Doctrines & Theories
-overview-
❝ The One is perfect because it seeks for nothing, and possesses nothing,
and has need of nothing; and being perfect, it overflows, and thus its superabundance produces an Other.❞
Plotinus establishes & develops the theory of "3 hypostases", which are the ontological levels of Being, En-Intellect-Psyche. Based on this metaphysical model, his entire system is structured by the organic unity of the hypostases & organized through their ontological hierarchy.
His most widely known doctrine is of "double activity" .
Doctrine of ‘double activity’ :
Plotinus' theory of double activity explains the production of a lower reality as an activity derived from its prior as a by-product of the higher reality's own innate activity, which constitutes its essence.
This theory is based on the concept of internal and external activity.
Internal activity belongs to a thing by virtue of its own essence, while external activity necessarily follows from the internal activity.
The former is self-contained, while the latter results in a product that is other than the agent itself. {walking in the snow is the internal activity, while making a trace in the snow is the external activity}
Similarly, the One's internal activity is its own hyper-intellectual existence, while its external activity is Intellect.
Intellect's internal activity is its contemplation of the Forms, while its external activity is found in every possible representation of the activity of being eternally identical with all that is intelligible.
The internal activity of Soul includes the plethora of psychical activities of all embodied living things, while its external activity is nature.
• Internal, that which belongs to it by virtue of its own essence
• External, that which necessarily follows from the internal activity
3 Hypostáses :
Plotinus' three hypostases are the En (One), Intellect (Nous), and Psyche.
They are, in essence, existential conditions, condition of Being, conditions of the One/Agatho.
These three elements are intertwined, each with their own unique relationships to one another.
According to Plotinus, the three hypostases are not separate entities, but rather different aspects of the same reality. The One is the ultimate source of all being, while the Intellectual Principle and the Universal Soul are emanations from the One, each one further removed from the ultimate reality. The doctrine of the three hypostases is a key part of Plotinus' philosophy and has had a significant influence on later philosophical and religious thought.
∞ EN-tity ∞
En : One, Source, Monad.
At
the core of the Plotinian ontology resides the absolutely transcendent
One, corresponding to the Platonic Agatho, cause of origin, beginning
and purpose of all the remaining sub-states and the beings that
participate in them.
The One is the creator and is not a being, but rather a non-being that emanates.
En is the First Principle of Reality for all
other reality, and this First Principle is an oneness which transcends
all Being.
The totality of Being is a compound of many substances/constituents.
The One is unity, not a compound.
∞ INTELLECT ∞
The Plotinian Intellect is a synthesis of the Aristotelian God and the Platonic mental world of Ideas, partakes of the absolute first radiance and wisdom of the One, an eternal, incorruptible, unchanging and self-defining Intellect.
The Intellectual Principle is the source of the Soul.
The One illuminates the Intellectual Principle, and the Intellectual Principle illuminates the Soul.
Intellect's two kinds of plurality :
• the duality of thinker & object of thought
• the plurality of objects of thought
∞ PSYCHE ∞
The Plotinian Psyche, in contrast to the eternal immutability of the Mind, is an ever-changing formative force, the poetic cause of the sensible world that adorns and governs the entire Universe according to the eternal mental pattern of the One-Intellect.
Plotinus’
doctrine of the Psyche is the linkage of the Soul with what it means to
be human, which is the origo of philosophical anthropology.
The
Psyche is composed of a higher and a lower part, with the higher part
being unchangeable and divine, while the lower part is the seat of the
personality, passions, and vices.The Psyche's ultimate goal is to attain ecstatic union with the One (hénosis).
The Enneads are Plotinus' (and Porphyry's) work that investigates the Psyche's nature, it's relation to divine Intellect and to divine Unity.
Other "theories" :
Plotinus was critical of a specific sect of Gnostics, particularly a sect of Christian Gnostics, who held certain views that he found problematic. These views included anti-polytheistic and anti-daemon beliefs, anti-Greek sentiments, and the belief that salvation was possible without struggle.
Plotinus' objections to these views were based on his own philosophical and ethical principles, which emphasized the importance of virtue and the pursuit of the good. He believed that the Gnostics' rejection of struggle and their emphasis on salvation without effort were misguided and ultimately led to a distorted view of reality.
Plotinus also objected to the Gnostics' belief in magic as a cure for diseases, which he saw as a form of superstition. While Plotinus' criticisms of Gnosticism were directed at a specific sect, his objections to their beliefs and practices were based on his broader philosophical and ethical principles.
Plotinus' conception of virtue is rooted in his ethical theory, which emphasizes the aim of the virtuous person to become godlike. Virtue is seen as an intrinsic quality of human character and is related to the soul's purity in the contemplation of the Forms.
According to Plotinus, every virtue is purification, and the purified soul becomes both form and forming principle. Virtue intellectualizes the soul in its internal contemplation of Nous, which is the realm of thought and ideas, and not in external considerations.
The self-directed perspective of the moral soul's power of virtue is underlined by Plotinus, and he acknowledges the inherent value of virtue. For Plotinus, talking about God without true virtue renders God only a name. The doctrine of the three hypostases is also relevant to Plotinus' conception of virtue, as the Universal Soul is the realm of life and vitality, and is responsible for the movement and activity of the universe.
꘏
#CosmicWisdomGr • Plotinus
Articles Index • Philosopher's threshold
#CWGR Archway
Available readings on Bookshelf :
Meditate with Plotinus' Enneads,
delve into the Essence of Universal Truths,
explore the Nature of the Soul,
and meet Virtues & Vices,
Noetically travel the cosmic trails of Plotinus
and further cultivate your Spirit via the path of Intellect.
concepts & theories, symbols & archetypes.
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