Simplicius c. 490 AD – c. 560 AD
Simplicius of Cilicia was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher and the last great commentator on Aristotle in the Athenian tradition. After the closure of the Platonic Academy by Justinian in 529, he traveled with Damascius and other colleagues to the court of the Sasanian king Khosrow I in Persia and, after returning to the Roman Empire under guarantees of toleration, devoted himself to writing detailed commentaries on Aristotle's Categories, On the Heavens, Physics, and On the Soul, and on the Encheiridion of Epictetus. His commentaries preserve an extraordinary amount of earlier philosophical thought, including many fragments of the Pre-Socratics.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Greek
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Platonism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Simplicius:
“True philosophy preserves what was best in earlier philosophy.”
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Attributed to Simplicius:
“Aristotle's words must always be understood in their philosophical context.”
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Attributed to Simplicius:
“Light is the most fitting metaphor for being.”
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Attributed to Simplicius:
“Plato and Aristotle, rightly read, do not contradict each other.”
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Attributed to Simplicius:
“It is the task of the commentator to set out the philosopher's meaning, not his own.”