Plotinus

Plotinus is one of the 16 books that is part of the SSRC Philosophers Series called “Free Thinkers.” The series is an attempt to present the teachings of many of the great philosophers throughout history in a way that average readers without academic backgrounds can easily understand. Plotinus (205-270 CE), one of the founders of Neoplatonism, was born in Egypt during the Roman Empire. His writings, assembled as The Enneads, address many of the same topics as those explored by his Greek philosophical predecessors Plato and Aristotle. He extensively queries humanity’s relationship with the Divine and life in the hereafter, seeking happiness through metaphysical idealism and optimism. He encourages people to look within themselves for happiness, and emphasizes the importance of rising above ambition and earthly instincts, base emotions, and physical sensations while continually striving to lead a virtuous life. Plotinus believed that the human soul has a natural association with transcendent oneness. A prerequisite for transcendence is a virtuous life, and this lifestyle lays the groundwork for the soul’s shift of moral attention from this sensible world to a higher plane of stable existence. As the soul awakens to its true nature, its inner spiritual strength deepens, and it gains access to an enduring, transcendent God within it. He is known for the phrase “the refuge of the alone with the Alone.”  His final words were “Try to elevate the God within us to the Divine in the universe.”