Aristotle versus Plato. For a long time that is the angle from which the tale
has been told, in textbooks on the history of philosophy and to university
students. Aristotle's philosophy, so the story goes, was au fond in opposition
to Plato's. But it...
The Enneads by Plotinus is a work which is central to the history of philosophy in late antiquity. This volume is the first complete edition of the Enneads in English for over seventy-five years, and also includes Porphyry's Life of Plotinus. Led by Lloyd P. Gerson, a team of experts present up-to-date translations which are based on the best available text, the editio minor of Henry and Schwyzer and its corrections. The translations are consistent in their vocabulary, making the volume ideal for the study of Plotinus' philosophical arguments. They also offer extensive annotation to assist the reader, together with cross-references and citations which will enable users more easily to navigate the texts. This monumental edition will be invaluable for scholars of Plotinus with or without ancient Greek, as well as for students of the Platonic tradition.
Exploring Plato's account of persons, this study situates his psychology within a two-world metaphysics, presenting embodied individuals as reflections of an ideal, disembodied state. Gerson argues that these individuals embody the conflicts of the sensible world. Central to his analysis is the assertion that philosophy serves as a pathway to self-recognition and understanding one's true identity, highlighting the enduring relevance of Plato's ideas to contemporary philosophical discourse.
Plotinus was the most important philosopher in the centuries between Aristotle
and Augustine and increase in his work is growing rapidly. Gerson gives a
detailed account of Plotinus' arguements and examines them in their historical
context.
The treatise explores the concept of internal Forms and posits the existence of a singular, transcendent first principle known as the One or the Good. It argues that both Intellect and the Forms, along with all other entities, derive their existence from this fundamental principle, emphasizing its essential role in the framework of existence.