This is our online advanced course. To find out more details about our online courses please see our dedicated page here. To register please use our google form here.
Book 4 of Proclus’ Commentary on the Parmenides. This book covers some of the most difficult problems Parmenides exposes in what is known as the theory of forms as he questions the young Socrates in the middle section of the dialogue. The book offers Proclus’ most comprehensive and subtle responses to these profound questions; we are confining our studies to the fourth book because the issues presented to the reader are very demanding.
This is a 8 week course, taking place fortnightly on Sundays at 6pm (UK time), starting in January 2026. The eight sessions are timed to run between 6-7.45pm UK time on the following Sundays Sundays 11th & 25th Jan; 8th and 22nd Feb, 8th and 22nd March and 12th & 26th April (after Easter). We use zoom and share thoughts in between sessions on Slack.
In our Intermediate online course starting in Autumn 2026 we’ll be exploring Platonic Forms/Ideas and their divine power to shape, maintain and continually perfect the manifested cosmos forms the basis of Platonic teaching. This module will explore the nature of eternal forms (or ideas) and the way in which the kaleidoscope of cosmos participates in them.
The advanced studies are especially aimed at those who feel themselves to be reasonably well established in the Platonic tradition, and who are committed to that tradition as their primary vehicle of philosophic endeavour. According to the sages of this path philosophy not only engages the best of our gnostic and life-giving powers, but also embraces a conscious communion with the higher powers through appropriate devotional practices (as Plato affirms in his Laws at 716d).
The material we cover is demanding, and we aim to go into it as deeply as possible, using basic Platonic concepts as a firm foundation for our joint study. The Trust is not in the business of judging individuals and so we leave it to you to decide whether or not you are likely to benefit by joining this level of exploration: if you would like to talk over the kind of level we are likely to be pitching the studies at please contact the education co-ordinator with the email address in the contacts footer, who would be happy to email or set up a private zoom session to talk it through.
We do need to emphasize that if you are looking simply to place Platonism in the context of what one might call the universal tradition of humankind, this is not what the explorations are aimed at – as honourable and as useful as such endeavours are. Our view is that one should drink deeply of a single coherent tradition and that an appreciation of the universal will spontaneously arise if, as it should be, the spirit of tolerance and openness is cultivated as part of that tradition. This ongoing course is our best attempt at assisting those whose focus is upon the Platonic path.
If you would like to see other upcoming online courses please click the online tag under Event type above.