De Deo Socratis by Apuleius. Short summary

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The work is based on Aristotle’s On the Universe, Auleus speculates on Aristotle’s teachings on the universe. The writer presents his philosophical views in an idealistic spirit.

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The work is part of a three-part philosophical trilogy in which Apuleius seeks to categorize and analyze the scientific work of the three major philosophers of antiquity, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. In examining them, it is clearly seen that all three works are bound together by one thought: the glorification of Platonism.

In On the World, Apuleius imitated Aristotle’s famous work On the Universe. The ancient Greek philosopher dedicated his work to Alexander the Great, who was his pupil. Here, too, the similarities are evident. Apuleius also dedicates the novel to his disciple, Faustinus, a person who left no trace in history and therefore we do not know.

In his work, the writer tries to acquaint the reader with Aristotle’s teachings on the universe, but it is presented in a typical Apuleian idealistic manner, which leads to the loss of the philosophical views of the original source.