Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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What does it mean to be a good person? How should one behave? What is our soul like? How is it structured? And how does our soul affect our behaviour? These are questions that have occupied us...Show moreWhat does it mean to be a good person? How should one behave? What is our soul like? How is it structured? And how does our soul affect our behaviour? These are questions that have occupied us since the dawn of time. This thesis explores the ways in which Middle Platonist thinkers of the second century AD in particular approach such questions of good moral behaviour. As it turns out, these thinkers tend to focus on the human soul and its constitution in order to tackle moral conundrums. Therefore, the research question this thesis aims to answer is as follows: how do the Middle Platonists of the second century AD use the structure of the human soul in order to enforce practical ethics? By examining the works of Maximus of Tyre, Alcinous, and Galen – authors active in different genres within the Middle Platonic philosophical movement – through the lenses of both ancient psychology as well as ancient moral psychology, this thesis aims to advocate for the presence of a methodology of psychological morality in Middle Platonism: the structure of the human soul is noticeably being used in order to enforce ideal behaviour.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis focuses on the philosophical meaning of literal silence in the later Platonic tradition (first to sixth century AD). With ‘literal silence’ I mean the phenomenon or act of silence...Show moreThis thesis focuses on the philosophical meaning of literal silence in the later Platonic tradition (first to sixth century AD). With ‘literal silence’ I mean the phenomenon or act of silence itself that is explicitly indicated in a text. As this thesis shows, silence is not a static but a dynamic concept whose meaning is transformed over time. The first chapter treats the silent philosopher trope in the (Neo)Pythagorean tradition and shows that silence was seen as a philosophical virtue and a (better) alternative to language. These types of silence were intentional and immanent, and also often communicative. The second chapter focuses on quietness as a characteristic of the first principle and as an ontological posture in Middle Platonic and Neoplatonic thought. In this philosophical development, silence is no longer immanent to speech but transcends the human capacity for language. In the last chapter, I show how the thoughts on the limits of language impact the dialectical method and the literary form of some Christian Platonic dialogues that stand out for their silent interlocutors. The conclusion reflects on the different instances of silence and shows how their meanings flow into each other while being transformed throughout antiquity with every author.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
Does every individual human being have its own Form in the intellectual world? In contrast with his Platonic forerunners, Plotinus presents in Ennead V.7 an original approach to this controversial...Show moreDoes every individual human being have its own Form in the intellectual world? In contrast with his Platonic forerunners, Plotinus presents in Ennead V.7 an original approach to this controversial question and does not hesitate to deal with the question with a perspective that is broader than purely metaphysical. He goes beyond his predecessors in trying to come up with a comprehensive and philosophically correct discussion and does not contend himself with a didactic and dogmatic repetition of the (presumed) Platonic point of view. By means of a structuralistic approach, this commentary demonstrates that Plotinus denies the existence of a Form of an individual, but instead posits an individual forming principle (logos) in the soul. In addition, it is shown that Augustine in his remarks on the Form of the individual is clearly inspired by Plotinus.Show less
