Democritus Platonissans

More, Henry, 1614-1687Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 130K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Democritus Platonissans by Henry MoreAuthor: More, Henry, 1614-1687,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 25, 2009

Editor's review

Democritus Platonissans is a work written in English by the seventeenth-century English philosopher Henry More, classified under English literature and bearing a distinct philosophical and poetic character. It is not meant to be light reading but suits readers interested in early modern philosophy, the Platonic tradition, or seventeenth-century English texts. In the book More draws on the thought of Democritus and Plato; the language carries the marks of its era, with complex syntax and dense terminology, demanding patience and background knowledge. Its value lies in showing how a seventeenth-century thinker reconciled ancient atomism with Platonic ideas, offering a reference point for understanding the intellectual currents of early modern England. Readers are advised to first learn about More and his era, then proceed section by section; there is no need to grasp everything at once—mark difficult passages and read them against notes or scholarly literature. For the general reader it is less a book of entertainment than an intellectual text to be worked through with questions in mind.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in seventeenth-century English philosophy and literature
Students of the Platonic tradition or the history of early modern thought
Advanced students needing an English philosophical primary text for coursework or papers
Readers accustomed to slow reading who are willing to consult notes to understand complex English

Not a good fit for

General readers looking for light entertainment or fiction
Beginners with limited English reading experience who give up easily before complex syntax
Introductory readers expecting the clarity of a modern philosophy primer
Readers with no interest in seventeenth-century religious and philosophical controversy

Reading tips

Read the introduction or background material first to understand More's era and intellectual stance, then move on to the main text.
Proceed section by section and summarize each in your own words to avoid getting bogged down in long sentences.
Keep paper or digital notes, marking terminology and recurring concepts and reading them against one another.
Skip difficult passages at first; after finishing the whole, return to them with notes or scholarly literature for close reading.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a philosophical work or a literary one?

Both. More was a seventeenth-century English philosopher, and this work, written in English, has a clear philosophical-argumentative and poetic character, which is why it is classified under English literature in Project Gutenberg. Read it attending both to its ideas and to its stylistic features; it should not be treated like a novel or a philosophy primer.

Can I read it without a philosophy background?

You can try, but it will be difficult. The book draws on the thought of Democritus and Plato, and the language is seventeenth-century English with complex syntax and much terminology. Readers without a background should first acquire some basic knowledge of early modern philosophy and Platonism, then read slowly with notes; otherwise they may give up halfway.

Should I read the original English or look for a translation?

It depends on your purpose. For research or coursework, the original English better presents More's wording and style; if you only want the gist, consult scholarly literature or introductions first. Either way, it is not advisable to plunge directly into the original's long sentences without background.

What background knowledge should I bring to the reading?

It helps to know the intellectual and religious context of seventeenth-century England and the basic outlines of Platonism and ancient atomism. Knowing roughly which intellectual tradition More belongs to makes it easier to understand why Democritus and Plato appear together. For specific passages, use annotated editions or relevant scholarship for comparison.

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About the author

More, Henry, 1614-1687 Author · English · 1614–1687

Henry More (1614–1687) was an English philosopher and theologian and a leading figure of the Cambridge Platonists. He sought to reconcile philosophical reasoning with religious faith, striving to explain the spiritual world in rational terms, and his thought holds a distinctive place in seventeenth-century English intellectual life. The library holds one work by him, Democritus Platonissans, a philosophical poem that combines Platonism with atomistic imagery of nature. Blending speculation and poetry, it is an important text for understanding More's ideas and the spirit of his age. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and existing accounts focus mainly on his identity as philosopher and theologian and on his representative work.