Essays on Plato

by Edward P. Butler

A collection of new and previously published essays offering an interpretation of Plato at once novel and in harmony with the best philosophical traditions of antiquity. Includes "Polytheism and Metaphysics (I): Divine Relation," "Plato’s Gods and the Way of Ideas," "Animal and Paradigm in Plato," "Esoteric City: Theological Hermeneutics in Plato’s Republic," "Polytheism and the Euthyphro," "Toward a New Conception of Platonic Henology" and "On the Gods and the Good".

Genres: Philosophy

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2018

Reviews

[Galina Krasskova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, and a must read for polytheistic theologians and philosophers. it's a huge step toward reclaiming our classical birthright, that is philosophy, from monotheistic (scholastic) appropriation.

[Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this because it brought certain enlightening perspectives to the Greek gods I’ve been hearing about forever. When it comes down to it I’ve never seriously read a lot of the “great” philosophers like Plato and Aristotle but I am familiar with greek ideals and representations like the back of my hand.

This book is valuable because it’s a scholar giving you tips on how to read Greek philosophy because we don’t understand their perspective on their beliefs. It is so interesting diving deeper into the perspectives that people had back then, especially when their philosophy has lasted aslong as Plato. The book gives insights into what resonates with people and that probably has some sort of inherent value.

Different broad observations are really interesting to think about at the end of each essay, like one spoke to the necessity to practice what you feel is holy or sacred. This practicing also imbues the thing with value. Another is about the paradox of what makes you an individual. Another is about not being too much a champion of revelation or reasoning, you want to value both.

All of this gives light to perspective people had during the times the Bible was written, and enlightens many of the religious language and concepts prevalent during this time period, which obviously was a big deal cuz I’m talking about it.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

the the wild Amazone

Essential polytheist reading of Plato and late antique neoplatonism

since grad school at dalhousie I've been fascinated by the work of Edward Butler, who brings a true polytheistic sensibility to readings of Plato, Proclus, and Neoplatonism as a whole; he addresses the tension resultant from monotheistic Neoplatonic readings and gives special attention to the divine henads, often neglected in scolarship.

I can't recommend this work highly enough to the polytheist, platonist, and student of ancient philosophy. It has been especially enlightening as someone who has more found himself at loggerheads in debate with scholars adhering to monotheistic readings of Neoplatonism.

marc vollebekk

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Getting to the root of Plato's Plato

For anyone who has learned and read Plato as a 'warmup' to Christianity, this short book will come as something of a revelation, likely turning your reading of Plato upside down.

As Butler writes in his introduction

- The aim of these essays is to grasp Platonism as the living root of the Western philosophic tradition before the tradition became hegemonic through the monotheistic capture of the Platonic 'One'.

To do so, Butler proposes a 'henological' reading of Plato, one that focuses not on the ontological question of 'what there is', but on the question of the internal integrity of individuals (units) their possible combinations.

Shifting the focus in this way, Plato's polytheism comes to the fore as something to be taken seriously and grappled with, not swept aside as an inconvenience.

If we take seriously Butler's claim that Platonism is the "living root of the Western philosophic tradition", this reconfiguration has profound consequences for how we think that tradition, and with it, our place in it.

As a place to begin that rethinking, I can do no better than to recommend the seven essays in this volume.

Although slim, this is a book that will repay several close readings and sustained engagement.

Colombo