Alcinous Quotes
Alcinous was a Greek philosopher of the second century AD and the author of the Handbook of Platonism, the principal surviving systematic introduction to Middle Platonist doctrine. The work presents Platonic philosophy as a unified body of teaching, organized into logic, physics, and ethics, and incorporates Aristotelian, Stoic, and Pythagorean elements within a recognizably Platonic framework. The quotes below are attributed to Alcinous, organized by topic.
Alcinous on God
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Attributed to Alcinous:
“The end of human life is assimilation to God so far as is possible.”
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Attributed to Alcinous:
“God is the intellect that thinks the Forms.”
Alcinous on Mind
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Attributed to Alcinous:
“Philosophy is the release of the soul from the body.”
Alcinous on Nature
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Attributed to Alcinous:
“Matter receives form but is itself without form.”
Alcinous on Truth
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Attributed to Alcinous:
“The Forms are the eternal patterns of all that becomes.”