This study proposes that Neoplatonism, while not a modern philosophy, is philosophy in the modern sense. Lloyd analyzes the key structures that underlie the dogmas of the Neoplatonic world picture, including the concept of emanation, the return of the soul to the One, the place of mystical knowledge, epistemology, and Porphyry's theory of predication, and shows that they rest on original but intelligible concepts and arguments.

The Anatomy of Neoplatonism was the crowning achievement of A. C. Lloyd, the distinguished scholar of late ancient philosophy. He offers a rich and authoritative study of this school of thought, which was highly influential not only on subsequent philosophy but also on Christian theology. His discussion ranges over metaphysics, epistemology, logic, and language, and reveals the fundamental structure of Neoplatonist thought; the book is essential reading for all who work in this area. Lloyd shows that while Neoplatonism is not (...) a modern philosophy, it is indeed philosophy in the modern sense. (shrink)

The case for believing that aristotle thought perceptible qualities to be 'secondary' qualities or sense data has no firm grounds. Three types of argument for it are examined and claimed to be mistaken: the argument from the identity of act and object of perception, The argument from the "de anima" definitions, The argument from the formula 'receiving the form without the matter'. It is more likely that aristotle believed thinking to be involved in perception, So that his doubts about faculty (...) psychology are to be taken seriously. (shrink)