Book contents
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Cambridge Texts and Studies In Platonism
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables and Charts
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Rhetoric as an Instrument of Philosophy
- Part II Ethics
- Chapter 6 Ethics in Plotinus and His Successors
- Chapter 7 Innovations in Plotinus’ Theory of Virtue
- Chapter 8 Ancient Biographies of Pythagoras and Epicurus as Models of the Philosophical Life
- Chapter 9 Patterns of Perfection in Damascius’ Life of Isidore
- Chapter 10 Love in Plotinus’ Thought
- Chapter 11 Explaining Evil in Late Antiquity
- Chapter 12 Explaining Evil in Justinian’s Reign
- Chapter 13 Philosophos Oikonomos
- Part III Political Science
- Part IV Mathematics
- Part V Metaphysics
- Postscript
- Bibliography
- Index Locorum
- General Index
Chapter 13 - Philosophos Oikonomos
Household Ethics in Porphyry’s Vita Plotini and in Marinus’ Vita Procli
from Part II - Ethics
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 December 2025
Book contents
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Cambridge Texts and Studies In Platonism
- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique Platonism
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Tables and Charts
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Part I Rhetoric as an Instrument of Philosophy
- Part II Ethics
- Chapter 6 Ethics in Plotinus and His Successors
- Chapter 7 Innovations in Plotinus’ Theory of Virtue
- Chapter 8 Ancient Biographies of Pythagoras and Epicurus as Models of the Philosophical Life
- Chapter 9 Patterns of Perfection in Damascius’ Life of Isidore
- Chapter 10 Love in Plotinus’ Thought
- Chapter 11 Explaining Evil in Late Antiquity
- Chapter 12 Explaining Evil in Justinian’s Reign
- Chapter 13 Philosophos Oikonomos
- Part III Political Science
- Part IV Mathematics
- Part V Metaphysics
- Postscript
- Bibliography
- Index Locorum
- General Index
Summary
‘Economics’, i.e., household ethics, was included in the Late Antique ladder of sciences as a branch of practical philosophy. In Chapter 13, a preliminary sketch is proposed of this science, its topics and the authoritative texts to be used in its study. Comparing some chapters of Porphyry’s Life of Plotinus and of Marinus’ Life of Proclus, I show how in these texts Plotinus and Proclus exhibit exemplary practice in household ethics and how Marinus’ portrait of Proclus attempts to show his superiority in comparison with Porphyry’s portrait of Plotinus. I also indicate further texts where more material can be found concerning Late Antique Platonist household ethics.
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- The Ladder of the Sciences in Late Antique PlatonismSelected Essays, pp. 181 - 192Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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