There's an extent to which I think about the way both Pastor Johnny and the CCRU talk about unity, though probably the former especially, and end up feeling like Neoplatonists such as Damascius already kinda had it when they argued unity and multiplicity as different expressions of the same thing.
September 27, 2026 at 10:49 PM
There's an extent to which I think about the way both Pastor Johnny and the CCRU talk about unity, though probably the former especially, and end up feeling like Neoplatonists such as Damascius already kinda had it when they argued unity and multiplicity as different expressions of the same thing.
Neoplatonists will be the end of us.
September 25, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Neoplatonists will be the end of us.
And they both premise that god would necessarily be mean. I’m sure the ai ghost story people have all sorts of reasons of why the ai god would necessarily be mean, but they’re not exactly neoplatonists. At least the neoplatonists did the metaphysics.
September 16, 2026 at 6:52 PM
And they both premise that god would necessarily be mean. I’m sure the ai ghost story people have all sorts of reasons of why the ai god would necessarily be mean, but they’re not exactly neoplatonists. At least the neoplatonists did the metaphysics.
before getting to the Neoplatonists.
September 12, 2026 at 5:39 PM
before getting to the Neoplatonists.
I got my hands on a copy of my recent article on Schelling, Plato, and Spinoza. Aside from a horrid typo I found, I'm pretty happy with this one. Reach out if you're interested in giving it a read.
September 9, 2026 at 8:43 PM
I got my hands on a copy of my recent article on Schelling, Plato, and Spinoza. Aside from a horrid typo I found, I'm pretty happy with this one. Reach out if you're interested in giving it a read.
Can't say I really see a strong connection, aside from the monism, which is hardly unique to neoplatonists. There are even hints of it in Descartes, although he doesn't fully commit to saying that God is the only substance of which all else is modes
September 4, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Can't say I really see a strong connection, aside from the monism, which is hardly unique to neoplatonists. There are even hints of it in Descartes, although he doesn't fully commit to saying that God is the only substance of which all else is modes
>> pluralistic if we'd kept a bunch of competing schools instead of Plotinus and the subsequent neoplatonists making sure that their Plato–Aristotle synthesis was the only game in town by the time people started wearing trousers, living in castles, eating exclusively turnips etc
September 3, 2026 at 1:34 PM
>> pluralistic if we'd kept a bunch of competing schools instead of Plotinus and the subsequent neoplatonists making sure that their Plato–Aristotle synthesis was the only game in town by the time people started wearing trousers, living in castles, eating exclusively turnips etc
Neoplatonists btfo, screaming and crying because they can't point to an objective essence of a person beyond the dynamic body the person appears in
August 31, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Neoplatonists btfo, screaming and crying because they can't point to an objective essence of a person beyond the dynamic body the person appears in
historically, it's kind of a miracle that that Aristotle guy did not sink into total oblivion, and that it's basically the arabs and the neoplatonists, and then some random Dominican friar that kept him more or less alive. and then more or less nothing.
August 23, 2026 at 8:10 AM
historically, it's kind of a miracle that that Aristotle guy did not sink into total oblivion, and that it's basically the arabs and the neoplatonists, and then some random Dominican friar that kept him more or less alive. and then more or less nothing.
time-traveling neoplatonists banishing poets and musicians from the coming Republic in desperate bid to prevent the “Bassilisk” lol
August 21, 2026 at 1:40 PM
time-traveling neoplatonists banishing poets and musicians from the coming Republic in desperate bid to prevent the “Bassilisk” lol
the problem with reading the neoplatonists after reading piranesi (the novel by susanna clarke) is that now everything feels like piranesi with extra steps
August 14, 2026 at 6:55 PM
the problem with reading the neoplatonists after reading piranesi (the novel by susanna clarke) is that now everything feels like piranesi with extra steps
Have I gotten real high and ranted at you about how the people in Trump's regime appear to be doing statue magic? Thaumaturgic telestike...which folds back into the Wafflehouse teleporter guy, who is describing thaumaturgic flight. Neoplatonists are the worst!
August 8, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Have I gotten real high and ranted at you about how the people in Trump's regime appear to be doing statue magic? Thaumaturgic telestike...which folds back into the Wafflehouse teleporter guy, who is describing thaumaturgic flight. Neoplatonists are the worst!
It’s actually Two neoplatonists and a raccoon in a trench coat and some corduroy slacks
July 31, 2026 at 5:02 AM
It’s actually Two neoplatonists and a raccoon in a trench coat and some corduroy slacks
Yup. And the neoplatonists were post-hellenic, 2nd century AD. Their influence comes in the transition from monotheistic temple Judaism to rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity, not in making temple Judaism monotheistic
July 30, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Yup. And the neoplatonists were post-hellenic, 2nd century AD. Their influence comes in the transition from monotheistic temple Judaism to rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity, not in making temple Judaism monotheistic
The choice of actual world is then given by God’s benevolence. Heloads the dice in favour of the most information that can be squeezed into a causally complete and consistent world, which is essentially a version of the Neoplatonists’ conception of beauty as harmony taken from Augustine.
July 28, 2026 at 6:42 AM
The choice of actual world is then given by God’s benevolence. Heloads the dice in favour of the most information that can be squeezed into a causally complete and consistent world, which is essentially a version of the Neoplatonists’ conception of beauty as harmony taken from Augustine.
Working on a paper about this for a chapter in my book + how the view changed due to the rose of Athenian conservativism, Neoplatonists and christianity
July 23, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Working on a paper about this for a chapter in my book + how the view changed due to the rose of Athenian conservativism, Neoplatonists and christianity
reflecting on the extremes where my passion for theology and the pursuit of understanding my religious faith become a pretty nasty vice, even though those things are good in themselves
July 23, 2026 at 8:45 AM
reflecting on the extremes where my passion for theology and the pursuit of understanding my religious faith become a pretty nasty vice, even though those things are good in themselves
Neoplatonists aren’t that different though, whether they’re e.g. more Hegel or more Heidegger. Cut from the same cloth
July 22, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Neoplatonists aren’t that different though, whether they’re e.g. more Hegel or more Heidegger. Cut from the same cloth
The people complaining about Nolan's interpretation of The Odyssey would lose their minds if they found out what the Stoics and Neoplatonists thought it meant.
July 22, 2026 at 12:41 AM
The people complaining about Nolan's interpretation of The Odyssey would lose their minds if they found out what the Stoics and Neoplatonists thought it meant.
I sort of want to figure out how to include a Secret Level in my otherwise introductory History of Philosophy course that's basically Christian Neoplatonists vs. Hellenic Pagan Neoplatonists.
July 17, 2026 at 8:16 PM
I sort of want to figure out how to include a Secret Level in my otherwise introductory History of Philosophy course that's basically Christian Neoplatonists vs. Hellenic Pagan Neoplatonists.
… The see saw, the pendulum, the backgammon board, the needle stitching along, and the light traveling between heavenly bodies, all speak of duality. Even the philosophers along the golden thread from Socrates through ancient and modern Neoplatonists … Aeropagitic writers? …
July 17, 2026 at 1:20 AM
… The see saw, the pendulum, the backgammon board, the needle stitching along, and the light traveling between heavenly bodies, all speak of duality. Even the philosophers along the golden thread from Socrates through ancient and modern Neoplatonists … Aeropagitic writers? …
I certainly get the sense that the late Roman fin de siècle moment led to a lot of intellectual ferment, and Christianity had a better “why is the Empire falling and why does everything suck” story than, say, the neoplatonists.
July 2, 2026 at 3:55 PM
I certainly get the sense that the late Roman fin de siècle moment led to a lot of intellectual ferment, and Christianity had a better “why is the Empire falling and why does everything suck” story than, say, the neoplatonists.
of the person he was sculpting. The Neoplatonists referred to an imaginal body, the 'ochema', that carried you like a vehicle. It was your personal bearer or support. For some it is Lady Luck or Fortuna; for others a genie or jinn, a bad seed or evil genius. In Egypt,
2/
2/
June 29, 2026 at 3:47 AM
of the person he was sculpting. The Neoplatonists referred to an imaginal body, the 'ochema', that carried you like a vehicle. It was your personal bearer or support. For some it is Lady Luck or Fortuna; for others a genie or jinn, a bad seed or evil genius. In Egypt,
2/
2/
im not trying to focus on any particular variety, technically im learning attic because thats just what most of my resources use, but my focus is on koine and atticized koine such as used in the gospels and the works of the neoplatonists
so im trying ancient greek again cause im fixating a little and im just kinda going through this little book called logos and while im a bit slow its so fascinating to just, read and understand whats in front of me even if only roughly
like this is real basic shit but im *reading greek*
like this is real basic shit but im *reading greek*
June 21, 2026 at 4:32 PM
im not trying to focus on any particular variety, technically im learning attic because thats just what most of my resources use, but my focus is on koine and atticized koine such as used in the gospels and the works of the neoplatonists