Proclus: An Introduction

by Radek Chlup

Proclus of Lycia (412-485) was one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity, producing the most systematic version of late Neoplatonic thought. He exercised enormous influence on Byzantine, medieval, Renaissance and German Classical philosophy, ranking among the top five of ancient philosophers in terms of the number of preserved works. Despite this he is rarely studied now, the enormous intricacy of his system making the reading of his treatises difficult for beginners. This book provides the first comprehensive introduction to all the basic areas of Proclus' thought. It carefully guides the reader through his metaphysics, theology, epistemology and theory of evil, as well as his sophisticated philosophy of religion. It also sets Proclus in the historical, social and religious context of late antiquity, offering a synthetic account that will appeal to historians and students of ancient religion.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

346 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good for wrapping my head around things in Proclus. I also recommended it to a few other people while in the middle of reading it because some of the earlier chapters were so good. It also has diagrams in it. I was ecstatic when I learned that it did, and I even checked out a library book so I could scan and see them in higher res than the ebook (because they're way too tiny and there's no way to zoom). Highly recommend!

[A.J. McMahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended my reading of this book with the thought that by the time I get around to reading it again, I will be in a position to much better understand it because I will have done much more reading about Proclus by then. As it is, this book is very good at presenting a very difficult subject to the reader. Chlup is a careful, methodical, painstaking scholar with a much better prose style than most academics, and with much more heart as well. (As the saying goes never follow a path without a heart.) His presentation of all the aspects of Proclus's thought is superbly done. I found that by the end of the book I was in an immeasurably better position to go forward. Probably the biggest weakness of the book was Chlup's failure to properly explain the bewildering multitude and variety of Proclean deities. On a recent visit to Japan I saw a notice at a shrine with a reference to the "8 million gods", and Proclus comes across a bit like that. Furthermore, all these deities form vertical chains and horizontal classes, which Chlup presents with the aid of extremely complicated diagrams that make everything even more confusing. Still, for anyone who is looking for an introduction to the Last Great Philosopher of Antiquity, in whose work is to be found the summation and culmination of a millennia of Platonism, there is only this book. It is the only game in town at the moment.

[Philemon - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neoplatonism formed a very compact tradition whose members only differed in details. Plotinus, on the other hand, founded no real tradition, for his approach expected the ability to keep in mind a number of distinct aspects all at once and to see and retain the unities and distinctions at the same time - an achievement requiring supreme intellectual talent few have ever possessed. One pass on this book isn't enough: I'll need to go back multiple times, if I live that long..

[Yuli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely amazing book!

[Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains diagrams which are helpful in illustrating the metaphysical system of Proclus.

[Cw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great summary of Proclus' philosophy, as well as the history of Platonism and Neoplatonism in particular. Well worth reading.

[Plato · Rating 5 out of 5]

The diagrams are crazy.

[Andrew Clayton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to the complex philosophy and theology of Proclus.