Lecture Notes on Plotinus.
Alfino/Horvath
Magical Thought in Renaissance Culture
Plotinus (204-270) -Lineage in Platonic Schools. There is the Old Academy of Plato,
Middle Platonism (Roman Empire), and a later Platonism.
Plotinus’ more famous descendents: Porphyry 232-305, Iamblicus (d. 326) (more
emphasis on theurgy) 5th and 6th century Plotinians are found in Athen and Alexandria.
Plotinus – Life
-Porphyry wrote the most authoritative biography, state Plotinus experience mstic
uion 4 times during the 6 years he was with him.
-born in Lycopolis, upper Egypt, took to philosopher at age 28, disappointed with
Alexandrian philosophers, met Ammonius. Joined an expedition against Persians,
poss. As scientific member, to make contact with East philosopher in Persia &
India. Failed effort
-Romer 243-253, begain to write & teach, argued against Gnostics.
-(Wallis 5) hypostases can be treated as statis metaphysical categories or dynamic
psychological
-vegetarin, anti-homosexual, no beans (theory that they had souls)
-against Gnostics (Wallis 12) Plotinus rejected Gnostic view of material world as
evel, their anti-Platonism, denial of divinity of the world soul. Still, Plotinian
thought is close to Gnostic belief that we can become divine. [Rejection more
about rejecting Stoic and materialist aspect of the version of Gnosticism P.
encountered in Rome]
-interesting question of “orientalism” in Plotinus.
Metaphysics
-Core of P’s metaphysics is the 3 Hypostases - The One (Good), Intelligence, and
Soul
1. The One – primordial unity of all reality. Not a fixed temporal point, but an
eternal and omnipresent unity.
2. Intelligence – timeless, self- contemplating divine mind (holds Platonic
Forms)
3. Soul (sometimes “World Soul”)– mediating eternity and time, creating order
on Prime Matter
-P’s is a very “vertica” metaphysics, contrast with Stoics – Plotinus takes over
ideas of Stoics, world as living organism, developm from Spermatikoi Logoi
within World Soul, organic harmony or cosmic sympathy. Problem with Stoics is
that they think of soul and God as modes of matter.
-(Wallis 27) mentions that popular philosophy of this time tended to blend
Platonism and Stoicism, along with Jewish, Egyptian, and Gnostic philosophies –
Example would be the Hermetica.
-Alexander of Aphrodisias – anti-stoic – denies that soul is spatially present in
body. But Alexander also argues agsints Platonists view that soul is inseparable
from the body. Interpretation of Aristotle on this point: With Aristotle, he
believes that Active Intellect (God) is independent of matter, but he also thinks
that it can affect human minds. Also, by thinking God we attain identify with him
(or possibility).
**Major Principles guiding Plotinian thought:
1. Ontological principle – “Product must have a lesser reality than cause, or, The
cause has more reality than the effect.”
2. Hierarchy of degrees of unity, unity necessary for Being and existence.
(consider examples)
Soul gives unity to matter, Plotinus sided with Platon against Aristotle on soul’s
separability from matter. Soul is non-spatial – present “everywhere and
nowhere.”
-Following Aristotle, Plotinus postulates an eternally active intellect underlying
intermittent human thought (Ennead v. 9. 2. 20-22, 3. 21)
-Sould discoursive – “one thing after another”
Intellect – intuitive – at once.
-But intellect still has a multiplicity of Forms, so a further unity must obtain.
Says some really intereing and paradoxical things about the One, like that it is
“outside of Being”
From the Metaphsyics to Practice – Emanation, Logos, Sympathy.
-there was a “procession” of the One, an over flowing of the Original Unity.
(interesting problem in Plotinian thought, how to explain the movement of the
One)
-Two claims about procession: 1) every being seeks to return to its cause; 2) this
return is a process of introversion.
-Logos – glossed as speech, reason, ordering, account. Not a searate hypostases
(some analogy, I think, between contemplation and speech and unity and
multiplicity.)
Cosmic Sympathy – Plotinus’ view that, since the world is a living organism
whatever happens in one part produces a sympathetic reaction throughout.
-see Enneads on magic – IV 4.40.