Plotinus | |
|---|---|
 Head in white marble. The identification as Plotinus is plausible but not proven. | |
| Born | c. 204/5 CE |
| Died | 270 (aged 64–65) CE Campania, Roman Empire |
| Notable work | The Enneads[1] |
| Era | Ancient philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Neoplatonism[1][2][3][4] |
Main interests | Platonism, metaphysics, mysticism[1][3][4][5] |
Notable ideas | Emanation of all things from the One[5] Three main hypostases: the One, Intellect, and Soul[3][5] Henosis[5] |
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Plotinus (/plɒˈtaɪnəs/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Πλωτῖνος, Plōtînos; c. 204/5 – 270 CE) was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism.[1][2][3][4] His teacher was the self-taught philosopher Ammonius Saccas, who belonged to the Platonic tradition.[1][2][3][4] Historians of the 19th century invented the term "neoplatonism"[3] and applied it to refer to Plotinus and his philosophy, which was vastly influential during late antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance.[3][4] Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' most notable literary work, The Enneads.[1] In his metaphysical writings, Plotinus described three fundamental principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul.[3][5][6] His works have inspired centuries of pagan, Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, and early Islamic metaphysicians and mystics, including developing precepts that influence mainstream theological concepts within religions, such as his work on duality of the One in two metaphysical states.
- ^ a b c d e f Gerson, Lloyd P. (2017). "Plotinus and Platonism". In Tarrant, Harold; Renaud, François; Baltzly, Dirk; Layne, Danielle A. (eds.). Brill's Companion to the Reception of Plato in Antiquity. Brill's Companions to Classical Reception. Vol. 13. Leiden and Boston: Brill Publishers. pp. 316–335. doi:10.1163/9789004355385_018. ISBN 978-90-04-27069-5. ISSN 2213-1426.
- ^ a b c Armstrong, A. Hilary; Duignan, Brian; Lotha, Gloria; Rodriguez, Emily (1 January 2021) [20 July 1998]. "Plotinus". Encyclopædia Britannica. Edinburgh: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
Plotinus (born 205, Lyco, or Lycopolis, Egypt?—died 270, Campania), ancient philosopher, the centre of an influential circle of intellectuals and men of letters in 3rd-century Rome, who is regarded by modern scholars as the founder of the neoplatonic school of philosophy. [...] In his 28th year—he seems to have been rather a late developer—Plotinus felt an impulse to study philosophy and thus went to Alexandria. He attended the lectures of the most eminent professors in Alexandria at the time, which reduced him to a state of complete depression. In the end, a friend who understood what he wanted took him to hear the self-taught philosopher Ammonius Saccas. When he had heard Ammonius speak, Plotinus said, "This is the man I was looking for," and stayed with him for 11 years. [...] At the end of his time with Ammonius, Plotinus joined the expedition of the Roman emperor Gordian III against Persia (242–243), with the intention of trying to learn something at first hand about the philosophies of the Persians and Indians. The expedition came to a disastrous end in Mesopotamia, however, when Gordian was murdered by the soldiers and Philip the Arabian was proclaimed emperor. Plotinus escaped with difficulty and made his way back to Antioch. From there he went to Rome, where he settled at the age of 40. [...] Plotinus's own thought shows some striking similarities to Indian philosophy, but he never actually made contact with Eastern sages because of the failure of the expedition. Though direct or indirect contact with Indians educated in their own religious-philosophical traditions may not have been impossible in 3rd-century Alexandria, the resemblances of the philosophy of Plotinus to Indian thought were more likely a natural development of the Greek tradition that he inherited.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gerson, Lloyd P. (Fall 2018). "Plotinus". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University. ISSN 1095-5054. OCLC 643092515. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
Plotinus (204/5 – 270), is generally regarded as the founder of neoplatonism. He is one of the most influential philosophers in antiquity after Plato and Aristotle. The term 'neoplatonism' is an invention of early 19th century European scholarship and indicates the penchant of historians for dividing 'periods' in history. In this case, the term was intended to indicate that Plotinus initiated a new phase in the development of the Platonic tradition. What this 'newness' amounted to, if anything, is controversial, largely because one's assessment of it depends upon one's assessment of what Platonism is. In fact, Plotinus (like all his successors) regarded himself simply as a Platonist, that is, as an expositor and defender of the philosophical position whose greatest exponent was Plato himself. [...] The three basic principles of Plotinus' metaphysics are called by him 'the One' (or, equivalently, 'the Good'), Intellect, and Soul. These principles are both ultimate ontological realities and explanatory principles. Plotinus believed that they were recognized by Plato as such, as well as by the entire subsequent Platonic tradition. [...] Porphyry informs us that during the first ten years of his time in Rome, Plotinus lectured exclusively on the philosophy of Ammonius. During this time he also wrote nothing. Porphyry tells us that when he himself arrived in Rome in 263, the first 21 of Plotinus' treatises had already been written. The remainder of the 54 treatises constituting his Enneads were written in the last seven or eight years of his life.
- ^ a b c d e Siorvanes, Lucas (2018). "Plotinus and Neoplatonism: The Creation of a New Synthesis". In Keyser, Paul T.; Scarborough, John (eds.). Oxford Handbook of Science and Medicine in the Classical World. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 847–868. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734146.013.78. ISBN 9780199734146. LCCN 2017049555.
- ^ a b c d e Halfwassen, Jens (2014). "The Metaphysics of the One". In Remes, Pauliina; Slaveva-Griffin, Svetla (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Neoplatonism. Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy. Abingdon, Oxfordshire and New York: Routledge. pp. 182–199. ISBN 9781138573963.
- ^ "Who was Plotinus?". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2011-06-07.