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: Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

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First circulation or publication c. 155 - c. 170

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

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Treatise

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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 taken and reinterpreted by Apuleius. His interpretation of

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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://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35522, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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)]

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