Overview

Porphyry's On Abstinence from Killing Animals is one of the most interesting books from Greek antiquity for both philosophers and historians. In it, Porphyry relates the arguments for eating or sacrificing animals and then goes on to argue that an understanding of humans and gods shows such sacrifice to be inappropriate, that an understanding of animals shows it to be unjust, and that a knowledge of non-Greeks shows it to be unnecessary. There are no Neoplatonist commentaries on Aristotle's Ethics from the period AD 250-600. Thus, although this work is not a commentary on Aristotle, it fills a gap in this series by going to the heart of ethical debates among Neoplatonists around AD 300, and revealing one ascetic Neoplatonist's view of the ideal way of life. It also records rival positions taken on the treatment of animals by Greek philosophers over the previous six hundred years.

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""Clark's introduction covers Porphyry's life... and catalogues ancient arguments for vegetarianism, including the remarkably modern position... that animals are rational and therefore entitled to just treatment from humans... Clark's illuminating edition of antiquity's most extensive and thought-provoking discussion of vegetarianism deserves a place in every undergraduate and graduate library.""-Stephen T. Newmyer, Duquesne University, The Classical Outlook, Spring 2001 ""The translation of, and commentary on, this work by Gillian Clark is to be welcomed by everyone interested in this ancient debate, both in its own right and in terms of the perspective it offers on the contemporary debate regarding the moral status of animals...Porphyry summarizes both the pro and con sides in the ancient debate, with his own view decidedly on the pro side.""-Ethics, April 2002

The translation of, and commentary on, this work by Gillian Clark is to be welcomed by everyone interested in this ancient debate, both in its own right and in terms of the perspective it offers on the contemporary debate regarding the moral status of animals. . . .Porphyry summarizes both the pro and con sides in the ancient debate, with his own view decidedly on the pro side. -Ethics, April 2002

"""Clark's introduction covers Porphyry's life... and catalogues ancient arguments for vegetarianism, including the remarkably modern position... that animals are rational and therefore entitled to just treatment from humans... Clark's illuminating edition of antiquity's most extensive and thought-provoking discussion of vegetarianism deserves a place in every undergraduate and graduate library.""-Stephen T. Newmyer, Duquesne University, The Classical Outlook, Spring 2001 ""The translation of, and commentary on, this work by Gillian Clark is to be welcomed by everyone interested in this ancient debate, both in its own right and in terms of the perspective it offers on the contemporary debate regarding the moral status of animals...Porphyry summarizes both the pro and con sides in the ancient debate, with his own view decidedly on the pro side.""-Ethics, April 2002"

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