Proclus on Place as the Luminous Vehicle of the Soul (original) (raw)
Related papers
Review, I. Papachristou, John Philoponus on physical place (BMCR)
2022
John Philoponus (also known as John the Grammarian) was a late ancient thinker and Aristotlian commentator, who is remarkable for the originality of his ideas and novelty of his interpretations. Instead of defending Aristotle's theory of place in his Commentary on Aristotle's Physics, Philoponus argues for his own theory of place as a self-subsistent, incorporeal, three-dimensional extension distinct from bodies.
2011
The Junior Research Group »Place, Space and Motion« investigates the role of spatial concepts in physical theories in the millennium from Plato (4th century BCE) through Philoponus and Simplicius (6th century CE). In particular, we examine the explicit theoretical views of ancient physicists and philosophers concerning space, the spatial features of bodies, and the existence of isomorphisms among space, change, and time. Projects are devoted to issues in Plato's Timaeus and Aristotle's Physics, and to the interwoven reception of these texts in Middle Platonism and Late Platonism. We trace the evolving answers given to such central questions as whether space is metaphysically basic or is rather dependent upon bodies or even non-spatial entities (such as souls); the possibility of empty space; the causal role of space in nature; how spatial structures make certain kinds of change possible or necessary. The group aims to produce a series of essays and commentaries examining key texts of Plato and Aristotle and tracing the reception and transformation of their views in Middle-and Late Platonism. (b) Methods. The group engages in close reading and interpretation of ancient texts, with the aim of constructing a history of engagement with the questions indicated above. The main areas of expertise brought to bear on the relevant texts lie in classical philology, history of ideas, history of science, and systematic philosophy. In a weekly research seminar, individual research projects and results are presented in detail and discussed in the light of these varied disciplines and skill sets. (c) State of Discussion. Relevant texts are interpreted both internally and in the light of their relationships with earlier sources and later readings. In this way a narrative is emerging of development and interrelationship among ancient theories of space-a narrative with some shape and coherence, but without the suppression of details and uncertainties. The group is also beginning to pay more attention to epistemological issues, concerning the sources of theoretical knowledge about space, and the evolving standards of argument, justifi cation, and presentation of such knowledge.
Bodies and Space in the Timaeus
Plato’s Timaeus, 2021
Bodies are shown to be related to something else from the very beginning of Timaeus’ speech. The original twofold distinction between being and becoming is later on expanded by the addition of a third kind. In this paper, I try to shed some light on the relationship between bodies and the third kind. In the passage dealing with the three kinds (48a–53b) relationship between bodies and the third kind has three prominent facets. First, bodies are “in” the third kind as in a receptacle or container. Second, bodies are modifications of the third kind and therefore parts of the third kind are bodies themselves. Third, bodies are modifications of the third kind that do not prevent other modifications from taking place. At the end of the section 48a–53b, the third kind is identified with space, and starting from line 53b bodies are shown to have a geometrical nature. From this perspective, we can see how the first two facets of the relationship of bodies to the third kind are materialized: a geometrical figure is both in space and it is a modification of space. However, Timaeus’ third characterization of this relationship cannot be explained from this perspective. This inconsistency is due to the different connotations of bodies in both passages. In the passage dealing with the three kinds, bodies are shown to be an utterly dependent image of the eternal paradigm in the receptacle. In the passage dealing with geometrical nature of bodies, body is shown to be an independent and self-sufficient geometrical structure. Neither of these connotations should be rejected, and it is clear that Plato wants us to think about body as an image of eternal being, whose specific independence has a geometrical nature.
The Nature of Place and the Place of Nature in Plato and Aristotle
I offer a comparison between Plato's discussion of cwv ra in the Timaeus at 48A-53C and Aristotle's discussion of tov po~ in Physics Book IV, arguing that the two accounts have more in common than has been suggested by Continental scholars. Tov po~ and cwv ra both signal what I call the impasse of place as the question of that which cannot be reduced to either the sensible or the intelligible, and which (un)grounds such categories. Identifying this impasse reveals Plato's and Aristotle's accounts of "place" as strikingly dissimilar from the Newtonian category of Absolute Space; and it also suggests new ways of thinking the relationships between bodies, motion, place and nature.
Abstract: This paper aims to reconstruct Syrianus’ account of place as an empty interval that serves as a cosmological intermediary between the physical cosmos and the World Soul. Rather than being a passive container filled by physical bodies, place plays a crucial role: teleologically oriented by higher hypostases and acting on behalf of the World Soul at the cosmic level, it presides over the motion of each element and the cosmos as a whole. In this way, Syrianus offers an insightful theoretical solution to a major problem in Plato, namely the relationship between intelligent and mechanical causes: by transmitting intelligent causality throughout the cosmos, place effectively accounts for the ordered, natural motions within the physical world, thereby preserving the primacy of the World Soul. Accordingly, Syrianus’ treatment of place is not merely a precursor to Proclus’ views, but stands out as distinctive and valuable in its own right.