Plotinus on Self: The Philosophy of the 'We'Plotinus, the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy, conceptualises two different notions of self (or 'us'): the corporeal and the rational. Personality and imperfection mark the former, while goodness and a striving for understanding mark the latter. In this text, Dr Remes grounds the two selfhoods in deep-seated Platonic ontological commitments, following their manifestations, interrelations and sometimes uneasy coexistence in philosophical psychology, emotional therapy and ethics. Plotinus' interest lies in what it means for a human being to be a temporal and a corporeal thing, yet capable of abstract and impartial reasoning, of self-government and perhaps even invulnerability. The book argues that this involves a philosophically problematic rupture within humanity which is, however, alleviated by the psychological similarities and points of contact between the two aspects of the self. The purpose of life is the cultivation of the latter aspect, the true self. |
Contents
the ontological | 23 |
The conscious centre | 109 |
The rational self and its knowledge of itself | 129 |
Copyright | |
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action activity actualised agent ancient philosophy argued Aristotelian Aristotle aspects awareness belong bodily body capacity causal chapter claim cognitive complete composite connected consciousness contemplation context discursive reason discussion distinction embodied Emilsson emotions Enneads entities Epictetus especially eternal ethical eudaimonia existence faculty of appearance form of human forming principles functions Hierocles higher human soul hypostases idea ideal identity individual inner instance Intellect intelligible realm internal interpretation kind knowing knowledge living logoi logos matter memory metaphysical nature Neoplatonic Neoplatonists noein noetic notion objects of thought one's oneself ontological organised ousia paradigmatic Parmenides particular passage perceiving perception perfect person Phaedo phantasia Plato Platonic forms Plotinian Plotinus possible properties question recognise relation role seems self-awareness self-determination self-knowledge self-reflexivity selfhood sense sensible realm Socrates Sorabji soul's Stoic Stoicism structure suggests sunaisthesis temporal Theaetetus things thinker thinking Timaeus true understanding unified unity universe virtue whole καὶ