Plato on Evil——《Nine Books》—Chapter Eight

Author: Zhang Yingwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: The era in which Porphyry lived was one of the most tragic in history. During this period, most people bowed their heads and left their fate to the gods, while only a few ignited the spark of humanity in the darkness, claiming that the ultimate destination of human life lay within humans themselves. Porphyry was one of them. Many scholars have debated over Porphyry's thoughts on evil, and this book attempts to reveal the fundamental essence of Porphyry by providing detailed annotations on Chapter 8 of his treatise "" (The Nine Books) dedicated to evil. Why does the world have evil? We cannot bear for humanity to suffer eternally. The more tragic the times, the more people yearn for happiness. We expect a perfect world to await us at the end of life and history. But the question is, if we do not know how evil arises, how can we overcome it, and how can we reach the promised land of hope? In fact, different understandings of suffering directly influence how each era pursues happiness. The era in which Porphyry lived was one of the most tragic in history. During this period, most people bowed their heads and left their fate to the gods, while only a few ignited the spark of humanity in the darkness, claiming that the ultimate destination of human life lay within humans themselves. Porphyry was one of them, and he wrote a dedicated treatise on evil. This book provides detailed annotations on Chapter 8 of his "" to reveal the fundamental essence of Porphyry.