Proclus

Proclus (410-485 CE) was a pupil of Syrianus and succeeded him as administrator of the Athenian School of Neoplatonism. More of a synthesizer and commentator on philosophy than an originator, he was (and is) an excellent source for commentary on Platonism; one of his major works is entitled Platonic Theology. Another work, Elements of Theology, is an evaluation of Neoplatonic metaphysics. Proclus' theories are similar in many respects to those of Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism. Being a Platonic idealist, Proclus believed that all things are essentially thoughts and that the highest level of reality subsists in an objective mind (the One). He believed that this One is the originator of all things and is equivalent to the Good. The further removed from the One something is, the less real it is. A common objection waged against Proclus' theory is that beings cannot directly interact with the One; they can only interact with beings immediately above them on the hierarchy of reality. Proclus is considered to be the last major Greek philosopher.

Marda Kaiser