Description

Plotinus 204/5 270 CE born in Lycopolis Egypt when it was part of the Roman Empire was a major figure in the philosophical school later called Neoplatonism Neoplatonists viewed reality as deriving from a single force or figure expressed as the One Two further concepts from Plotinus the Intellect and the Soul are also principal features of his philosophy These proposals led to the work of Plotinus forming a bridge between Plato and the monotheistic religions of Christianity Judaism and Islam as well as Gnosticism

Yet Plotinus who spoke Greek did not actually leave a written legacy of his ideas His work was written down and compiled by a pupil Porphyry of Tyre c234c305 CE Porphyry presented Plotinus work in six Enneads each containing nine Tractates ennea nine in Greek amounting to 54 treatises in all They were originally arranged into three volumes but in this Ukemi recording they are divided into two equal parts The first three Enneads contained in this recording are prefaced by the fascinating biography written by Porphyry who describes Plotinus as a highly singular figure he declined to sit for a painter or sculptor he wouldnt eat meat from animals reared for the table and he caught philosophy at the age of 20

The First Tractate of the First Ennead opens with The Animate and the Man subjects of other tractates include On Virtue On True Happiness and On the Primal Good and Secondary Forms of Good The Second Ennead opens with On the Cosmos or the Heavenly System and continues with The Heavenly Circuit and Are the Stars Causes The Third Ennead opens with Fate and continues with two essays On Providence and then Our Tutelary Spirit Peter Wickham in this first audiobook recording of the Enneads presents Plotinus in a clear and steady manner