Eternity in Ancient Philosophy

Wilberding, James

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199781874.003.0002

Cited by 5 publications

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“…51 This is my revised translation. Wilberding (2016) 4b22-25.5a1-14. 58 The anonymous reader points to the fact that Simplicius himself states that Plotinus is following Plato calling time an image of eternity (ὥσπερ ὁ Πλάτων φησίν, In Cat.…”

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What Time is Not

Seissl

2022

Int. J. Platonic Tradit.

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In one of the most famous but equally obscure passages in the Timaeus, Plato describes the generation of time and the heavens. The “moving image of eternity” (37d5) is commonly read as Plato’s most general characterisation of time. Rémi Brague famously challenged the traditional interpretation on linguistic grounds by claiming that Plato actually did not conceive of time as an image (εἰκών) but rather as a number (ἀριθμός). In this paper, I shall claim that this controversy is by no means a modern one. The traditional interpretation is mostly owed to Plato’s most prominent reader, Plotinus, who famously conceives of time in relation to eternity (Enn. III.7.13.24-25). Brague’s alternative reading, however, is anticipated by Simplicius’ attempt to refute the Plotinian interpretation, as I shall show. According to my reconstruction, Simplicius’ reading of the Timaeus not only shows why the traditional interpretation falls short, but it also offers a systematic argument that bolsters Brague’s alternative reading. Finally, I shall show that this is consistent with Plato’s text. It shall become clear that current interpretative problems are essentially prefigured in the late ancient debate.

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“…Plotinus, Enn. Proclus,[2][3][4][5][6] For Wilberding (2016) 30, this "suggests that eternity here is to be understood as a durational extension". This understanding goes back to O'Brien (1985) 63-64 and 66-67.…”

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What Time is Not

Seissl

2022

Int. J. Platonic Tradit.

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“…Second, I am obviously not suggesting that these three modes are the only ways different cultures and communities organize time or that they represent mutually exclusive modalities (e.g., Wilson 1980). Two other modes that spring immediately to mind are eternal time, in which past, present, and future are one, which appears in contexts as diverse as pre‐Socratic Greek philosophy (Wilberling 2016), Aboriginal Australian Dreamtime (Morphy 1999), and aspects of latter‐day Christian theology (e.g., Stump and Kretzmann 1981), 1 on the one hand, and presentist time, in which past and future are viewed as illusions or constructs of a solely real present (Bigelow 1996), on the other.…”

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The Predatory Present

Barker

2020

American Anthropologist

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“… 2 For two concise overviews of this development and references to further literature, see (Wilberding, 2006) and (Kalligas, 2014, pp. 1320–1327).…”

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“…See for two such arguments and further references,(Wilberding, 2006) and(Kalligas, 2014), pp. 1320-1327.…”

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Living in the Present

Wallage¹

2020

Philosophy

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AbstractThis essay examines two conceptions of the ancient ideal of ‘living in the present’, one that may be called ‘Platonic’, suggested by a remark of Ludwig Wittgenstein, and one that may be called ‘Stoic’, developed by Pierre Hadot. On both conceptions, a life lived and considered in the right way is complete in the present, so that nothing is wanting. I introduce a problem concerning the coherence of this concept: Life involves movement, and movement is aimed at some completion in the future. How, then, can a life be complete in the present and yet not be static? I consider and reject an answer by Hadot, based on psychological concentration on the present. I then propose an alternative answer, based on Aristotle's concept of complete activity, and discuss its significance for both the Platonic and the Stoic conception of the ideal. Throughout, my focus is on this metaphysical and conceptual problem, thus preparing the way for the ethical question whether ‘living in the present’ would be a good way to live.

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Eternity in Ancient Philosophy

Cited by 5 publications

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What Time is Not

What Time is Not

The Predatory Present

Living in the Present

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