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NYVLT, Mark J. Aristotle and Plotinus on the Intellect: Monism and Dualism Revisited. Lanthan, Md.: Lexington Books, 2012. xiv + 263 pp. Cloth, $90.00-The philosophical ambitions of this study are wonderful. Nyvlt tackles monism versus dualism in three ways: (1) whether the universe can be accounted for by a single first principle or whether at least two must be posited; (2) whether intellect is intrinsically multiple, such that a First Principle, in order to be simple, must be beyond intellect and knowledge; (3) the nature of the ontological divide or "dualism" between God and the world. Nyvlt treats these issues through the lens of controversies in ancient philosophy, but their relevance is perennial. The question of whether the First is an intellect must be seriously considered by all philosophers who wish to reconcile philosophy with the God of special revelation. The First's relation to being remains a central issue in any metaphysics shaped by classical philosophy.
Making extensive use of the voluminous secondary literature on his authors, Nyvlt tries to avoid broad strokes and boldly strides into the scholarly controversies concerning his historical study, such as whether the testimonies to Plato's Unwritten Doctrines are unreliable, whether the Unmoved Mover knows the world, and whether Plotinus conceives of the emanation of all things as due to an internal conversion of the One to itself.
The first two chapters of part one discuss Aristotle's presentation and rejection of the Old Academy's doctrine that the One and Indefinite Dyad are...