Plotinus and Neoplatonism
Historical Origin
Alexandria Egypt 3rd century CE
Roman philosopher Plotinus 204 – 270 CE
Synthesis of the tradition of Greek philosophical
inquiry, especially Plato’s metaphysics
Iamblichus and Porphyry succeeded Plotinus and
transmitted Plotinus’ neoplatonist system to
subsequent generations. Porphyry edited Plotinus’
writings into six books called the Enneads.
Two Main Theses of
Neoplatonism
Absolute
Transcendence
Emanationism
The One
The Many
God is the One Beyond Being
Finitely Bound
Character of
Being
“Being” is derived from and applies to
things of sense experience: the realm of
finite, individual, changing things. God is
necessarily above the finite things of sense
experience and so must be above being.
Unity of God
Since multiplicity is a feature of finite
things, God must be one. God is the One,
since God is not a single or individual
thing, nor can God be divided into parts.
Via Negativa
Nothing can be positively predicated of God
since this would entail multiplicity
(substance and properties). We can only
deny of God things that are true of finite
things. Immaterial = not material; one = not
many; eternal = not temporal, etc.
Emanationism
God’s transcendence implies that God cannot be part of the
universe. Pantheism is rejected.
God cannot freely create the universe through an act of
will. Theistic creationism is rejected.
Why does Plotinus reject these options?
If God is part of the universe or freely creates the universe,
then God undergoes change.
Plotinus’ Third Option
The universe proceeds from God by necessity and by a chain
of various intermediaries.
The Metaphysical Principle
It is necessary that the less perfect proceed
from the more perfect.
The One
Nous (Mind)
World Soul
Individual Souls
Physical Universe
The One
Nous has the One and itself as the object of immediate
apprehension. Nous contains the Forms.
The World Soul is the link between Nous
and the sensible world.
Individual Souls
Physical Universe
Sun Analogy
. As the rays of the sun co-exist with the sun but
emanate necessarily from it, so also the cosmos
co-exists with the One but emanates necessarily
from it.
The cosmos must be eternal. Order never
comes into existence. It has always existed.
The cosmos is eternally dependent on the
One via the ontological intermediaries.
As
As intermediaries
the rays of the get
sunfurther
get further
away
away
from
from
thetheir
One source,
they become
the sun,
more
they
lose their
imperfect.
brilliance.
Evil is the absence of the good, an
Eventually, the rays fade into darkness.
imperfection in things.
Purpose of Plotinus’ Emanationist Scheme
To explain the existence of the cosmos, the
physical universe characterized by plurality and
change, without involving God – the One – in
any kind of plurality and change
That which ultimately explains something x must not
itself raise the same causal questions. The explaining
principle must be distinct from and beyond the features
it tries to explain.