I'm a philosopher and classicist who works primarily on late antique Platonism. I've done a lot of translation work which is detailed and specific. But I'm also interested in why anyone in his or her right mind should care about the works of Proclus, Hermias, etc. At present the discipline of philosophy has largely lost touch with the idea that its study is meant to be profoundly transformative. The Platonic tradition supposed that the transformation in question was one in which the philosopher was made divine through the study of Plato's works. As a historian, I am interested in how they supposed the act of learning and teaching Plato's work…

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