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Gaia gets to know herself: Proclus on the self-perception of the cosmos
Citation
Baltzly, DC, Gaia gets to know herself: Proclus on the self-perception of the cosmos, Phronesis, 54 pp. 261-285. ISSN 0031-8868 (2009) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright Brill Publishers
DOI: doi:10.1163/156852809X441331
Abstract
Proclus' interpretation of the Timaeus confronts the question of whether the living being that is the Platonic cosmos perceives itself. Since sense perception is a mixed blessing in the Platonic tradition, Proclus solves this problem by differentiating different gradations of perception. The cosmos has only the highest kind. This paper contrasts Proclus' account of the world's perception of itself with James Lovelock's notion that the planet Earth, or Gaia, is aware of things going on within itself. This contrast illuminates several key differences between contemporary theories of perception and the neoplatonic world view. In particular, it argues that the neoplatonists had a radically different view of these matters because they assigned the property of truth not only to representations, but to objects as well. © 2009 Brill Academic Publishers.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Research Division: | Philosophy and Religious Studies |
Research Group: | History and philosophy of specific fields |
Research Field: | History of philosophy |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in philosophy and religious studies |
UTAS Author: | Baltzly, DC (Professor Dirk Baltzly) |
ID Code: | 92957 |
Year Published: | 2009 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 2 |
Deposited By: | School of Humanities |
Deposited On: | 2014-07-02 |
Last Modified: | 2015-02-10 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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