attempts to articulate the abiding significance of Neoplatonic philosophy for thinkers ranging from Leibniz to William Blake and Hegel to Nietzsche and Derrida. Moreover, I will demonstrate that these thinkers never viewed Neoplatonism simply as a thought system to interrogate, but also as a tradition of speculation whose history was as important as its content. In this respect, the tradition of Neoplatonism always involves complex meditations on the nature of philosophy as well as its history.
Recommended Citation
Woods, Chance B., "The Once and Future History of Neoplatonism: From Early Modernity to Postmodernity" (2018). Humanities Symposium. 31.
https://repository.belmont.edu/humanities_symposium/2018/2018/31
The Once and Future History of Neoplatonism: From Early Modernity to Postmodernity
Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094
The history of Neoplatonic philosophy is one of the great dramas of Western intellectual culture. Beginning in the third century A.D. with Plotinus’ attempt to systematize key insights from the Platonic corpus, the paths of Neoplatonism through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to early modernity and postmodernity have influenced almost every domain of culture, including literature, art, and politics. One of the most intriguing aspects of this complex evolution is the fact that every epoch has had to reinterpret Neoplatonic philosophy for its own purposes, and this process has almost always involved rewriting the history of Neoplatonism itself. This is true of the 15th century Florentine Platonism of Marsilio Ficino as well as the so-called Cambridge Platonists of the 17th century. This paper charts the complexities of this evolution from early modern Europe to the advent of postmodern philosophy in the 20th century. It attempts to articulate the abiding significance of Neoplatonic philosophy for thinkers ranging from Leibniz to William Blake and Hegel to Nietzsche and Derrida. Moreover, I will demonstrate that these thinkers never viewed Neoplatonism simply as a thought system to interrogate, but also as a tradition of speculation whose history was as important as its content. In this respect, the tradition of Neoplatonism always involves complex meditations on the nature of philosophy as well as its history.
Comments
Convocation Credit: Society and the Arts and Sciences