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Professor John Dillon

Fellow Emeritus (Classics)

 dillonj@tcd.ie

 


Biography

DATE OF BIRTH: 15. 9 .1939 PLACE OF BIRTH: Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A. NATIONALITY: Irish/U.S. EDUCATION: 1948-53 St. Gerard's School, Bray, Co. Wicklow 1953-7 Downside School, Nr. Bath, Somerset 1957 Entrance scholarship in Classics to Oriel College, Oxford 1957-61 Oriel College, Oxford, B.A. (Lit. Hum.) 1963 M.A. (Oxon). 1963 -4 Ist. Year Law studies, King's Inns, Dublin 1964-6 Graduate studies at U.C.D. with Prof. John O'Meara. Topic: 'The Commentary of Calcidius on Plato's Timaeus' 1966-9 Graduate studies at University of California, Berkeley, with Prof. Gerson Rabinowitz. 1969 Ph. D. (Univ. of California, Berkeley), 'The Commentary of Iamblichus on Plato's Timaeus: A Collection of the Fragments, with Translation and Commentary.' TEACHING POSITIONS 1961-3 Teaching English and Latin, The English School, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 1964-6 Teaching Latin and Greek, Glenstal Abbey School, Murroe, Co. Limerick, Ireland 1966-69 Associate in Classics, University of California, Berkeley 1969-72 Assistant Professor of Classics, U.C. Berkeley 1972-77 Associate Professor of Classics, U.C. Berkeley, 1974-76 Chairman, Division of Interdisciplinary and General Studies, U.C. Berkeley 1976-77 Visiting Professor of Classics, Trinity College, Dublin 1977-80 Professor, and Chairman of the Dept. of Classics U.C, Berkeley, 1980- Regius Professor of Greek, Trinity College, Dublin 1982 Visiting Professor of Classics, U.C. Berkeley Spring Quarter 1984 Visiting Professor of Classics, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Fall Semester 1993 Visiting Professor of Classics, University of Washington, Winter Term RESEARCH/ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS 1988 Visiting Scholar, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, Jan. - April 1996 Visiting Directeur de Recherche, C.N.R.S., Paris, Winter-Spring 1997-- Director, Dublin Centre for the Study of the Platonic Tradition 2003 -- Director, Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies in Athens 2003 Oct.-Nov. Visiting Research Fellow, Universidad Carlos III - Madrid 2006 March Visiting Professor, Gakushuin University, Tokyo PROFESSIONAL AWARDS AND HONORS 1976-7 Faculty Research Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley 1982 Elected to Fellowship, Trinity College, Dublin 1983 Member, Royal Irish Academy (Council: 1987-8; 1990-4; 1998-2002; Senior Vice-President, 2001/2) 2004-7 President, International Plato Society 2005 Gold Medal in the Humanities of the Royal Irish Academy 2010 Elected Corresponding Member of the Academy of Athens

Representations

Details Date
Director, Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies in Athens 2003 -- Present
Director, Dublin Centre for the Study of the Platonic Tradition 1997 - Present
Chairman, Division of Interdisciplinary and General Studies, U.C. Berkeley 1974-76

Memberships

Membership of Professional Institutions, Associations, Societies

Details Date From Date To
Royal Irish Academy; International Society for Neoplatonic Studies; American Philological Association, Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy, International Plato Society (President, 2004-7) 1983 Present
Marie-Elise Zovko, John Dillon, Tourism and Culture in Philosophical Perspective, Springer Verlag, 2023, Book, PUBLISHED
The Philosopher as Tourist in, editor(s)Marie-Elise Zovko, John Dillon , Tourism and Culture in Philosophical Perspective, Springer Nature, 2023, pp21 - 32, [John Dillon], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Intellect Sober, Intellect Drunk: Reflections on the Plotinian Ascent Narrative in, editor(s)Sara Ahbel-Rappe, Danielle Layne, Crystal Addey , Soul Matters: Plato and Platonists on the Nature of the Soul, SBL Press, 2023, pp83 - 97, [John Dillon], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Plutarch as a Polemicist in, editor(s)Frances B Titchener, Alexei Zadorojnyi , The Cambridge Companion to Plutarch, Cambridge University Press, 2023, pp101 - 121, [John Dillon, Alexei Zadorojnyi], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Carl Séan O"Brien, John Dillon, Platonic Love from Antiquity to the Renaissance, Cambridge University Press, 2022, Book, PUBLISHED
Galen on Soul-Body Relations in, editor(s)Svetla Slaveva-Griffin, Ilaria L.E. Ramelli , Lovers of the Soul, Lovers of the Body: Philosophical and Religious Perspectives.in Late Antiquity, Harvard University Press, 2022, pp49 - 63, [John Dillon], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Pico della Mirandola on Platonic Love in, editor(s)Carl Séan O'Brien, John Dillon , Platonic Love from Antiquity to the Renaissance, Cambridge University Press, 2022, pp222 - 237, [John Dillon], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
Telemachus - Joyce and the Greeks in, editor(s)Declan Kiberd et al , The Book About Everything, London, Head of Zeus, 2022, pp7 - 21, [John Dillon], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
The Early History of the Noetic Triad in, editor(s)Dragos Calma , Reading Proclus and the Book of Causes, Vol. 3, Leiden, Brill, 2022, pp391 - 405, [John Dillon], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED
John DIllon, L'ivresse de l'intellect : quelques réflexions au sujet du récit plotinien de l'Ascension, Etudes platoniciennes, 17, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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John Dillon, Review of 'The New Cambridge Companion to Plotinus', by Lloyd P. Gerson, James Wilberding, eds , International Journal of the Platonic Tradition, 2024, Notes: [Lloyd P. Gerson & James Wilberding, eds. The New Cambridge Companion to Plotinus, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022. Pp. xxiv + 471], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Galen's Epistemology: Experience, Reason and Method in Ancient Medicine', by R. J. Hankison, Matyás Havrda , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2023, Notes: [R. J. Hankison, Matyás Havrda, Galen"s Epistemology: Experience, Reason and Method in Ancient Medicine. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2022. pp. viii + 323. ISBN 9781316513484], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Selfhood and Rationality in Ancient Greek Philosophy from Heraclitus to Plotinus', by A.A. Long , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2023, Notes: [A.A. Long, Selfhood and Rationality in Ancient Greek Philosophy from Heraclitus to Plotinus. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2022. pp. 228. ISBN 9780198803393], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Calcidius on Plato's "Timaeus": Greek philosophy, Latin reception, and Christian contexts', by Gretchen Reydams-Schils , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2021, Notes: [Gretchen Reydams-Schils, Calcidius on Plato's "Timaeus": Greek philosophy, Latin reception, and Christian contexts. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020. pp. vii, 243. ISBN 9781108420563 $99.99.], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Aristoxenus of Tarentum: The Pythagorean Precepts (How to Live a Pythagorean Life)', by C. Huffman , Journal of Hellenic Studies, 141, 2021, p291-292 , Notes: [C. Huffman, Aristoxenus of Tarentum: The Pythagorean Precepts (How to Live a Pythagorean Life). Pp. xii + 636. Cambridge University Press, 2019], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'A Text Worthy of Plotinus: The Lives and Correspondence of P. Henry, S.J., H.-R. Schwyzer, A.H. Armstrong, J. Trouillard and J. Igal, S.J', by S. Stern-Gillet, K. Corrigan, JC Baracat jr. (eds) , Classical Review, 71, (2), 2021, p365-367 , Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Plotin. Qui es-tu?', by François Pradeau, , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2020, Notes: [François Pradeau, Plotin. Qui es-tu? Paris: Les Editions du Cerf, 2019. pp. 156. ISBN 9782204126533. €15.00], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Antiochus and Peripatetic Ethics', by Georgia Tsouni , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2019, Notes: [Georgia Tsouni, Antiochus and Peripatetic Ethics. Cambridge Classical Studies. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2019. Pp. xi, 233. ISBN 9781108420587. $105.00], Review, PUBLISHED
John DIllon, Review of 'Hierocles d'Alexandrie: Commentaire sur les 'Vers d'Or' des Pythagoriciens, Traité sur la Providence', by Noel Aujoulat, Adrien Lecerf , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2019, Notes: [Noel Aujoulat, Adrien Lecerf, Hierocles d"Alexandrie: Commentaire sur les 'Vers d"Or' des Pythagoriciens, Traité sur la Providence. Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2018], Review, PUBLISHED
John Dillon, Review of 'Philosophic Silence and the 'One' in Plotinus', by Nicholas Banner , Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2018, Notes: [Nicholas Banner, Philosophic Silence and the `One" in Plotinus. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press, 2018], Review, PUBLISHED

  

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Awards and Honours

Award Date
Elected Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy 2021
Member, Royal Irish Academy (Council: 1987-8; 1990-4; 1998-2002; Senior Vice-President, 2001/2) 1983
Elected to Fellowship, Trinity College, Dublin 1982
Faculty Research Fellowship, U.C. Berkeley 1976-7

Research Interests

Description Of Research Interests

My chief area of interest is in Greek Philosophy, and in particular Plato and the Platonic Tradition, with special reference to the Old Academy. Middle Platonism and Neoplatonism. I have an interest also in the philosophy of the early Fathers of the Christian Church, such as Origen and the Cappadocian Fathers, and in Islamic philosophy, in particular Sufism.