Apuleius, Philosophical Works [On Plato and His Doctrine (De Platone et eius dogmate), On the god of Socrates (De Deo Socratis), and On the Universe (De Mundo)]

Maeve O'Brien (Maynooth University)

Ed. by Sophia Papaioannou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Jula Wildberger (The American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 155 - c. 170

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Treatise

Resources

North African Apuleius, whose birth date is 472 years after the date of Plato’s demise, was an ardent disciple of his Greek predecessor, and studied Platonic Philosophy in Athens (Hijmans 1987: 434-436). In all his philosophical writingApuleius re-formulates elements of Platonic philosophical thought in order to accentuate the importance of discourse. Supreme rhetorical skill can be displayed only by those deeply engaged in philosophy, such a skill being exhibited in its highest form by Plato.

The gods, the nature of the soul, the mysteries of the physical universe, and how humans can know anything for certain given the vast gulf between ever-mutable humanity and the immutable divine – all basic Platonic concerns – are …

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1867 words

Citation: O'Brien, Maeve. "Philosophical Works [On Plato and His Doctrine (De Platone et eius dogmate), On the god of Socrates (De Deo Socratis), and On the Universe (De Mundo)]". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 October 2014 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35522, accessed 28 April 2024.]

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