Proclus on Whole and Part: A Reappraisal of Mereology in Neoplatonic Metaphysics - (Philosophia Antiqua) by Arthur Oosthout (Paperback)

About the Book

This book presents the first complete overview of part-whole relations in Proclus' Neoplatonic philosophy, with a theoretical framework based not only on the metaphysics of Plato and Aristotle, but also on the arguments of influential modern scholars of mereology.

Book Synopsis

No late ancient philosopher has written more extensively on part-whole relations than the Neoplatonic commentator Proclus. In Proclus on Whole and Part, Arthur Oosthout unfolds, for the first time, Proclus' detailed and systematic analysis of (Neo-)Platonic mereology in full. Oosthout weaves together a great number of previously disconnected scholarly inquiries into Proclus, while adding many critical notes and new insights of his own. He bases this new synthesis on a detailed theoretical framework built not only on the metaphysical theories of Plato and Aristotle, but also on the arguments of prominent scholars of modern mereology.

Review Quotes

"In this monograph, Arthur Oosthout lays out meticulously Proclus' mereology and its integration into his Neoplatonic system, showcasing both its continuity with the Platonic and Aristotelian heritage as well as its relation to modern mereology. [...]The fourth chapter acts arguably as the heart of the book since it discusses the three different types of wholeness according to Proclus [...]: (1) the whole before the parts; (2) the whole composed of parts; (3) the whole in the part. [...]The bibliography is rich and up to date. [...] Oosthout has done a great service to Neoplatonist studies by illuminating an important aspect of Proclean thought. His comparison of Proclus with contemporary philosophy should be taken as an example for further research on Neoplatonist metaphysics." - Rareș Ilie Marinescu, University of Toronto, in: Bryn Mawr Classical Review

About the Author

Arthur Oosthout, Ph.D. (2022), is a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the KU Leuven who specialises in late ancient Neoplatonism. His publications include a contribution to the recent volume Longing for Perfection in Late Antiquity (Brill, 2023).