The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus [Paperback]

Sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of Plotinus' 'Neoplatonism'.Plotinus is the greatest philosopher in the 700 year period between Aristotle and Augustine. In this volume, sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of his complex system. They place Plotinus in the history of ancient philosophy while showing how he was a founder of medieval philosophy.Plotinus is the greatest philosopher in the 700 year period between Aristotle and Augustine. In this volume, sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of his complex system. They place Plotinus in the history of ancient philosophy while showing how he was a founder of medieval philosophy.Plotinus is the greatest philosopher in the 700 year period between Aristotle and Augustine. He thought of himself as a disciple of Plato, but in his efforts to defend Platonism against Aristotelians, Stoics, and others, he actually produced a reinvigorated version of Platonism that later came to be known as Neoplatonism . In this volume, sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of Plotinus' complex system. They place Plotinus in the history of ancient philosophy while showing how he was a founder of medieval philosophy.Introduction Lloyd P. Gerson; 1. Plotinus: the Platonic tradition and the foundation of Neoplatonism Maria Luisa Gatti; 2. Plotinus's metaphysics of the One John Bussanich; 3. The hierarchical ordering of reality in Plotinus Dominic J. O'Meara; 4. On soul and intellect Henry J. Blumenthal; 5. Essence and existence in the Enneads Kevin Corrigan; 6. Plotinus on the nature of physical reality Michael F. Wagner; 7. Plotinus on matter and evil Denis O'Brien; 8. Eternity and time Andrew Smith; 9. Cognition and its object Eyjolfur Kjalar Emilsson; 10. Self-knowledge and subjectivity in the Enneads Sara Rappe; 11. Plotinus: body and soul Stephen R. L. Clark; 12. Human freedom in the thought of Plotinus Georges Leroux; 13. An ethic forl-