Book contents
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Cambridge Texts and Studies In Platonism
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables and Charts
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Rhetoric as an Instrument of Philosophy
- Part II Ethics
- Part III Political Science
- Part IV Mathematics
- Part V Metaphysics
- Postscript
- Bibliography
- Index Locorum
- General Index
Introduction
The Ladder of the Sciences as Divinization in Late Antique Platonism
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 December 2025
Book contents
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Cambridge Texts and Studies In Platonism
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables and Charts
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Rhetoric as an Instrument of Philosophy
- Part II Ethics
- Part III Political Science
- Part IV Mathematics
- Part V Metaphysics
- Postscript
- Bibliography
- Index Locorum
- General Index
Summary
The Introduction describes the curriculum of sciences taught in the Neoplatonist schools of Late Antiquity and the purpose of this curriculum as a divinization of the human soul. The textbooks which were read as part of the curriculum are identified, the image of a ‘ladder’ of the sciences is introduced and disagreements about the division of the sciences are indicated. The second part of the Introduction provides an overview of, and context for, the following chapters, organized in five parts: rhetoric (not as part of the curriculum, but as an instrument of philosophy), ethics, politics, mathematics, metaphysics. The arrangement of the chapters within each of the five parts is presented and the main themes of each chapter are introduced.
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- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique PlatonismSelected Essays, pp. 1 - 16Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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