Death and immortality in late Neoplatonism : : studies on the ancient commentaries on Plato's Phaedo / / by Sebastian Ramon Philipp Gertz.

• Superior document: Ancient mediterranean and medieval texts and contexts
• Author: Gertz, Sebastian Ramon Philipp.
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Medieval philosophy, mathematics, and science.; Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic tradition ; v. 12.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (236 p.)
• Notes: Index Locorum Potiorum.
• Other title: Preliminary Material /; Introduction /; I. Olympiodorus On Suicide /; II. Politics And Purification In Socrates’ Second Defence (Phd. 63b–69e) /; III. Syrianus And Damascius: Two Interpretations Of The Argument From Opposites In Plato’s Phaedo (Phd. 69e–72d) /; IV. Memory, Forgetfulness And Recollection In The Commentaries On Plato’s Phaedo /; V. The Affinity Argument In Plato’s Phaedo /; VI. The Final Argument In Plato’s Phaedo /; VII. After Death: The Phaedo Myth And Its Neoplatonic Interpreters /; General Conclusions /; Bibliography /; Index rerum /; Index nominum veterum et recentiorum /; Index locorum potiorum /
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 128316194X; 9786613161949; 9004215050
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: by Sebastian Ramon Philipp Gertz.

The belief in the immortality of the soul has been described as one of the “twin pillars of Platonism” and is famously defended by Socrates in Plato’s Phaedo . The ancient commentaries on the dialogue by Olympiodorus and Damascius offer a unique perspective on the reception of this belief in the Platonic tradition. Through a detailed discussion of topics such as suicide, the life of the philosopher and arguments for immortality, this study demonstrates the commentators’ serious engagement with problems in Plato’s text as well as the dialogue's importance to Neoplatonic ethics. The book will be of interest to students of Plato and the Platonic tradition, and to those working on ancient ethics and psychology.