Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Neoplatonism

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

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More than one eminent scholar claims that the entire course of Western philosophy has been a development of efforts to understand Plato and it is certainly not possible to measure the profound significance of Platonism for the subsequent history of thought. This prolific and multifaceted influence informed the work of Aristotle, the Greek and Roman Sceptics and Stoics, the Middle Platonists (first century BCE to the second century CE), the Neo-Platonists, certain medieval philosophers, and the thinkers and poets of the Italian Renaissance.

Plato is traditionally held to have been born in 428 or 427 BCE, probably in Athens. His family was both wealthy and politically active; his relatives included infamous oligarchs and important members of the notorious “Thirty Tyrants” who overthrew

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Citation: Wood, Kelsey. "Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Neoplatonism". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=867, accessed 29 March 2024.]

867 Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Neoplatonism 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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