Home Philosophy World Soul – Anima Mundi
book: World Soul – Anima Mundi
Book
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

World Soul – Anima Mundi

On the Origins and Fortunes of a Fundamental Idea
  • Edited by: Christoph Helmig
Languages: English, German, French
Published/Copyright: 2020
Download eBook (PDF) Download eBook (EPUB)
Become an author with De Gruyter Brill
Explore this Subject How to publish with us
Topics in Ancient Philosophy / Themen der antiken Philosophie

About this book

From Plato’s Timaeus onwards, the world or cosmos has been conceived of as a living, rational organism. Most notably in German Idealism, philosophers still talked of a ‘Weltseele’ (Schelling) or ‘Weltgeist’ (Hegel). This volume is the first collection of essays on the origin of the notion of the world soul (anima mundi) in Antiquity and beyond. It contains 14 original contributions by specialists in the field of ancient philosophy, the Platonic tradition and the history of theology. The topics range from the ‘obscure’ Presocratic Heraclitus, to Plato and his ancient readers in Middle and Neoplatonism (including the Stoics), to the reception of the idea of a world soul in the history of natural science. A general introduction highlights the fundamental steps in the development of the Platonic notion throughout late Antiquity and early Christian philosophy. Accessible to Classicists, historians of philosophy, theologians and invaluable to specialists in ancient philosophy, the book provides an overview of the fascinating discussions surrounding a conception that had a long-lasting effect on the history of Western thought.

  • First collected volume on the concept of a world soul in the history of thought
  • Seminal readings on the interrelation of cosmology, psychology and theology
  • Wide-ranging scope from Heraclitus and Plato to Neoplatonism and beyond

Author / Editor information

Christoph Helmig, University of Cologne, Germany.

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Frontmatter

    I
    Download PDF
  • Publicly Available

    Acknowledgment

    V
    Download PDF
  • Publicly Available

    Contents

    VII
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    The World Soul in Antiquity and beyond

    1
    Christoph Helmig
    Download PDF
  • Part I: Prehistory of the concept
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Is the Logos a kind of World Soul? On the relationship between cosmology and psychology in Heraclitus

    27
    Christian Vassallo
    Download PDF
  • Part II: Plato’s Timaeus and Pseudo-Aristotle’s De Mundo
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Disorderly motion and the World Soul in the Timaeus

    63
    Filip Karfík
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Die „Seele“ des Seienden bei Platon: Sophistes 248e–249a und Timaios 30a–31c

    77
    Franco Ferrari
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Ascoltare l’anima cosmica: riargomentazione ed esegesi tecnica κατὰ ζητήματα della divisio animae platonica

    91
    Federico M. Petrucci
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    The power of god in Pseudo-Aristotle’s De mundo: An alternative approach

    135
    Johan C. Thom
    Download PDF
  • Part III: Old Academy, Stoicism, and Middle Platonism
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    The World Soul takes command: The doctrine of the World Soul in the Epinomis of Philip of Opus and in the academy of Polemon

    155
    John Dillon
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Apospasma: The World Soul and its individual parts in Stoicism

    167
    Jean-Baptiste Gourinat
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Die kosmische Seele bei Ps.-Timaios Lokros und den anderen Pseudopythagorica: kosmologische und erkenntnistheoretische Aspekte

    189
    Angela Ulacco
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Calcidius on Fate and the World Soul

    211
    Carl O’Brien
    Download PDF
  • Part IV: Neoplatonism
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Plotinus on the World Soul

    245
    Damian Caluori
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    The World Soul in the embryological theories of Porphyry and Plotinus

    269
    James Wilberding
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    The World Soul in Proclus’ Timaeus Commentary

    289
    Dirk Baltzly
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    From the particular soul to the World Soul: Some puzzles in Philoponus

    309
    Marc-Antoine Gavray
    Download PDF
  • Part V: Nachleben
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    World Soul and celestial heat. Platonic and Aristotelian ideas in the history of natural philosophy

    335
    Johannes Zachhuber
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Index of Names

    355
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Index of Ancient Citations

    357
    Download PDF
  • Requires Authentication Unlicensed
    Licensed

    Index of Subjects

    363
    Download PDF

Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
January 20, 2020
eBook ISBN:
9783110628609
Hardcover published on:
January 20, 2020
Hardcover ISBN:
9783110628463
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Front matter:
8
Main content:
364
Tables:
4
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110628609
eBook ISBN: 9783110628609
Hardcover ISBN: 9783110628463
Safety & product resources
Sign up now to receive a 20% welcome discount
Institutional Access
How does access work?
Winner of the OpenAthens UX Award 2026
Winner of the OpenAthens UX Award 2026
Have an idea on how to improve our website?
Please write us.
© 2026 De Gruyter Brill
Downloaded on 13.3.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110628609/html
Scroll to top button