Plotinus on Transmigration: a Reconsideration

Authors

  • Giannis Stamatellos New York College (Athens) - Empire State College - SUNY

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1981-9471.v7i1p49-64

Keywords:

Plotinus, transmigration, soul, virtue, moral, metaphysics, reincarnation, Neoplatonism, dual-aspect theory of the soul

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to reconsider Plotinus’ account of transmigration in the light of his dual-aspect theory of the soul. It is argued that transmigration is discussed in the Enneads only in relation to the lower perceptible part of the soul. The higher intelligible part of the soul remains undescended and uninvolved in any kind of transmigration. Plotinus’ treatment of transmigration also aims at emphasizing the soul’s higher life of virtue. The noble soul concentrates on its higher intelligible part in constant contemplation of the Forms without being affected by its lower perceptible part and therefore transmigration.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

  • Giannis Stamatellos, New York College (Athens) - Empire State College - SUNY

    Giannis Stamatellos is Philosophy Instructor at New York College, Athens, Empire State College - SUNY, and Research Associate to the Power Structuralism in Ancient Ontologies Project at University of Oxford

References

Armstrong, A. H. 1966-1988. Plotinus. 7 vols. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Blumenthal H. J. 1966. ‘Did Plotinus Believe in Ideas of Individuals?’ Phronesis 11, 1: 61-80. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852866X00139

Blumenthal, H. J. 1971 Plotinus’ Psychology. The Hague: Martinus Nijhorf.

Clark, S. R. L. 1996. ‘Plotinus: Body and Soul’ in L. P. Gerson ed. The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 275-291. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521470935.012

Diels, H. 1951-2. Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. 6th ed. Revised with additions and index by W. Kranz, Berlin: Weidmann.

Dillon, J. M. 1992. ‘Plotinus at Work on Platonism’ Greece & Rome 39, 2: 189-204.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0017383500024177

Dillon, J. M. 1996. ‘An ethic for the late antique sage’ in L. P. Gerson ed. The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 315-335. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CCOL0521470935.014.

Dörrie, H. 1957. ‘Kontroversen um die Seelenwanderung im kaiserzeitlichen Platonismus'. Hermes 85: 414-435.

Helleman-Elgersma, W. 1980 Soul-Sisters. A Commentary on Enneads IV, 3 (27) 1-8 of Plotinus. Amsterdam: Rodopi.

Henry, P. and H. R. Schwyzer. 1964-1982. Plotini Opera. editio minor. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Inge, W. R. 1929. The Philosophy of Plotinus. vol. II. London: Longmans, Green & Co.

Inwood, B. 2001. The Poem of Empedocles: A Text with an Introduction. Revised Edition. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Kalligas, P. 1994. Plotinus’ Ennead I: Ancient Greek text, translation and commentary. Athens: Centre of Edition of Ancient Greek Authors.

Kalligas, P. 1997. Plotinus Ennead II: Ancient Greek text, translation and commentary. Athens: Centre of Edition of Ancient Greek Authors.

Kalligas, P. 2004. Plotinus Ennead III: Ancient Greek text, translation and commentary. Athens: Centre of Edition of Ancient Greek Authors.

Kalligas, P. 2009. Plotinus Ennead IV: Ancient Greek text, translation and commentary. Athens: Centre of Edition of Ancient Greek Authors.

Leftow, B. 2011. ‘The humanity of God’ 20-44 in Anna Marmodoro and Jonathan Hill edd. The Metaphysics of the Incarnation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199583164.003.0002

Luchte, J. 2009. Pythagoras and the doctrine of transmigration: wandering souls. Continuum.

Pistorius, P. V. 1952. Plotinus and Neoplatonism: An Introductory Study. Cambridge: Bowes & Bowes.

Plass, P. 1982. ‘Plotinus' ethical theory’ Illinois Classical Studies 7, 2: 241-259.

Puech, H.-Ch. 1960. ‘Plotin et les Gnostiques’. in Les sources de Plotin. Entretiens sur l'antiquité class. 5, Vandoeuvres-Genève, Fond. Hardt: 159-190.

Rangos, S. 1999. ‘Between Physics and Nous: Logos as Principle of Meditation in Plotinus’. Journal of Neoplatonic Studies 7, 2: 1-42.

Remes, P. 2006. ‘Plotinus’ ethics of disinterested interest’. Journal of the History of Philosophy 44: 1-23. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/hph.2006.0006

Remes, P. 2007 Plotinus on self: the philosophy of the 'We'. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511597411

Rich, A. N. M. 1957. ‘Reincarnation in Plotinus’ Mnemosyne 10: 232-238. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852557X00204

Rist, J. M. 1963 ‘Forms of Individuals in Plotinus’ The Classical Quarterly 13, 2: 223-231. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0009838800001828

Rist, J. M. 1965. ‘Monism. Plotinus and some predecessors’ Harvard Studies in Classical Philology 69: 329-344. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/310786

Roussos, E. 2007. Empedocles. Athens: Stigmi.

Smith, A. 1974. Porphyry's Place in the Neoplatonic Tradition. A Study in post-Plotinian Neoplatonism. The Hague: Nijhoff.

Smith, A. 1984. ‘Did Porphyry Reject the Transmigration of Human Souls into Animals?’ Rheinisches Museum für Philologie Band, Heft I: 276-284.

Smith, A. 1987. ‘Porphyrian Studies Since 1913’. in Haase, W. Aufstieg und

Niedergang der Römischen Welt II.36.2, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter: 717-773.

Smith, A. 1999. ‘The significance of practical ethics for Plotinus’. in Cleary, J. J. ed. Traditions of Platonism: Essays in Honor of John Dillon. Aldershot: 227-236.

Stamatellos, G. 2007 Plotinus and the Presocratics. Albany: SUNY Press.

Stamatellos, G. 2012 Introduction to Presocratics: A Thematic Approach to Early Greek Philosophy with Key Readings. Wiley-Blackwell.

Schniewind, A. (2003) L’Éthique du Sage chez Plotin. Le paradigme du spoudaios. Paris: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin.

Stern-Gillet, S. 2009. 'Dual Selfhood and Self-Perfection in the Enneads'. Epoché 13, 2: 331- 345. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/epoche200913210

Stubenberg, L. 2010. 'Neutral Monism' in: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2010 ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2010/entries/neutral-monism/>.

Vogel (De), C. J. 1969. 'The monism of Plotinus'. Philosophia: Studies in Greek Philosophy 1: 399-416.

Wallis, R. T. 1995 Neoplatonism. London: Duckworth.

Westerink, L.G. 2009 The Greek commentaries on Plato's Phaedo: Olympiodorus, vol. 1, Prometheus Trust.

Wright, M. R. 1981. Empedocles: The Extant Fragments. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Downloads

Published

2013-06-08

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Plotinus on Transmigration: a Reconsideration. (2013). Journal of Ancient Philosophy, 7(1), 49-64. https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1981-9471.v7i1p49-64