Studies on Plato, Aristotle and Proclus: The Collected Essays on Ancient Philosophy of John J. Cleary

John J. Cleary (1949–2009) was an internationally recognised authority in many aspects of ancient philosophy. As well as penetrating and original studies of Plato, Aristotle, and Proclus, he was particularly interested in the philosophy of mathematics, and ancient theories of education. The essays included in this collection display Cleary’s range of expertise and originality of approach. Cleary was especially attentive to the problems involved in the interpretation of a philosophical text: in his reading of Plato he recognised the special status of dialogue as a privileged mode of philosophical writing. His underlying concern was the open-ended character of philosophy itself, to be pursued with intellectual rigour and respect both for the question and one’s interlocutor. These collected essays are representative of John Cleary’s philosophical life’s work. Studies on Plato, Aristotle and Proclus: Collected Essays on Ancient Philosophy of John J. Cleary 6 Contents 10 Acknowledgments 12 Brendan O’Byrne: John Cleary: A Philosophical Portrait 14 Fran O’Rourke: John Cleary: A Personal Memory 24 Paideia 32 Back to the Texts Themselves 34 Introduction 34 I. Different Traditions of Interpretation 34 II. Form and Content in the Timaeus 37 III. Competing Interpretations 42 IV. Reckoning Up Accounts 47 Conclusion 48 The Paideia of the Historical Protagoras 50 I. Protagoras as a Teacher of Civic Virtue 51 II. Dissoi Logoi as Sample Treatise for Protagorean Paideia 59 III. Conclusion 64 Competing Models of Paideia in Plato's Gorgias 68 Introduction 68 I. Rhetoric and Dialectic 70 II. Lessons in Socratic Dialectic 74 III. Contrasting Modes of Refutation 78 Conclusion 82 Erotic Paideia in Plato's Symposium 84 Introduction 84 I. Questioning Agathon 85 II. Socrates as Budding Philosopher 87 III. The Process and Goal of Erotic Paideia 90 IV. Culmination of Erotic Paideia as Initiation into the Mysteries 94 V. Alcibiades as a Failure in Erotic Paideia 96 Conclusion 101 Cultivating Intellectual Virtue in Plato's Philosopher-Rulers 104 Introduction 104 I. Distinction between Philosophers and Philodoxers 105 II. The Natural Mental Capacities Required for Philosophy 106 III. Cultivating the Intellectual Capacity for Generalisation 109 IV. Conversion of the Soul to the Intelligible Realm 115 V. Dialectic as the Coping-Stone of the Curriculum 121 Conclusion 127 Paideia in Plato's Laws 130 Introduction 130 I. Gymnastics: War Games for the Body 131 II. Music: Peace Games for the Soul 134 III. Mathematics: Usefulness for All Civic Duties 137 Conclusion: Limited Education of Citizens of Magnesia 140 Socratic Influences on Aristotle's Ethical Inquiry 142 Introduction 142 I. The Aristotelian Distinction between Practical and Theoretical Sciences 142 II. Aristotle’s Discussion of Akrasia 144 III. Aristotle’s Residual Intellectualism 155 Conclusion 160 Akrasia and Moral Education in Aristotle 162 Introduction 162 I. The Challenge of Akrasia for Moral Education 163 II. The Intermediate Place of Self-Control (Enkrateia) in Moral Education 169 III. Transition from Habitual to Complete Virtue 175 Conclusion 180 History of Mathematich 182 The Mathematical Cosmology of Plato's Timaeus 184 Introduction 184 I. The Demand for Teleological Explanation 185 II. The Project of Plato’s Timaeus 189 III. The Mathematical Ordering of the World Body 194 Physical Reasons for the Unity of the Cosmos 196 IV. The Numerical Structure of theWorld-Soul 199 V. Reason and Necessity 205 Conclusion 211 Abstracting Aristotle's Philosophy of Mathematics 212 The Role of Mathematics in Aristotle’s Philosophy of Science 213 Going through the Puzzles 214 Breaking the Impasse 217 Providing Solutions to the Aporia 222 Conclusion 229 Proclus' Philosophy of Mathematics 232 Introduction 232 I. The Intermediate Status of Mathematics 234 II. The Problem of the Ontological Status of Mathematical Objects 238 III. The Role of Mathematics in Proclus’ Epistemology and Methodology 241 IV. Geometry, Imagination and Intelligible Matter 245 Conclusion 250 History of Philosophy - A. Plato 252 Plato's Teleological Atomism 254 Introduction 254 I. Things That Happen of Necessity 254 II. The Receptacle 255 III. Generation in the Receptacle 258 Conclusion 262 The Role of Theology in Plato's Laws 264 Introduction 264 I. The Threat of Impiety and Atheism 265 II. The Antidote to Atheism and Impiety 268 III. Morbid Impiety and Its Cure 273 IV. Punishment for Impiety and Its Purposes 277 Conclusion 280 'Powers that Be': The Concept of Potency in Plato and Aristotle 282 Introduction 282 I. From Ordinary to Technical Uses of Dunamis 283 II. The Invention of Energeia 289 III. The Invention of Entelecheia 292 IV. Dunamis as a Philosophical Concept 297 V. Changing Powers 299 VI. The Distinction between Kinêsis and Energeia 305 VII. Perception and Thinking as Energeiai 311 VIII. The Unmoved Mover as Pure Activity: The Highest of the Powers That Be 321 Conclusion: Happiness as Imitatio Dei 326 History of Philosophy - B. Aristotle 330 On the Terminology of 'Abstraction' in Aristotle 332 I. A Puzzle about Terminology 333 II. Philological Excursus 337 III. Technical Usage 339 IV. Abstract Objects 344 V. The Epistemology of Abstraction 354 Conclusion 362 Science, Universals, and Reality 364 Introduction 364 I. The Dialectical Treatise On Ideas 365 II. Aristotle’s Response to the Arguments ‘from the Sciences’ 380 III. Substance and Universals 388 1. Conditions of Essential Predication 389 2. Puzzles about Universals and Particulars 394 3. No Universal Is a Substance 402 Conclusion 408 Phainomena in Aristotle's Methodology 410 Introduction 410 I. Historical Context 411 II. Aristotle and the Astronomers 413 III. No Trespassing into Another Genus 426 IV. Are Practical Sciences Purely Dialectical? 437 Conclusion: The Cyclical Return of Truth 444 Aristotle's Criticism of Plato's Theory of Form Numbers 446 Introduction 446 I. Plato’s Conception of Number 448 II. Aristotle’s Criticism of Form Numbers 455 III. Aristotle’s Conception of Numbers and Their Unity 460 Conclusion: Misleading Comparisons 469 Aristotle's Criticism of Plato's First Principles 472 Introduction 472 I. Platonic Principles 473 II. Puzzles about Plato’s Principles 478 III. Aristotle’s Criticism of the Platonic Principles 481 IV. Aristotle’s Principles of Sensible Substance 484 Conclusion 493 Should One Pray for Aristotle's Best Polis? 496 Introduction 496 Conclusion 507 Emending Aristotle's Division of Theoretical Sciences 510 Conclusion 541 History of Philosophy - C. Proclus and Later 544 Proclus' Elaborate Defence of Platonic Ideas 546 I. The Problematic of Plato’s Parmenides 547 II. Neoplatonic Metaphysics 548 III. Intellect as Moving Cause 551 Conclusion 554 Proclus as a Reader of Plato's Timaeus 556 Introduction 556 I. Proclus’ Principles of Interpretation 557 II. Interlude on Prayer 563 III. The Demiurge as Efficient Cause of the Sensible Cosmos 565 Conclusion 572 The Rationality of the Real: Proclus and Hegel 574 Introduction 574 I. Mathematics as a Procline Model for Systematisation 577 II. Theology as Proclus’ Systematic Science 580 III. Philosophy as Hegel’s Systematic Science 589 Conclusion 594 Plato's Philebus as a Gadamerian Conversation? 596 Introduction 596 I. The Link between Demonstration and Conversation 598 II. Excursus on Dialectic in the Philebus 602 III. Benign Hermeneutical Circles 610 Conclusion 613 Bibliographies 616 I. John J. Cleary 616 II. Ancient Texts and Translations 618 III. Secondary Literature 621 Index of Modern Authors 638 John Cleary : A Philosophical Portrait / Brendan O'byrne -- John Cleary : A Personal Memory / Frank O'rourke -- Paideia -- Back To The Texts Themselves -- The Paideia Of The Historical Protagoras -- Competing Models Of Paideia In Plato's Gorgias -- Erotic Paideia In Plato's Symposium; Cultivating Intellectual Virtue In Plato's Philosopher-rulers -- Paideia In Plato's Laws -- Socratic Influences On Aristotle's Ethical Inquiry -- Akrasia And Moral Education In Aristotle -- History Of Mathematics -- The Mathematical Cosmology Of Plato's Timaeus -- Abstracting Aristotle's Philosophy Of Mathematics -- Proclus' Philosophy Of Mathematics History Of Philosophy -- A. Plato -- Plato's Teleological Atomism -- The Role Of Theology In Plato's Laws -- 'powers That Be' : The Concept Of Potency In Plato And Aristotle -- History Of Philosophy -- B. Aristotle -- On The Terminology Of 'abstraction' In Aristotle -- Science, Universals, And Reality -- Phainomena In Aristotle's Methodology -- Aristotle's Criticism Of Plato's Theory Of Form Numbers -- Aristotle's Criticism Of Plato's First Principles -- Should One Pray For Aristotle's Best Polis? -- Emending Aristotle's Division Of Theoretical Sciences -- History Of Philosophy -- C. Proclus And Later -- Proclus' Elaborate Defence Of Platonic Ideas -- Proclus As A Reader Of Plato's Timaeus -- The Rationality Of The Real : Proclus And Hegel -- Plato's Philebus As A Gadamerian Conversation? Edited By John Dillon, Brendan O'byrne, Fran O'rourke. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. John J. Cleary (1949 2009) was an internationally recognised authority in ancient Greek philosophy. This volume of penetrating studies of Plato, Aristotle, and Proclus, philosophy of mathematics, and ancient theories of education, display Cleary s range of expertise and originality of approach."