Source books · Neoplatonism
On Abstinence from Animal Food
How this book fits
- Traditions
- Neoplatonism
- Role in the tradition
- Primary source Written from inside the tradition: scripture, revelation, a grimoire, a manifesto or a practical treatise.
- Public attention
- Notable Wikipedia has an article about it in 5 languages.
Read it
- in Taylor's Select Works of Porphyry ↗ gutenberg.org checked September 11, 2026
From Wikipedia
On Abstinence from Eating Animals is a 3rd-century treatise by Porphyry on the ethics of vegetarianism. The four-book treatise was composed by the philosopher as an open letter to Castricius Firmus, a fellow pupil of Plotinus who had renounced a vegetarian diet.
From the Wikipedia article On Abstinence from Eating Animals, revision 1374166631, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata Q53944224: “work by Porphyry”.
In this study
In the chronology, in Porphyry's account.
Connects vegetarianism with purification and the philosophical life.