The exegetical role of syllogisms: The theory behind the “applied logic” of the Neoplatonic commentaries on Plato.

In the Neoplatonic milieu of the V-VI centuries A.D., it was a common practice to use syllogisms to reconstruct the logic of Plato's arguments. This possibly served three different purposes: to clarify Plato's thought for didactic purposes, to bring clarity to exegetical disputes, and even to establish Plato's reputation as an authority in logic. The logical tools adopted by the Neoplatonic authors were a case of ‘applied logic’, largely derived from a combination of Aristotelian syllogistics and Stoic hypothetical and propositional logic. The project proposes to study the role occupied by this logical tradition in the interpretive strategies and implicit assumptions which Neoplatonic authors apply to the exegesis of Plato’s dialogues. The central hypothesis of this project proposal is that the sorts of logical reconstructions used and the purpose for which they are used vary according to the subject-matter dealt with in the dialogues commented upon. To support this hypothesis, the current project will provide two different perspectives on this topic: a case-by-case study of the use of syllogistic reconstructions in the exegetical practice of Proclus on particular dialogues compared with the logical intervention applied on the same dialogue by other Neoplatonic commentators; and a diachronic study of the most relevant tools derived from the logical tradition.