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| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus Dominic J. O'Meara, 1995 This book is addressed to readers new to the Enneads. One of the greatest of ancient philosophers, Plotinus is attracting ever-increasing attention from those interested in ancient philosophy, late Antiquity, and the importance of this period for the Western intellectual tradition. O'Meara presents a brief outline of Plotinus's life, and of the composition of the Enneads, placing Plotinus within the intellectual context of the philosophical schools and religious movements of his time. He then discusses selected Plotinian texts in relation to a number of central philosophical issues to show how Plotinus's thinking on these issues evolved, and to assess the historical importance of his philosophy. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Enneads Plotinus, 2005-06-30 Regarded as the founder of Neo-Platonism, Plotinus (AD 204-70) was the last great philosopher of antiquity, producing 0works that proved in many ways a precursor to Renaissance thought. Plotinus was convinced of the existence of a state of supreme perfection and argued powerfully that it was necessary to guide the human soul towards this state. Here he outlines his compelling belief in three increasingly perfect levels of existence - the Soul, the Intellect, and the One - and explains his conviction that humanity must strive to draw the soul towards spiritual transcendence. A fusion of Platonism, mystic passion and Aristotelian thought, The Enneads offers a highly original synthesis of early philosophical and religious beliefs, which powerfully influenced later Christian and Islamic theology. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus: The Enneads , 2017-12-28 The Enneads by Plotinus is a work which is central to the history of philosophy in late antiquity. This volume is the first complete edition of the Enneads in English for over seventy-five years, and also includes Porphyry's Life of Plotinus. Led by Lloyd P. Gerson, a team of experts present up-to-date translations which are based on the best available text, the editio minor of Henry and Schwyzer and its corrections. The translations are consistent in their vocabulary, making the volume ideal for the study of Plotinus' philosophical arguments. They also offer extensive annotation to assist the reader, together with cross-references and citations which will enable users more easily to navigate the texts. This monumental edition will be invaluable for scholars of Plotinus with or without ancient Greek, as well as for students of the Platonic tradition. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on Eudaimonia Kieran McGroarty, 2006-10-05 This is the first full-length commentary on Plotinus' Ennead I.4 (46), a work written at a late stage in Plotinus' life when he was suffering from an illness that was shortly to prove fatal. The main concern of Ennead I.4 (46) is the good man and his pursuit of the good life. The treatise is therefore central to our understanding of Plotinus' ethical theory, and Kieran McGroarty's commentary seeks to explicate and elucidate it from a philosophical standpoint. The author's own English translation is printed on pages facing the Greek text (the editio minor of P. Henry and H. R. Schwyzer). Each chapter of the commentary begins with a short summary of the content followed by detailed discussion of paragraphs, lines, and, where necessary, individual words. McGroarty explains the structure of Plotinus' argument and identifies the sources he uses and critiques. The commentary confirms what Porphyry notes in his Life of Plotinus, that the Enneads are indeed full of hidden Stoic and Peripatetic doctrines. Appendices contain discussions of Plotinus' view on suicide, and his use of St. Ambrose's sermon On Jacob and the Good Life.--BOOK JACKET. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on Number Svetla Slaveva-Griffin, 2009-03-04 Plotinus on Number studies the fundamental role which number plays in the architecture of the universe in Neoplatonic philosophy. This book draws attention to Platinus' concept as a necesscary and fundamental link between the Platonic and the late Neoplatonic theories of number. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus Dominic J. O'Meara, 1993 This is the ideal introduction to the thought of the third-century AD writer Plotinus, one of the greatest of ancient philosophers, now enjoying a major revival of interest. Dominic O'Meara has tailored the book carefully to the requirements of students: he writes clearly and authoritatively, assumes no knowledge of Greek or expertise in ancient philosophy, stays close to the texts, and relates Plotinus's ideas to modern philosophical concerns. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Six Enneads Plotinus, 2008-01-01 |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus and the Presocratics Giannis Stamatellos, 2012-02-01 Filling the void in the current scholarship, Giannis Stamatellos provides the first book-length study of the Presocratic influences in Plotinus' Enneads. Widely regarded as the founder of Neoplatonism, Plotinus (204–270 AD) assimilated eight centuries of Greek thought into his work. In this book Stamatellos focuses on eminent Presocratic thinkers who are significant in Plotinus' thought, including Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, the early Pythagoreans, and the early Atomists. The Presocratic references found in the Enneads are studied in connection with Plotinus' fundamental theories of the One and the unity of being, intellect and the structure of the intelligible world, the nature of eternity and time, the formation of the material world, and the nature of the ensouled body. Stamatellos concludes that, contrary to modern scholarship's dismissal of Presocratic influence in the Enneads, Presocratic philosophy is in fact an important source for Plotinus, which he recognized as valuable in its own right and adapted for key topics in his thought. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision Pierre Hadot, 2022-08-22 Since its original publication in France in 1963, Pierre Hadot's lively philosophical portrait of Plotinus remains the preeminent introduction to the man and his thought. Michael Chase's lucid translation—complete with a useful chronology and analytical bibliography—at last makes this book available to the English-speaking world. Hadot carefully examines Plotinus's views on the self, existence, love, virtue, gentleness, and solitude. He shows that Plotinus, like other philosophers of his day, believed that Plato and Aristotle had already articulated the essential truths; for him, the purpose of practicing philosophy was not to profess new truths but to engage in spiritual exercises so as to live philosophically. Seen in this light, Plotinus's counsel against fixation on the body and all earthly matters stemmed not from disgust or fear, but rather from his awareness of the negative effect that bodily preoccupation and material concern could have on spiritual exercises. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on the Good or the One (Enneads VI,9) Meijer, 1992-01-01 Amazing as it may be, to this day few commentaries on the treatises of Plotinus' Enneads are written. The classic ninth treatise (VI,9 in Porphyrius' order), for example, has hardly been studied. This treatise, however, is of vital importance, because it is in this work that for the first time in the Enneads, the One in its superform emerges and Plotinus dwells on the remarkable phenomenon of a 'mystical union' of the soul with the One. A thorough analysis of the argument and its development next to philosophical and philo-logical support will be welcome to any reader of this in-triguing but difficult treatise. These aims are pursued in the main part of Meijer's work, the commentary. The first part of the book, preceding the commentary, examines the philosophical history of the concept of the One and its status in the first eight treatises. This new approach to the problem of the One leads to striking conclusions. It appears that while Plotinus was writing these first eight treatises, the concept of the One developed from that of a Supreme Entity of a Mesoplatonian character, viz. the upper part of the mind, to One of a Superone above mind. This casts an entirely new light on the position of the One in Plotinus and that of the ninth treatise itself. The third part not only examines the mystical union as pictured in the ninth treatise, but also provides a full scale discussion of Plotinus' descriptions of this union in his en-tire work. The degree of unification, viz. the question whether a part of the mystic self remains intact during the unification, is a matter of vigorous scholarly debate. Meijer shows that, in spite of some inconsistencies in his doctrine about the union, one must accept that Plotinus basically considered the union as a complete absorption of the soul into the Supreme Entity. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on Beauty (Enneads 1.6 and 5.8.1–2) Andrew Smith, 2019-11-01 A Greek edition of Plotinus's philosophical works with notes for students of Classical Greek Plotinus, the father of Neoplatonism, composed the treatise On Beauty (Ennead 1.6) as the first of a series of philosophical essays devoted to interpreting and elucidating Platonic ideas. This treatise is one of the most accessible and influential of Plotinus's works, and it provides a stimulating entrée into the many facets of his philosophical activity. In this volume Andrew Smith first introduces readers to the Greek of Plotinus and to his philosophy in general, then provides the Greek text of and English notes on Plotinus's systematic argument and engaging exhortation to foster the inner self. The volume ends with the text of and notes on Plotinus's complementary statements in On Intelligible Beauty (Ennead 5.8.1–2). Features: An overview of Plotinus's life Background discussion of Plotinus's thought and outline of his philosophical system Analysis of the relationship of Plotinus's thought to Plato’s |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus the Platonist David J. Yount, 2014-10-23 In this insightful new book David J. Yount argues, against received wisdom, that there are no essential differences between the metaphysics of Plato and Plotinus. Yount covers the core principles of Plotinian thought: The One or Good, Intellect, and All-Soul (the Three Hypostases), Beauty, God(s), Forms, Emanation, Matter, and Evil. After addressing the interpretive issues that surround the authenticity of Plato's works, Plotinus: The Platonist deftly argues against the commonly held view that Plotinus is best interpreted as a Neo-Platonist, proposing he should be thought of as a Platonist proper. Yount presents thorough explanations and quotations from the works of each classical philosopher to demonstrate his thesis, concluding comprehensively that Plato and Plotinus do not essentially differ on their metaphysical conceptions. This is an ideal text for Plato and Plotinus scholars and academics, and excellent supplementary reading for upper-level undergraduates students and postgraduate students of ancient philosophy. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Three Initial Hypostases Plotinus, 2017-04-14 Plotinus (/plɒˈtaɪnəs/; Greek: Πλωτῖνος; c. 204/5 - 270) was a major Greek-speaking philosopher of the ancient world. In his philosophy there are three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics.Plotinus taught that there is a supreme, totally transcendent One, containing no division, multiplicity or distinction; beyond all categories of being and non-being. His One cannot be any existing thing, nor is it merely the sum of all things, but is prior to all existents. Plotinus identified his One with the concept of 'Good' and the principle of 'Beauty'. His One concept encompassed thinker and object. Even the self-contemplating intelligence (the noesis of the nous) must contain duality. Once you have uttered 'The Good,' add no further thought: by any addition, and in proportion to that addition, you introduce a deficiency. Plotinus denies sentience, self-awareness or any other action (ergon) to the One. Rather, if we insist on describing it further, we must call the One a sheer potentiality (dynamis) or without which nothing could exist. As Plotinus explains in both places and elsewhere, it is impossible for the One to be Being or a self-aware Creator God. Plotinus compared the One to light, the Divine Nous (first will towards Good) to the Sun, and lastly the Soul to the Moon whose light is merely a derivative conglomeration of light from the 'Sun'. The first light could exist without any celestial body. |
| plotinus the enneads: Neoplatonism and Nature Michael F. Wagner, 2002-01-01 Original essays by leading scholars on Plotinus' philosophy of nature. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus-Arg Philosophers Lloyd P. Gerson, 2012-08-21 First published in 1999. We are fortunate in possessing a fascinating document, The Life of Plotinus, written by the philosopher Porphyry, a pupil and associate of Plotinus for the last eight years of his life. The basic facts contained in this Life can be quickly recounted. Plotinus was likely a Greek born in Egypt in AD 205. It is possible, though, that he came from a Hellenized Egyptian or Roman family. In his 28th year, Plotinus discovered in himself a thirst for philosophy. This is a collection of his works- Ennead I contains treatises on what Porphyry calls “ethical matters”; Enneads II–III contain treatises on natural philosophy or cosmology, with some rationalizations for the inclusion of III. 4, 5, 7, and 8. Ennead IV concerns the soul; V Intellect or and VI being, numbers, and the One. The thematic unity of Enneads I, IV, and V is somewhat greater than the rest. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on Intellect Eyjólfur Kjalar Emilsson, 2007-02-15 Plotinus (205-269 AD) is considered the founder of Neoplatonism, the dominant philosophical movement of late antiquity, and a rich seam of current scholarly interest. Whilst Plotinus' influence on the subsequent philosophical tradition was enormous, his ideas can also be seen as the culmination of some implicit trends in the Greek tradition from Parmenides, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics.Emilsson's in-depth study focuses on Plotinus' notion of Intellect, which comes second in his hierarchical model of reality, after the One, unknowable first cause of everything. As opposed to ordinary human discursive thinking, Intellect's thought is all-at-once, timeless, truthful and a direct intuition into 'things themselves'; it is presumably not even propositional. Emilsson discusses and explains this strong notion of non-discursive thought and explores Plotinus' insistence that this mustbe the primary form of thought.Plotinus' doctrine of Intellect raises a host of questions that Emilsson addresses. First, Intellect's thought is described as an attempt to grasp the One and at the same time as self-thought. How are these two claims related? How are they compatible? What lies in Plotinus' insistence that Intellect's thought is a thought of itself? Second, Plotinus gives two minimum requirements of thought: that it must involve a distinction between thinker and object of thought, and that the object itselfmust be varied. How are these two pluralist claims related? Third, what is the relation between Intellect as a thinker and Intellect as an object of thought? Plotinus' position here seems to amount to a form of idealism, and this is explored. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Six Enneads Plotinus, 2017-01-24 The Six Enneads of PlotinusThe Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads, is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry (c. 270 AD). Plotinus was a student of Ammonius Saccas and they were founders of Neoplatonism. His work, through Augustine of Hippo, the Cappadocian Fathers, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and several subsequent Christian and Muslim thinkers, has greatly influenced Western and Near-Eastern thought.Porphyry edited the writings of Plotinus in fifty-four treatises, which vary greatly in length and number of chapters, mostly because he split original texts and joined others together to match this very number. Then, he proceeded to set the fifty-four treatises in groups of nine (Greek. ennea) or Enneads. He also collected The Enneads into three volumes. The first volume contained the first three Enneads (I, II, III), the second volume has the Fourth (IV) and the Fifth (V) Enneads, and the last volume was devoted to the remaining Enneads. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads.Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of the universe. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus' Legacy Stephen Gersh, 2019-04-25 Using a series of case-studies from across European philosophical traditions, this book traces the influence of Neoplatonism over the centuries. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus and Epicurus Angela Longo, Daniela Patrizia Taormina, 2016-08-03 Proposes a new way of understanding themes such as matter, knowledge, human happiness and the gods in Epicurus and Plotinus. |
| plotinus the enneads: Ennead VI.9 Plotinus, 2020 A translation and commentary on Plotinus' Ennead VI.9 on the Good, being the treatise chosen by Porphyry as the culmination of Plotinus' Collected Works-- |
| plotinus the enneads: The Fourth Ennead of Plotinus Plotinus, 2017-11-24 The Six Enneads is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads. Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of the universe. Plotinus was a major Greek-speaking philosopher of the ancient world. In his philosophy there are three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics. |
| plotinus the enneads: Nature, Contemplation, and the One John N. Deck, 1967-12-15 Plotinus has been so highly regarded as a mystic that his importance as a philosopher has sometimes been thrown into eclipse. Yet neoplatonic philosophy lives in and through his works; indeed, his original development of Platonic and Aristotelian themes stands as a kind of summation of Greek philosophy as it first came to be known in the Christian West. In Nature, Contemplation, and the One, Professor Deck has undertaken a reappraisal of Plotinus' thought from the standpoint of a central doctrine in the Enneads, that of nature as contemplation. This new view enables him to show that the producing of the physical world by means of contemplation is an internally consistent doctrine with ramifications throughout the Plotinian view of being, causality, and the generation of a plural universe by the self-subsistent One. The result is a systematic account of Plotinus' major teachings, and a fresh view of their meaning and philosophic importance. Professor Deck has appended a new translation of the parts of the Enneads which are central to the doctrine of nature as contemplation, and his study proceeds by careful reference to the original texts. Students, philosophers, and historians will welcome this important and unusually clear-headed approach to a major figure in Western thought. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Six Enneads Plotinus, 1952 |
| plotinus the enneads: Reading Plotinus Kevin Corrigan, 2005 Plotinus was one of the most influential philosophers of the early Christian world, whose life was dedicated to the care of others and whose extensive treatises were recorded and preserved by his pupil and colleague Porphyry. This book provides a guide to reading and understanding Plotinus and covers many of the topics that he contemplated. |
| plotinus the enneads: The New Cambridge Companion to Plotinus Lloyd Gerson, James Wilberding, 2022-06-02 A new Companion offering student-friendly essays on this major figure in the Platonic tradition and in Greek philosophy. |
| plotinus the enneads: The First Ennead of Plotinus Plotinus, 2017-11-24 The Six Enneads is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads. Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of the universe. Plotinus was a major Greek-speaking philosopher of the ancient world. In his philosophy there are three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics. |
| plotinus the enneads: Studies on Plotinus and al-Kindi Peter Adamson, 2023-05-31 This book collects 15 papers on the greatest philosopher of late antiquity and founder of Neoplatonism, Plotinus (d.270), and the founding figure of philosophy in the Islamic world: al-Kindī (d. ca. 873). A number of the contributions focus on the text that joins the two: the so-called Theology of Aristotle, in fact an Arabic version of Plotinus’ Enneads produced in al- Kindī’s translation circle. Across several papers, Adamson argues that this translation is best understood as a reinterpretation of Plotinus designed to appeal to contemporary readers in the culture of the ’AbbÄsid era. Two contributions also analyze the notes on the Theology written by the great Avicenna. Other papers look at aspects of al-Kindī’s own thought, exploring his ideas concerning metaphysics, free will astrology, and optics. The traditions of Plotinus and al-Kindī are also treated, with papers on Plotinus’ student Porphyry and his Arabic reception, and on followers of al-Kindī. Adamson argues that we can identify what he calls a 'Kindian tradition' in the 9th-10th centuries. He discusses the philosophical presuppositions of this movement, and the use of al-Kindī’s ideas made by one particular representative of the Kindian tradition, the Persian thinker Miskawayh. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on Consciousness D. M. Hutchinson, 2018-04-26 Plotinus is the first Greek philosopher to hold a systematic theory of consciousness. The key feature of his theory is that it involves multiple layers of experience: different layers of consciousness occur in different levels of self. This layering of higher modes of consciousness on lower ones provides human beings with a rich experiential world, and enables human beings to draw on their own experience to investigate their true self and the nature of reality. This involves a robust notion of subjectivity. However, it is a notion of subjectivity that is unique to Plotinus, and remarkably different from the Post-Cartesian tradition. Behind the plurality of terms Plotinus uses to express consciousness, and behind the plurality of entities to which Plotinus attributes consciousness (such as the divine souls and the hypostases), lies a theory of human consciousness. It is a Platonist theory shaped by engagement with rival schools of ancient thought. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus - The Enneads Plotinus, 1917 This complete collection of the Enneads unites the entire compendium by Plotinus, in an authoritative translation by classical scholars James MacKenna and B. S. Page. Following the traditional organization performed by Porphyry of Tyre, the six Enneads are comprised of a total of fifty-four tractates. Each of these concerns a subject of Plotinus' philosophy, be it the transit of the soul in the afterlife, the nature of phenomena such as beauty, or the characteristics of emotions such as happiness. Many of the writings are in the Platonist tradition, in keeping with the educational ideas of classical antiquity: Plotinus lived in Rome during the 3rd century AD, and was tutored in philosophy according to centuries of established practice. Significantly, Plotinus taught about the idea of the One, a supreme being of the universe that could not be divided. His elaborations on this subject, plus his extensive discussions of human emotion and moral philosophy, made him a popularly referenced by pagans of his time, and successive waves of religious intellectuals, particularly from the Renaissance-era onward. In the 19th century a revival of interest took place, with the term neo-platonism assigned to late-classical era philosophies pioneered by Plotinus. |
| plotinus the enneads: PLOTINUS Ennead V.1 On the Three Primary Levels of Reality Eric D Perl, 2015-12-23 Plotinus' Treatise V.1 comes closer than any other to providing an outline of his entire spiritual and metaphysical system, and as such it may serve to some degree as an introduction to his philosophy. It addresses in condensed form a great many topics to which Plotinus elsewhere devotes extended discussion, including the problem of the multiple self; eternity and time; the unity-in-duality of intellect and the intelligible; and the derivation of intelligible being from the One. Above all, it shows that the so-called "e;three hypostases"e;-soul, intellect, and the One-are best understood not as a sequence of three things additional to one another, but as three levels of possession of the same content, so that each lower level-soul in relation to intellect and intellect in relation to the One-is an "e;image"e; and "e;expression"e; of its superior. Plotinus exhorts the human soul to overcome its alienation from its own true nature and its divine origin by first recognizing itself as superior to the body and the same in kind as the animating principle of the entire cosmos, and then discovering within itself the still higher levels of reality from which it derives: intellect and, ultimately, the One or Good, the supreme first principle of all things. To do so the soul must redirect its attention inward and upward to become aware of the divinity which is always within it but from which it is distracted by the clamor of the senses. |
| plotinus the enneads: Enneads Michael Atkinson, 1983 |
| plotinus the enneads: Plato and Plotinus on Mysticism, Epistemology, and Ethics David J. Yount, 2017-02-23 This book argues against the common view that there are no essential differences between Plato and the Neoplatonist philosopher, Plotinus, on the issues of mysticism, epistemology, and ethics. Beginning by examining the ways in which Plato and Plotinus claim that it is possible to have an ultimate experience that answers the most significant philosophical questions, David J. Yount provides an extended analysis of why we should interpret both philosophers as mystics. The book then moves on to demonstrate that both philosophers share a belief in non-discursive knowledge and the methods to attain it, including dialectic and recollection, and shows that they do not essentially differ on any significant views on ethics. Making extensive use of primary and secondary sources, Plato and Plotinus on Mysticism, Epistemology and Ethics shows the similarities between the thought of these two philosophers on a variety of philosophical questions, such as meditation, divination, wisdom, knowledge, truth, happiness and love. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus and the Presocratics Giannis Stamatellos, 2008-01-03 The first book-length philosophical study on the Presocratic influences in Plotinus’ Enneads. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Six Enneads of Plotinus Plotinus, 2014-01 The Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads, is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry (c. 270 AD). Plotinus is said to be the one of the founders of Neoplatonism, if not the first Neoplatonist. His work, through Augustine of Hippo, and therefore subsequent Christian and the Arab thinkers, has greatly influenced Western and Near-Eastern thought. |
| plotinus the enneads: PLOTINUS Ennead IV.8 Barrie Fleet, 2012-06-06 Plotinus was much exercised by Plato's doctrines of the soul. In this treatise, at chapter 1 line 27, he talks of "e;the divine Plato, who has said in many places in his works many noble things about the soul and its arrival here, so that we can hope for some clarity from him. So what does the philosopher say? It is clear that he does not always speak with sufficient consistency for us to make out his intentions with any ease."e; The issue in this treatise is one that has puzzled students of Plato from ancient to modern times-and is indeed a popular topic for undergraduate essays even today: Why should the philosopher, who has ascended through a long and painful process of dialectic to "e;assimilation to the divine,"e; ever descend back into the body? Plotinus himself is said by Porphyry to have attained such a state of other-worldly transcendence on at least four occasions during his lifetime, so this was a very real and personal issue for him. In this treatise we see him grappling with it. |
| plotinus the enneads: Plotinus on Self Pauliina Remes, 2011-03-03 Plotinus, the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy, conceptualises two different notions of self (or 'us'): the corporeal and the rational. Personality and imperfection mark the former, while goodness and a striving for understanding mark the latter. In this text, Dr Remes grounds the two selfhoods in deep-seated Platonic ontological commitments, following their manifestations, interrelations and sometimes uneasy coexistence in philosophical psychology, emotional therapy and ethics. Plotinus' interest lies in what it means for a human being to be a temporal and a corporeal thing, yet capable of abstract and impartial reasoning, of self-government and perhaps even invulnerability. The book argues that this involves a philosophically problematic rupture within humanity which is, however, alleviated by the psychological similarities and points of contact between the two aspects of the self. The purpose of life is the cultivation of the latter aspect, the true self. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Third Ennead of Plotinus Plotinus, 2017-11-24 The Six Enneads is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads. Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of the universe. Plotinus was a major Greek-speaking philosopher of the ancient world. In his philosophy there are three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Fourth Ennead of Plotinus Plotinus, 2017-11-24 The Six Enneads is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads. Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of the universe. Plotinus was a major Greek-speaking philosopher of the ancient world. In his philosophy there are three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics. |
| plotinus the enneads: The Fifth Ennead of Plotinus Plotinus, 2017-11-24 The Six Enneads is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry. After correcting and naming each treatise, Porphyry wrote a biography of his master, Life of Plotinus, intended to be an Introduction to the Enneads. Porphyry's edition does not follow the chronological order in which Enneads were written (see Chronological Listing below), but responds to a plan of study which leads the learner from subjects related to his own affairs to subjects concerning the uttermost principles of the universe. Plotinus was a major Greek-speaking philosopher of the ancient world. In his philosophy there are three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term Neoplatonism and applied it to him and his philosophy which was influential in Late Antiquity. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Islamic, Jewish, Christian, and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics. |
Plotinus - Wikipedia
Plotinus (/ plɒˈtaɪnəs /; Ancient Greek: Πλωτῖνος, Plōtînos; c. 204/5 – 270 CE) was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt.
Plotinus - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Plotinus’ philosophy represents one of the supreme intellectual achievements of the period that has come to be called “Late Antiquity”.
Plotinus | Ancient Philosopher & Mystic | Britannica
Plotinus (born 205 ce, Lyco, or Lycopolis, Egypt?—died 270, Campania) was an ancient philosopher, the centre of an influential circle of intellectuals and men of letters in 3rd-century …
Plotinus - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Plotinus (204—270 C.E.) Plotinus is considered to be the founder of Neoplatonism. Taking his lead from his reading of Plato, Plotinus developed a complex spiritual cosmology involving three …
Plotinus > By Individual Philosopher > Philosophy
Plotinus (c. A.D. 204 - 270) was an Egyptian/Greek/Roman philosopher of the Hellenistic period. He is widely considered the founder (along with his less famous teacher Ammonius Saccas) of the …
Plotinus: The Most Famous Neoplatonist & His Radical Metaphysics
Aug 11, 2023 · This article begins by explaining the context for Plotinus’ philosophy, along with some of the difficulties with placing Plotinus in the history of philosophy. We then discuss the …
Plotinus - World History Encyclopedia
Aug 23, 2015 · Plotinus was a Greek philosopher who developed the thought of Plato and founded what is now known as Neo-Platonism. What is Neo-Platonism? Neo-Platonism is the development …
Plotinus - Encyclopedia.com
May 21, 2018 · The Greek philosopher Plotinus (205-270) was the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy, which became the most formidable rival of Christianity in the declining …
Who Was Plotinus? The Philosopher Who Bridged the Gap …
Feb 13, 2025 · Discover the life and philosophy of Plotinus, the founder of Neoplatonism. Explore his teachings on The One, Intellect, and Soul, and how his ideas shaped early Christianity, Islamic …
The Life and Philosophical Journey of Plotinus
Nov 10, 2023 · Plotinus, often regarded as the founder of Neoplatonism, was a philosopher whose life and works have had a profound impact on Western philosophy, particularly in the realm of …
Plotinus - Wikipedia
Plotinus (/ plɒˈtaɪnəs /; Ancient Greek: Πλωτῖνος, Plōtînos; c. 204/5 – 270 CE) was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt.
Plotinus - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Plotinus’ philosophy represents one of the supreme intellectual achievements of the period that has come to be called “Late Antiquity”.
Plotinus | Ancient Philosopher & Mystic | Britannica
Plotinus (born 205 ce, Lyco, or Lycopolis, Egypt?—died 270, Campania) was an ancient philosopher, the centre of an influential circle of intellectuals and …
Plotinus - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Plotinus (204—270 C.E.) Plotinus is considered to be the founder of Neoplatonism. Taking his lead from his reading of Plato, Plotinus developed a …
Plotinus > By Individual Philosopher > Philosophy
Plotinus (c. A.D. 204 - 270) was an Egyptian/Greek/Roman philosopher of the Hellenistic period. He is widely considered the founder (along with his …
