John West wrote:

One thing this thread has shown is that a lot of us are influenced by Platonism (and I don't just mean in the broad sense in which even Aristotle is a Platonist). Jeremy, who didn't reply, holds a lot of Plato's positive doctrines; and I'm influenced by Plato and Socrates in my heavy use of the aporetic method (which sort of dominates my comments here the last few months). A lot of others included Plato or obvious Platonist influences in their replies.

I personally think Platonism offers more in the way of transcendence than Aristotelianism; it just seems a better match for a religious person.

Etzelnik wrote:

John West wrote:

One thing this thread has shown is that a lot of us are influenced by Platonism (and I don't just mean in the broad sense in which even Aristotle is a Platonist). Jeremy, who didn't reply, holds a lot of Plato's positive doctrines; and I'm influenced by Plato and Socrates in my heavy use of the aporetic method (which sort of dominates my comments here the last few months). A lot of others included Plato or obvious Platonist influences in their replies.

I personally think Platonism offers more in the way of transcendence than Aristotelianism; it just seems a better match for a religious person.

Yes, I suppose. Even Aquinas is "an Aristotelian on earth, a Platonist in heaven".

John West wrote:

I'm going to be away for the next couple months after tomorrow. (I'll still be writing those posts for Ontological Investigations, and can be reached through PMs if needed.)

You never told us your three biggest philosophical influences!

John West wrote:

CharlieBlack wrote:

You never told us your three biggest philosophical influences!

Nobody asked!

Consider yourself asked! (When you have time for it.)

The one problem with Platonism compared to Aristotelianism is it can get a bit too otherworldly--I remember Pierre Hadot having that complaint about Plotinus, that it was like visiting a foreign realm divorced from everyday life. Which I can sympathize with, so I like paying attention to the Thomists because I need a good dose of common sense philosophy every so often. Otherwise the apophaticism and eliminative idealism creep in. Or worse.

Hypatia wrote:

The one problem with Platonism compared to Aristotelianism is it can get a bit too otherworldly--I remember Pierre Hadot having that complaint about Plotinus, that it was like visiting a foreign realm divorced from everyday life. Which I can sympathize with, so I like paying attention to the Thomists because I need a good dose of common sense philosophy every so often. Otherwise the apophaticism and eliminative idealism creep in. Or worse.

Interestingly, Plotinus didn't seem to have that problem if we are to believe Porphyry.  He adopted orphans and stressed the (chronological) priority of the civic virtues over the intellectual/purificatory virtues.  Definitely strange how the emblematic anti-worldly, head in the stars, Platonist was rather practical.