The Heirs of Plato A Study of the Old Academy (347-274 BC) [Paperback]

The Heirs of Platois the first book exclusively devoted to an in-depth study of the various directions in philosophy taken by Plato's followers in the first seventy years or so following his death in 347 BC--the period generally known as 'The Old Academy'. Speusippus, Xenocrates, and Polemon, the three successive heads of the Academy in this period, though personally devoted to the memory of Plato, were independent philosophers in their own right, and felt free to develop his heritage in individual directions. Dillon's clear and accessible book fills a significant gap in our understanding of Plato's immediate philosophical influence, and will be of great value to scholars and historians of ancient philosophy.

A.1 The Riddle of the AcademyThe Physical Structure of the Academy
B. Plato's Intellectual Legacy
A.2. Speusippus and the Search for an Adequate System of PrinciplesLife and Works
B. Philosophy
A.3. Xenocrates and the Systematization of PlatonismLife and Works
B. Philosophy
A.4. Polemon, Champion of EthicalPraxisLife and Works
B. Philosophy
A.5. Minor FiguresPhilippus of Opus
B. Hermodorus of Syracuse
C. Heraclides of Pontus
D. Crantor of Soli
E. Conclusion
6. Epilogue: Arcesilaus and the Turn to Scepticism
Bibliography

Dillon pieces together a coherent account from textual shards and succeeds admirably in telling a good and learned story. --Religious Studies Review

Dillon's book [contains a] wealth of information and systematic analysis. Classicists and philosophers will learn a great deal from reading it. Also, they will probably enjoy Dillon's clear and often witty prose, as I did. --Notre Dame Philosophical Review