PlotinusFirst 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. |
Contents
An Argument for the Existence of a First Principle of All | 3 |
The Attributes of the One | 15 |
The Operational Attributes of the One | 22 |
Intellect and Soul | 42 |
Soul The Restless Principle | 58 |
Truth and the Forms | 65 |
Forms of Individuals | 72 |
Categories and the Tradition | 79 |
The Psychology of the Endowed Self | 142 |
Desires of the Dispossessed | 147 |
Free Will | 151 |
Some Epistemological Questions | 160 |
On Thinking Incarnatety | 166 |
Conquering Virtue | 181 |
Evil | 187 |
Virtue | 195 |
The Criticism of Aristotles Categories | 84 |
Aristotelian Essentialism | 93 |
The Plotinian Categories | 96 |
A Platonic World | 104 |
Matter | 108 |
Time and Eternity | 114 |
Part II | 121 |
Human Psychology | 123 |
Soul and Self | 135 |
Philosophy of Religion | 199 |
Beauty | 208 |
Mysticism and Philosophy | 214 |
Some Concluding Remarks | 221 |
Notes | 223 |
Bibliography | 290 |
| 313 | |
| 319 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
according action activity of Intellect actuality agent intellect Alexander of Aphrodisias Anima animal argues argument Aristotelian Aristotle's Armstrong attributes beauty body causal cause claim cognitively identical complex concept contemplation demiurge depends discarnate distinguish doctrine endowed Enneads entail entity Epicurus essence essential eternal Intellect eternal truth Ethics everything evil example existence explain fact genus human hylomorphic identified images of Intellect implies incarnate individual indicate instance instrument intentional object interpretation kind matter means Metaphysics Metaphysics Aristotle motion nature Nicomachean Ethics object One's ovoía paradigm Parmenides particular passage perfect perhaps person philosophical Plato Plotinian Plotinus says Plotinus seems Porphyry position possesses posterior potency primary principle prior produces question refers rejection relation representationalism Rist sense sense-perception sensible composite sensible substance sensible world separate Socrates sort soul speaking Stoic supposed synonymous image temporal predicates theory of Forms things thinking Timaeus true ideal unity universal unmoved mover unqualifiedly virtue