The Heirs of Plato: A Study of the Old Academy (347-274 BC)

by John Dillon

Overview

The Heirs of Plato is the first book exclusively devoted to an in-depth study of the various directions in philosophy taken by Plato's followers in the first seventy years or so following his death in 347 BC—the period generally known as 'The Old Academy'. Speusippus, Xenocrates, and Polemon, the three successive heads of the Academy in this period, though personally devoted to the memory of Plato, were independent philosophers in their own right, and felt free to develop his heritage in individual directions. Dillon's clear and accessible book fills a significant gap in our understanding of Plato's immediate philosophical influence, and will be of great value to scholars and historians of ancient philosophy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198237662
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	04/10/2003
Pages:	262
Product dimensions:	8.76(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.00(d)

Table of Contents

A. 1 The Riddle of the AcademyB. Plato's Intellectual LegacyA. 2. Speusippus and the Search for an Adequate System of PrinciplesB. PhilosophyA. 3. Xenocrates and the Systematization of PlatonismB. PhilosophyA. 4. Polemon, Champion of Ethical PraxisB. PhilosophyA. 5. Minor FiguresB. Hermodorus of SyracuseC. Heraclides of PontusD. Crantor of SoliE. Conclusion6. Epilogue: Arcesilaus and the Turn to ScepticismBibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Dillon pieces together a coherent account from textual shards and succeeds admirably in telling a good and learned story." —Religious Studies Review

"Dillon's book [contains a] wealth of information and systematic analysis. Classicists and philosophers will learn a great deal from reading it. Also, they will probably enjoy Dillon's clear and often witty prose, as I did."—Notre Dame Philosophical Review

From the Publisher