Plotinus

An introduction to the works of the third-century AD writer Plotinus. Major issues in his philosophy are discussed in relation to selected texts, his great influence on the Western intellectual tradition is sketched and bibliographical information is given for further reading.

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An introduction to the third-century AD writer Plotinus and his works, the "Enneads". Dominic O'Meara presents a brief outline of Plotinus' life and of the composition of the "Enneads", placing Plotinus within the intellectual context of the philosophical schools and religious movements of his time. He then discusses selected Plotinian texts in relation to a number of central philosophical issues - soul and body, intelligible and sensible reality, intellect, the One, speaking of the ineffable, the production of reality, evil, beauty, ethic and mysticism - in order to show how Plotinus' thinking on these issues evolved, and to assess the historical importance of his philosophy. A bibliography and a thematically arranged guide to further reading, both on the topics discussed here and on other topics in Plotinus, enhance the value of this book as a guide to study.