Plotinus the Enneads (Classic Reprint)

The sixth head of the Platonic Academy, Archesilaus (318-242 BC) was "the first to meddle with the system handed down by Plato (Diogenes Laertius, 4.6)." This meddling, Diogenes informs us, entailed a drastic shift in emphasis in which eristic skepticism was employed as the pre-eminent methodological approach to all philosophical inquiry. Thus with Archesilaus begins the Middle Academy, which fortuitously only lingered on until the advent of Antiochus of Ascalon (130-68 BC), who restored the school to something of its former glory, during the term known as the Middle-Platonic era. But with Plotinus (204-270 AD), upon whom the spirit of Plato descended so graciously, the Divine Philosophy found its fullest expression at last. Even St. Augustine, who did not sway from criticizing Plotinus in the City of God, remarked that "Plato should be thought of as coming to life again in Plotinus (Contra Academicos, 3.18.40)." And Eunapius, writing over a century after Plotinus' passing, tells us that "altars in honor of Plotinus are still warm, and his books are in the hands of educated men, more so than the dialogues of Plato (Lives of the Philosophers, pg. 353, LCL)." Porphyry also testified that in a celebrated oracle of Apollo, that Plotinus, postmortem, was apotheosized and enlisted among the ranks of Plato and Pythagoras in the celestial sphere of the Immortals (Life of Plotinus, 23). Such was his fame and such is his enduring legacy! Now we owe this present collection of `Enneads' [=nines] to Plotinus' beloved student Porphyry, who collected and edited these sublime and terse philosophical discourses for posterity. (1.) The first series of `Enneads' Porphyry grouped contains moral and ethical treatises, (2.) the second, those on Natural Philosophy [Physics], (3.) the third, on the World and the operation of Fate, Providence, Eternity and Time, (4.) the fourth, elucidates the nature of the Soul, (5.) the fifth (6.) and sixth `Enneads' constitute various metaphysical treatises. A summation some of the main tenets of Plotinus' philosophy goes as follows: Transcending all being is the One and the Good, the self-contained primal principle, which maintains the order and unity of all things and bestows all goodness, being Goodness and Unity itself. Attendant upon the One, is the secondary principle [or hypostasis], the Primal Intellect, in which thrive all Forms and Ideas that constitute the Authentic Existences, both actually and potentially. Attendant upon the Divine Intellect, is the tertiary hypostasis, Primal Soul, which emanates from the Intellect and the One. While extending into the Material-Cosmos, the All-Soul is transmutted into World-Soul, which distributes Rational Soul to all beings, gives Form to Matter, and is the herald of Nature within the Sense-World. The World-Soul, therefore, distributes all things from, and restores all things to, the three primary Hypostases, as in a circle. The World-Soul is positioned at the epi-center of the Cosmos and is its Limit and is the furthest extension of the Divine in the universe. Man is a micro-cosmos, and in the Hierarchy of Being, is positioned midway between the Divine Intellect and the Material-World. As an intellective soul (offspring of God), man may incline towards the Triad [One, Intellect, Soul], thus freeing his true-self from the fetters of the body, by practicing the practical, purificatory and contemplative virtues. Or, contrarywise, he may incline to the lower-self, which is attached to Nature and Matter and, ever alienating himself from the Triad, he becomes that which his soul was a personification of on earth; and this phase continues, in a series of graded re-births, until the soul deigns and learns to live virtuously and aspire to the blessed Triad, its native abode. Thus rewards and punishments for the soul differ accordingly to the exercise of virtue relative to each soul during embodiment. It is hoped that this brief outline will illuminate something of the essence of Plotinus' stellar philosophy. Overall, Plotinus' Enneads are the most perfect and faithful systemization of his master Plato's thought. From the labyrinthine exchange of dialectic argumentation inherent to the Dialogues, Plotinus has uncovered the single mind of Plato. He has also lifted the veil of mystery from the Platonic myths and has disclosed their true meaning. The Enneads are a living testimony to the beauty and veracity of the deathless Platonic philosophy. In Stephen MacKenna's classic edition, we have the most readable translation of the Enneads. The prose is very poetic, artful and vigorous, making this volume a most enjoyable and fulfilling read. Contained in Mackenna's version is the Life of Plotinus by Porphyry, an appendix providing a Suggestive Outline of Plotinian Metaphysics and meanings to various key passages from all existing English versions where indicated. This book will be welcomed by students and scholars of Greek philosophy, by Christian theologians and classicists, or anyone venturing on the "hunt for true being (Plato, Phaedo 66C)."

If you are seriously interested in Plotinus, you really want this book. It was put together with special care, by a team of people who cared, and it offers the "best" translation of Plotinus along with scads of footnotes comparing other translations. Since Plotinus is one of the most difficult of all philosophers, you need all the help you can get. THIS book should be your central reference, however. The care extends to the typesetting and the binding. This is a great hardbound book which should last for decades if not centuries.

This is THE most enlightening and intriguing work I have read so far. The material compelled me to think deeply about what was written. Plotinus is a mesmerizing philosopher. His words seem to take a life of their own and give terrific insight into the belief systems of today. Highly recommend.

This is a very rare book. If you search the meaning of life, this is the book for you. By reading this book you wil realize that our human existence is much more precious than the materialistic civilization tries to persuade us. This book shows light into the Plato's cave, and while reading it you will realise your intellectual essence to be uplifted. THIS IS A MASTERPIECE - DON'T MISS IT.

Great quality edition (even the paper, print, very nice.) For some reason I did not expect but really appreciate the alternate translations of key lines provided as endnotes. A must have literary translation of Plotinus/The Enneads.

Plotinus ought to be read and digested by anyone who asks the ultimate question. Ultimately, his words point to a central experience - and presuppose that we wish to tread the same way. Western philosophy has had a lot of 'stick' in recent years, an inevitable reaction - given the fact that since the 18th c., much if not most Western philosophy has become a head trip - a tangle of knots. Modern philosophers like Heidegger have located the problem further back - with Platonism, and it has become a common place to see all Western philosophy as chopped logic, resulting in a fragmented perception of reality. Everything Plotinus says - points to a crowning experience, what he termed 'henosis' - realising a state of 'at-onement.' Hence, any idea of identifying Plotinus use of the term 'Nous' (translated as 'intellect' in English) with its narrower, modern equivalent, would be a fatal misunderstanding. Plotinus leaves no room for distinctions between the knower and the known, presenting a marked parallel with Buddhist intuitions. Given the extensive influence that Buddhism has exerted upon western culture in recent years, it would be a crime to ignore the fruit-ful parallels afforded by Plotinus. More to the point, a reading of Plotinus raises some serious questions about the verdict of people like Heidegger - when it comes to the history of Western philosophy. Moreover, it would not do to whinge about the Christian refutation of 'pagans,'as if the Church ignored Plotinus. His ideas influenced the early Church fathers - an influence that continued with people like Aquinus, Augustine - Eckhart etc.Hence, Heidegger's view of Western philosophy/theology as a kind of degeneration and fragmentation of 'Being' - is open to question, and one wonders why a whole generation of scholars like him, have persistently ignored what philosophers like Plotinus had to say. It is not all 'bad news.' A certain kind of 'Platonism' may well amount to what Nietzsche called 'the palest and thinnest ideas of all,' but by the same token, another form of it helped shape the intuitions of Meister Eckhart, and inspired Renaissance thinkers like Ficino. W.Y. Evans-Wentz, the noted American scholar-gypsy, a Rhodes scholar who sat at the feet of eminent Tibetan Lamas, and helped pave the way for a Western absorption of Buddhist ideas, held Plotinus in great esteem - seeing a perennial philosophy in the best of Western and Oriental civilisation.Hence, the Paul Brunton foundation endeavoured to promote a proper study of Plotinus' thought. Stephen Mackenna's translation of the Enneads was a labour of love, and gave his life to the task. It taxed Mackenna's strength, some portions of the text being completed by people like B.S. Page. The Larson edition is of especial value here, examining the nuance of various terms found in Plotinus' work - all told, the best single volume edition of the Enneads. Thanks to John Dillon's endeavours, an economically priced, abridged version of Mackenna's work is available in p/back. Dillon's comments are well worth taking into account. A.H. Armstrong's translation (with the Greek text) is available in separate volumes, but the Larson/Mackenna version - with plentiful notes, cross references etc., is the best buy for the general reader who wants to devote some time to the idioms used by Plotinus. Nobody finds Plotinus an easy read, but as the other reviews testify, those who allow Plotinus' intuitions to play upon their minds, and read between the lines, will find their vision enlarged. It is no small thing to discover that our microcosmic selves participate in the life of the divine energeia - embodying some-thing of its power, enabling us to share in the life of the whole - to feel and know that we are at one with it. Like the Yi-Ching, the Upanishads, or Prajnaparamita, Plotinus' is one of those seminal influences, providing the pinnacle of insight for a whole civilisation. Wells may be forgotten or blocked over, but the water is always there to drink.

I wouldn't even begin to critique the content of Plotinus's Enneads, however some things need to be said about this translation. It's VERY difficult to read. Hell, it is INHUMAN. For a long time this book sat on my shelf, and although I seriously wanted to read it, every time I tried it was just like banging my head against a brick wall. MacKenna's phrases make this harder than it ought to be. It is enough to put you off of Plotinus... which would be tragic. The Armstrong translation published by Loeb Classical is far better. Loeb's version (although expensive and in several volumes) is truly worth the money.

On the movie Restless Heart, Bishop St. Ambrose is reading it when Augustine comes into his office with Monica, I read some of Plotinus' quotes on his Wikipedia page, and one could see in his words the teachings of the Catholic Faith. I hope to be able to afford it soon.

Plotinus Enneads is a fundamental work of western philosophy that has shaped the theologies of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It's a profound work that synthesizes philosophical rationality with mysticism and the return to God. The MacKenna translation is still good, though it has some awkward translations here and there, but largely reads well. This edition is a high quality hardcover that is unabridged (unlike the Penguin edition) and well worth the cost. MacKenna's translation might have recently been surpassed by Lloyd Gersons recent edition but given that the hardcover for Gersons translation costs in excess of $200 you can't really go wrong with this one which is half the price and still very good quality for the average person who wants to read the philosophy of Plotinus in its entirety.

Great read, although would recommend reading Plato first.

Well it's a Great Book on Mystical Philosophy with some Traces of Hermeticism ,All I can say it's a raw Material of mysticism and Metaphysics that Has Much Influence on western occultism. They say that Plotinus Influenced Christianity , in fact he was influenced by some Christian Torrent . Great Read will Energize your imagination , Should be reed Along With the Bible .