History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

HoP 096 - Dominic O'Meara on Neoplatonism

Dominic O'Meara speaks with Peter about political philosophy and mathematics in Neoplatonism

HoP 095 - Anne Sheppard on Ancient Aesthetics

Anne Sheppard joins Peter to discuss aesthetics from Plato to Proclus

HoP 094 - The Platonic Successor - Proclus

Proclus displays late Neoplatonism in all its glory

HoP 093 - Pythagorean Theorems - Iamblichus

Iamblichus fuses Platonism with pagan religious conviction and sets the agenda for Neoplatonism in generations to come.

HoP 092 - King of Animals - Porphyry

Porphyry defends vegetarianism and the harmony of Plato and Aristotle

HoP 091 - James Wilberding on Nature and Neoplatonism

James Wilberding joins Peter to examine what Plotinus and Porphyry contributed to the philosophy of nature

HoP 090 - A Decorated Corpse – Plotinus on Matter and Evil

Plotinus struggles to explain the presence of suffering, evil and ugliness in a world caused by purely good principles – and tells us what role we should play in that world.

HoP 089 - On the Horizon - Plotinus on the Soul

For Plotinus, Soul is on the border between the physical and intelligible realms. Can he convince us to identify ourselves with its highest part?

HoP 088 - Simplicity Itself - Plotinus on the One and Intellect

Plotinus posits an absolutely transcendent first principle, the One. What is it (or isn’t it), and how does it relate to Intellect?

HoP 087 - A God is My Co-Pilot - the Life and Works of Plotinus

Peter introduces Plotinus, the greatest philosopher of late antiquity and the founder of Neoplatonism

HoP 086 - Serafina Cuomo on Ancient Mathematics

How did the mathematics of figures like Euclid and Archimides relate to ancient philosophy? Peter finds out in an interview with Serafina Cuomo

HoP 085 - Sky Writing - Astronomy, Astrology, and Philosophy

Ptolemy uses philosophy in the service of studying the stars, while philosophers of all persuasions evaluate the widespread practice of astrology.

HoP 084 - Silver Tongues in Golden Mouths - Rhetoric and Ancient Philosophy

Themistius, Quintilian, Lucian and other authors tell us about the connections between rhetoric and late ancient philosophy

HoP 083 - Not Written in Stone – Alexander of Aphrodisias

Alexander of Aphrodisias writes the greatest ancient commentaries on Aristotle and tries to demolish the Stoic teaching on fate

HoP 082 - Lost and Found – Aristotelianism after Aristotle

Peter looks at the history of Aristotelianism up the time of the Roman Empire and the beginning of commentaries on his works

HoP 081 - Jan Opsomer on Middle Platonism

Jan Opsomer helps Peter to understand principles, Plato interpretation, and Plutarch in a wide-ranging discussion of Middle Platonism

HoP 080 - Delphic Utterances - Plutarch

Plutarch was a historian, a priest of Apollo, and a Platonist

HoP 079 - To the Lighthouse - Philo of Alexandria

Philo of Alexandria uses Platonism to understand the Bible of Moses

HoP 078 - Middle Men - the Platonic Revival

Pioneering thinkers Eudorus, Alcinous, and Numenius fuse Pythagoreanism with Platonism and pave the way for Plotinus.

HoP 077 - Caesarian Section – Philosophy in the Roman Empire

In late antiquity, Aristotelianism and Platonism made a comeback, and pagan philosophy developed alongside Judaism and Christianity.