Plotinus
Plotinus (AD 205–270) was the founder of Neoplatonism, whose thought has had a profound influence on medieval philosophy and on Western philosophy more broadly. In this engaging book, Eyjólfur K. Emilsson introduces and explains the full spectrum of Plotinus’ philosophy for those coming to his work for the first time.
Beginning with a chapter-length overview of Plotinus’ life and works which also assesses the Platonic, Aristotelian and Stoic traditions that influenced him, Emilsson goes on to address key topics including:
- Plotinus’ originality
- the status of souls
- Plotinus’ language
- the notion of the One or the Good
- Intellect, including Plotinus’ holism
- the physical world
- the soul and the body, including emotions and the self
- Plotinus’ ethics
- Plotinus’ influence and legacy.
This second edition has been revised and updated throughout and includes a new chapter on badness, freedom, providence and responsibility. Also including a chronology, glossary of terms and suggestions for further reading, Plotinus is an ideal introduction to this major figure in Western philosophy and essential reading for students of ancient philosophy and classics.
Eyjólfur K. Emilsson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo, Norway. He is the author of Plotinus on Sense-Perception (1988), Plotinus on Intellect (2007) and (with Steven K. Strange) of a translation and commentary, Plotinus: Ennead VI.4 and VI.5: On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole (2015). He has published numerous articles on Plotinus and other ancient philosophers and translated Plato’s Republic and other Platonic dialogues into Icelandic.