PLOTINUS -- Ennead V.1 (The Enneads of Plotinus): On the Three Primary Levels of Reality - Softcover

Perl, EricD

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1930972911 ISBN 13: 9781930972919

Publisher: Parmenides Press, 2015

Synopsis

Plotinus’ Treatise V.1 comes closer than any other to providing an outline of his entire spiritual and metaphysical system, and as such it may serve to some degree as an introduction to his philosophy. It addresses in condensed form a great many topics to which Plotinus elsewhere devotes extended discussion, including the problem of the multiple self; eternity and time; the unity-in-duality of intellect and the intelligible; and the derivation of intelligible being from the One. Above all, it shows that the so-called “three hypostases”―soul, intellect, and the One―are best understood not as a sequence of three things additional to one another, but as three levels of possession of the same content, so that each lower level―soul in relation to intellect and intellect in relation to the One―is an “image” and “expression” of its superior.

Plotinus exhorts the human soul to overcome its alienation from its own true nature and its divine origin by first recognizing itself as superior to the body and the same in kind as the animating principle of the entire cosmos, and then discovering within itself the still higher levels of reality from which it derives: intellect and, ultimately, the One or Good, the supreme first principle of all things. To do so the soul must redirect its attention inward and upward to become aware of the divinity which is always within it but from which it is distracted by the clamor of the senses.

About this title

About the Author

Eric D. Perl is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, USA. He is the author of Theophany: The Neoplatonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite (SUNY Series in Ancient Greek Philosophy, 2007), and Thinking Being: Introduction to Metaphysics in the Classical Tradition (Brill Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic Tradition Series, 2014), as well as numerous articles on Plato, Plotinus, and other figures in the Platonic philosophical tradition.

From the Back Cover

"Treatise V.1 is especially noteworthy because it provides an early (#10) well-organized overview of Plotinus' system as a whole. Perl's introduction is astute and helpful; the translation is judicious in formulation and responsive to a number of critical concerns; and the commentary is packed full of historical references and analytical details helpful to any serious reader. As a scholarly production, the work never loses sight of the central philosophical and spiritual aspirations of Plotinus. Perl meets the high standards of scholarship set by others in this series on the Enneads."
--Donald Blakeley, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Fresno, and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Hawaii, Manoa

"Perl's translation and commentary on Ennead V.1 is written with both clarity and insight. This early treatise . . . serves as a solid introduction to Plotinus, but Perl's discerning commentary also gives the specialist much to think about."
--Kieran McGroarty, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Ancient Classics, Maynooth University

"Perl masterfully takes us through one of the most significant Plotinian treatises, wherein Plotinus relates the three chief existences in his philosophy (the Soul, Intellect, and the One), and gives us advice on the way in which our soul should make the ascent to the One. The introduction and synopsis are incredibly helpful for both the expert and neophyte; the translation is lucid and readable; and his commentary adeptly references Platonic dialogues for those who wish to compare these philosophers' views, while also covering essential details of the Greek for non-Greek readers. Perl's excellent work will only add to this series' already venerable reputation."
--David J. Yount, Professor of Philosophy at Mesa Community College, and author of Plotinus the Platonist

"An elegant and precise translation of what is perhaps the best of all introductions to the Plotinian corpus, accompanied by a commentary arguing persuasively that, for Plotinus, 'metaphysics is spirituality, and spirituality metaphysics.'"
--Jean-Marc Narbonne, Professor and Canada Research Chair on the Critical Heritage of Antiquity and its Modern Reception, Université Laval

Edition details

• Publisher: Parmenides Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1930972911
• ISBN 13: 9781930972919
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 234