La fuerte presencia de Plutarco en The True Intellectual System of the Universe de Ralph Cudworth

NATALIA STROK

Conferencia; 13th International Society of Neoplatonic Studies Conference; 2015

Plutarch of Chaeronea?s (ca. 45?120) works are constantly present as a source in the monumental Ralph Cudworth?s (1617-1688) The True Intellectual System of the Universe (TIS). The author finds in them testimonies of ancient philosophies that helps him fight with those atheistic doctrines that seems to gain strength in his days. Cudworth?s erudition offers the reader a great deal of quotations both in the original language and in his translations into English. In this sense, the first chapter of TIS presents texts, according to Johan Lorenz Mosheim, from Plutarch?s Placitis Philosophorum in its 1599 edition, among others works, such as Adversus Colotem, and appears to be one of the most important sources throughout the whole book. But this one is today known as a Pseudo-Plutarch?s work, a part of which have been published in modern times under the collective term of Moralia, recollecting Plutarch?s and Pseudo-Plutarch?s wrintings.Another use of Plutarch?s writings in TIS can be found in the thirteenth paragraph of Chapter 4, which shows a number of criticisms that Cudworth makes to the author of one of his constant sources. This chapter studies the different ideas on God that ancient philosophers have and; even though accepting the idea is better than being an atheist, some of them do not share entirely Cudworth?s idea of God. As an example of this, he presents Plutarch?s doctrine of two principles (or maybe three) and criticises this philosopher?s understanding of Plato?s idea of God, especially on his Timaeus? reading. Cudworth makes uses here of Plutarch?s Platonicae Quaestiones, De Iside et Osiride, De animae procreation ex Timaeo, De Comminibus Notitis contra Stoicos, and testimonies of other later Platonists over Plutarch. This allows me to think that in some cases Plutarch is not a reliable source for ancient doctrines, which means a tension in Cudworth?s work. This paper seeks to study Cudworth?s criticisms towards Plutarch in TIS?s Chapter 4 in order to present some important distinctions that the seventeenth-century philosopher makes within the Platonic tradition and how he conceives himself as a part of it. This will lead me to present some historiographical reflections as well.