Talk:Platonic Academy

has been cited by historians
the article contains a vague claim that historians(which historians?) cite it as the first institute of higher education in the west but which historians are they?

Usage
Article has many details about some basic history of the building and area, but little about how it was used. There's a brief bit about religious rights carried out, but nothing about the teaching and methods used, the types of information taught, changes of this through its life, or its affect on education at the time and following it. Cosmicosmo (talk) 09:10, 24 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Our evidence for such things is very slight. But I have added a section Plato's Academy, which addresses some of your questions.  Isokrates (talk) 17:05, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

Cassius Longinus
Is there any evidence for the claim made in the header of this article that Cassius Longinus briefly revived the Academy in the 3rd century? He taught in Athens for a long time it would seem, but does that count as reviving the Academy? Singinglemon (talk) 20:50, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I would say no. Cassius Longinus certainly considered himself a Platonist. But if anyone can be said to have "revived" the Platonic Academy, it would be Plotinus the founder of what was later known as Neoplatonism.  But even that technically was no real revival of the Academy; hence the label "Neoplatonism".  Isokrates (talk) 14:53, 20 September 2008 (UTC)


 * I had a look in some of the principal ancient sources concerning Longinus (Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, the Suda, Eunapius, and even the Historia Augusta) but I couldn't see any mentions of the Academy at all. I decided to remove the line. There must have been plenty of Platonist philosophers teaching in Athens during the Roman period. Singinglemon (talk) 20:02, 28 September 2008 (UTC)

Academics in Rome
Could I suggest adding a section between "New Academy" and "Neoplatonic Academy" (or perhaps expanding "New Academy") on the influence of the Academics on Roman philosophers and political figures? Particularly in the late Republic at the time of Cicero and Marcus Brutus. Seems like a gap in the history of transmission. Cynwolfe (talk) 16:10, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Advertisement in the Map of Athens?
There is some sort of advertisement showing up instead of the Map of Athens? Who knows how to fix this? --Charles Jeffrey Danoff 15:31, 10 April 2013 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Charles Jeffrey Danoff (talk • contribs)

529 AD, Religious Fundamentalism Vs modern so called "neo-paganism"
Quoting the article: "(Justinian actually closing the school has come under some recent scrutiny[36])." That does not appear to meet wiki's notability standards, as well as being a bit weasely. The ref seems to be one person (from the Catholic University of America) wondering aloud that other explanations seem possible. So I removed it.

Also, just a heads up, this next statement is accused of being the propaganda of modern "neo-pagans" and is being systematically targeted as false: Quote article: "At a date often cited as the end of Antiquity, the emperor Justinian closed the school in 529 A.D."

For example these are quoted from a list of similar arguments that is widespread on the internet: Quote: "the Neo-Paganists have been propagating the HISTORICALLY FALSE information that Justinian had shut down the Athens Academy ....are being utilized by Neo-Paganists in their attempt to slander Christianity...." end quote. But in many places (including Wikipedia) they are covert & cleansed of religious context. I expand & give examples and arguments at Talk:Middle_Ages. (I also argue that this seems to be part of the well documented rapid growth of global religious fundamentalism since the 1970s.) In short they believe that calling the Dark Ages; "Dark," etc, is akin to an attack by pagans and neopagans against Christianity.

I believe that is outside of wiki guidelines in several areas. Typically they fall outside of wiki guidelines because of weakness in notability or reference quality, such as claiming minority opinions are really: "historians say." --71.138.23.59 (talk) 15:45, 22 February 2014 (UTC)Doug Bashford

Whatever the arguments, does it not strike anyone as a little strange that an article on what is an institution of considerable note, and one which had been graced by not just one famous philosopher, but a great number of well-known names, should so prominently have a picture of the man that closed it rather than a bust of Plato, or Socrates, or Aristotle or even one of the Diadochoi? Whether it was 'pagan' or not, these people were emblems of the institution and everything it stood for. You wouldn't have an article about John Lennon where the most prominent and colourful picture was that of the person who ended his life. Of course, if Justinian didn't close it -- contrary to the large consensus of academic opinion -- then his portrait would be of even less importance to warrant inclusion. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.238.85.21 (talk) 07:53, 9 September 2017 (UTC)

Did Justinian closed the Platonic Academy?
Is there an edict that says that? Do you have any sources when you claim that? According to Gregorovius, he only stopped waging them and he confiscated the property of the Academy(F.Gregorovius, history of Athens, Athens 1904, tome 1, p. 122).

“Recent studies have shown that thirty-one years later, in 560 AD, the requisitioning of the property of the exceptionally flourishing Academy had not been fulfilled” (Paolo Cesaretti, “Θεοδώρα˙ η άνοδος μιας αυτοκράτειρας” Theodora: the rise of an Empress, Oceanis Publications, page 240).

“It is frequently mentioned, that the emperor had closed down the Academy in Athens in 529. Nevertheless, that Academy continued to operate for several more decades. And in Alexandria, the idolater Olympiodorus still taught philosophy, even after 565, when Justinian died.” (Sture Linnér, Ιστορία του Βυζαντινού Πολιτισμού, History of the Byzantine Civilization, Govostis Publications, page 93).

A. Cameron (“The Last Days of the Academy of Athens”, Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society 195 [1969], 8, 25) believes that the teaching of philosophy continued in Athens, from 532 A.D., up until the Slavs besieged the city, i.e., almost fifty years later. Cameron supports this view, based on an excerpt from Olympiodorus’ commentary on Plato’s work “Alkibiades”. This commentary mentions that the concession of Plato’s School to its successors was for purely practical reasons, given that Plato himself was financially well off. Olympiodorus notes that the status of the School was successional until his time*, despite the form of partial confiscation that it underwent. According to Cameron’s rationale, in 529 A.D. the Platonic Academy had no financial support, as a result of which, its activities were significantly reduced, but not entirely discontinued. We notice that the Paganist philosopher Olympiodorus mentions the existence of the Academy during his time (he said: until his time* - and he was at his peak, around 565 A.D.), while also mentioning –and this makes his commentary a credible witness- the partial (and not total!) confiscation of property: “[…] This place of learning and research centre that was founded by Plato was preserved [….] for almost ten centuries (4th – 6th centuries A.D.) […]  (Encyclopedia “DOMI”, under the entry: “Academy”) http://www.oodegr.co/english/paganismos/sxoles1.htm

-Anonimous --46.190.34.192 (talk) 19:19, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

Era
I reverted per WP:ERA, but I agree it should be BCE. The closest the subject gets to Christianity is peripheral at best. Ian.thomson (talk) 22:07, 1 April 2018 (UTC)

"Academic School" listed at Redirects for discussion
A discussion is taking place to address the redirect Academic School. The discussion will occur at Redirects for discussion/Log/2020 October 9 until a consensus is reached, and readers of this page are welcome to contribute to the discussion. Paul_012 (talk) 04:05, 9 October 2020 (UTC)

Which infobox to use
Should I use the infobox for a university and then simply delete irrelevant entries (E.g. sports team), I remember reading that universities as such can be traced to Medieval Christian Europe?

But it seems more relevant than a school.

"Academic School" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Academic_School&redirect=no Academic School] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Utopes (talk / cont) 19:50, 8 April 2024 (UTC)