The Posthumous Life of Plato

1. Front Matter

   Pages 1-16

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2. Antiquity

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17

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   2. Plato’s First Successors

      • František Novotný

      Pages 19-25

   3. Aristotle and the Older Peripatetics

      • František Novotný

      Pages 26-39

   4. New schools: Zeno, Epicurus, Pyrrho

      • František Novotný

      Pages 40-47

   5. The Academy as the School of Uncertainty

      • František Novotný

      Pages 48-51

   6. Back to Certainty

      • František Novotný

      Pages 52-58

   7. In Rome. Cicero

      • František Novotný

      Pages 59-73

   8. Contacts with the Old Testament

      • František Novotný

      Pages 74-78

   9. Across the Boundaries of the Schools

      • František Novotný

      Pages 79-96

   10. Before Plotinus

       • František Novotný

       Pages 97-121

   11. First Contacts with Christianity

       • František Novotný

       Pages 122-150

   12. Plotinus and the Neo-Platonists

       • František Novotný

       Pages 151-176

   13. The Christian Fathers

       • František Novotný

       Pages 177-218

   14. Ancient Laudatory and Calumnious Legends on Plato

       • František Novotný

       Pages 219-235

   15. Interpretation, Criticism, Polemics

       • František Novotný

       Pages 236-261

   16. Other Responses and Effects

       • František Novotný

       Pages 262-275

3. The Middle Ages and the New Age

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 277-277

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   2. Entry into the Middle Ages in the East

      • František Novotný

      Pages 279-299

   3. The West before the Renaissance

      • František Novotný

      Pages 300-326

Plato's earthly life ended in the year 347 B. C. At the same time, however, began his posthumous life - a life of great influence and fame leaving its mark on aU eras of the history of European learning -lasting until present times. Plato's philosophy has taken root earlier or later in innumerable souls of others, it has matured and given birth to new ideas whose proliferation further dissemi­ nated the vital force of the original thoughts. It happened sometimes, of course, that by various interpretations different and sometimes altogether contradictory thoughts were deduced from one and the same Platonic doctrine: this possibility is also characteristic of Plato's genius. Even though in the history of Platonism there were times less active and creative, the continuity of its tradition has never been completely interrupted and where there was no growth and progress, at least that what had been once accepted has been kept alive. When enquiring into Plato's influence on the development of learning, we shall above all consider the individual approach of various personalities to Plato's philosophy, personal Platonism, which at its best concerns itself with the literary heritage of Plato and though accessible was not always much sought for.

• Aristotle
• Cicero
• Epicurus
• Kant
• Plato
• Plotin
• literature
• philosophy

• Oxon, UK

  J. L. Barton

Policies and ethics