Works
Porphyry edited his the fifty-four treatises he wrote into six Enneades (groups of
nine), in logical order from the simplest to the most abstruse. Porphyry also identifed
three periods in Plotinus’ work and allocated the writings accordingly: period before
Porphyry was Plotinus’ student; the time of his studentship; and after his
studentship.
Philosophy
Plotinus was haunted by the timeless quality of a "there" of another world in
the midst of this changing world. He describes his philosophical beliefs as the ascent of
a lover of beauty towards the beautiful. (Enneads I, 6: well read Ennead]
-
There is one totally transcendent (transcending essence and existence), ineffable,
supra-intelligent center and source of all reality (The "ONE"). This center was
ACTIVE, and, by a necessity of goodness, the rest of reality flows out or
"emanates" from it. Therefore the universe is one continuous active WHOLE; the
ONE touches all, molding and giving meaning, without in any way being violated or
diminished by this giving.
- The three "hypostases" = three basic "realities" arising from the
activity of the ONE. (1) The ONE itself, center and source of everything. (2) NOUS OR
MIND, "the one-in-many"; (3) SOUL OR LIFE, "the one-and-many."
- EN. V,2: The ONE = source of everything else. It is everything and not everything
Transcends essence, existence, beyond number, name, The Good.
- THE INTELLIGENCE and THE SOUL are derivatives of the one, necessarily emanating from its
overabundance of goodness.
- Good always maintained the initiative; the One flowed out, touching everything, moulding
and giving meaning to passive matter
- from THE ONE emanates Being = NOUS. From NOUS flows SOUL (life). Reason flowing out of
NOUS, passing through SOUL, creates Nature, without creating another Hypostasis. Physical
matter exists outside the hypostasis—it is not a "reality" and the soul is
separate and independent of the body (as Plato believed) though it gives the body life
(like Aristotle maintained). The Soul perceives our world, reflects, and thinks that it
thinks.
- Emanation: Downward towards matter as organizing principle: natural function of the soul
was to organize matter. But soul also called to transcendence: to retrace the stages of
procession to reunion with first principle in a kind of mystical union.
- Plotinus: universe was continuous, active whole. Evil was only turning away into
separateness.
- Evil does not exist. It is but the absence of order. All that exists is what emanates
from the ONE, and because the ONE is superabundantly good, all this must be good. What we
experience as evil is only the turning toward separateness = turning away from the ONE, a
lack of unity and order (in the universe, in us). Its very existence assumed the existence
of order. (VI, vi, 12)
- Purpose of life (and therefore happiness) lies in returning to the ONE (ultimately
through a mystical union), in retracing the stages of procession to reunion with the first
principle. Plotinus' reported last words: "I am striving to give back the Divine in
myself to the Divine in the All." This Divine in us does not require liberation (the
Christian belief) but only awaits discovery. "Nor does this divine self await
liberation...; it awaits only discovery, there is no ‘drama of
redemption.’" This produced "Christians" tolerant of the organized
life of their church--Victorinus was this way. (Cf Confessions)
