Genesi e forme del neoplatonismo inglese: il XVIII secolo

This essay attempts to reconstruct the modes and forms of Neoplatonic influence on modern English aesthetics. First, it presents concrete evidence or plausible hypotheses for a significant presence (and widespread interest in the thought) of Plato, Plotinus, and the ancient and Renaissance Neoplatonists. It then identifies the causes of this presence; specifies the value it had in the contemporary cultural climate - the continuity of a doctrine not always resulting from a favourable reception or acceptance of its methods; and finally clarifies the relationship between Platonism and empiricist doctrines.