Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, Series 1, No. 39This book examines the important but largely neglected issue of the intricate mutual influences between Platonism and Stoicism in the Hellenistic period, the Imperial Age, and after. Although this interrelationship is often termed "eclecticism," the authors of Platonic Stoicism reveal that the situation is much more complicated. Far from being eclectics, most Stoics and Platonists consciously appropriated material and integrated it into their own philosophical system. The dialogue between Platonists and Stoics testifies to active debate and controversy on central topics such as psychology, epistemology, physics, and ethics.

The volume collects the most important papers Pierluigi Donini wrote in the last three decades with the aim of promoting a better assessment of post-hellenistic philosophy. The philosophical relevance of post-hellenistic philosophy is now widely (though not yet universally) recognized. Yet much remains to be done. The common practice of focusing each single school in itself detracts from a balanced assessment of the strategies exploited by many philosophers of the period. On the assumption that debates among schools play a major role in the philosophy of the commentators, Donini concentrates on the interaction between leading Aristotelians and Platonists and demonstrates that the developments of both systems of thought were heavily influenced by a continuous confrontation between the two schools. And whereas in cases such as Alcinous and Aspasius this is basically uncontroversial, for other authors such us Alexander, Antiochus and Plutarch the pioneering work of Donini paves the way for a better understanding of their doctrines and definitely confirms the intellectual importance of the first imperial age, when the foundations were laid of versions of both Aristotelianism and Platonism which were bound to influence the whole history of European thought, from Late Antiquity onwards.

From Socrates and Plato onwards, the Sophists were often targeted by the authoritative philosophical tradition as being mere charlatans and poor teachers. This book, translated and significantly updated from its most recent Italian version (2nd edition, 2013), challenges these criticisms by offering an overall interpretation of their thought, and by assessing the specific contributions of thinkers like Protagoras, Gorgias and Antiphon. A new vision of the Sophists emerges: they are protagonists and agents of fundamental change in the history of ancient philosophy, who questioned the grounds of morality and politics, as well as the nature of knowledge and language. By shifting the focus from the cosmos to man, the Sophists inaugurate an alternative form of philosophy, whose importance is only now becoming clear.

The task of philosophy, the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze once wrote, is to 'overturn Platonism'. This might be true, if only we could define what Platonism is. In this clear and accessible book Mauro Bonazzi provides the first comprehensive introduction to ancient Platonism. He begins his story with Plato's Academy before moving on to the sceptical turn which occurred during the Hellenistic centuries. He then explains the theologically oriented interpretation of Plato typical of Middle Platonists and concludes with the metaphysical systems of the Neoplatonists. Platonism has often been regarded as no more than a trivial repetition of the same doctrines. This book, however, demonstrates how the attempts of Platonists over the centuries to engage with Plato's thought constitute one of the most philosophically challenging moments in the history of ancient philosophy.

The essays in this volume are all devoted to Plato's Theaetetus. In the first part, each of the three definitions of knowlege given in the dialogue are examined in turn. The second part then studies the various readings, interpretations and uses that were made of the Theaetetus throughout history, from Ancient times to Montaigne, constituting thus a rich and complex heritage.