Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3 In Chronological Order, Grouped in Four Periods

"Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3" by Plotinus is a philosophical treatise written in the late antiquity period. This volume includes a comprehensive examination of Platonic thought and Neoplatonism, particularly focusing on concepts like unity, manifoldness, and the nature of numbers. The work is not narrative fiction but rather a deep exploration of metaphysical ideas, reflecting on the essence of reality and existence. The opening of this volume delves into the concepts of unity and manifoldness, posing questions about the nature of distance from unity and the potential evils inherent in multiplicity. Plotinus begins by asserting that manifoldness signifies a departure from unity, suggesting that true greatness lies in the ability to remain true to one's essence rather than expanding outward into complexity. He explores the implications of these ideas for the nature of infinity and numerical existence, arguing that the true essence of numbers exists in an intelligible realm rather than as mere constructs of the physical world. This philosophical inquiry sets the foundation for a broader discussion on the relationship between essence, intelligence, and the creation of the universe in subsequent sections. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Plotinus was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism. His teacher was the self-taught philosopher Ammonius Saccas, who belonged to the Platonic tradition. Historians of the 19th century invented the term "neoplatonism" and applied it to refer to Plotinus and his philosophy, which was vastly influential during late antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Much of the biographical information about Plotinus comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' most notable literary work, The Enneads. In his metaphysical writings, Plotinus described three fundamental principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His works have inspired centuries of pagan, Jewish, Christian, Gnostic, and early Islamic metaphysicians and mystics, including developing precepts that influence mainstream theological concepts within religions, such as his work on duality of the One in two metaphysical states.