The Six Enneads of Plotinus (Forgotten Books) [Paperback]

Book Description:

"The Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads, is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and compiled by his student Porphyry (c. 270 AD). Plotinus is said to be the one of the founders of Neoplatonism, if not the first Neoplatonist. His work, through Augustine of Hippo, and therefore subsequent Christian and the Arab thinkers, has greatly influenced Western and Near-Eastern thought." (Quote from wikipedia.org)

Table of Contents:

Publisher's Preface; Porphyry: On The Life Of Plotinus And The Arrangement Of His Work; The First Ennead: First Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; The First Ennead: Second Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; The First Ennead: Third Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; The First Ennead: Fourth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; Section 14; Section 15; Section 16; The First Ennead: Fifth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; The First Ennead: Sixth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; The First Ennead: Seventh Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; The First Ennead: Eighth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; The First Ennead: Ninth Tractate; The Second Ennead: First Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; The Second Ennead: Second Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; The Second Ennead: Third Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; Section 14; Section 15; Section 16; Section 17; Section 18; The Second Ennead: Fourth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; Section 14; Section 15; Section 16; The Second Ennead: Fifth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; The Second Ennead: Sixth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; The Second Ennead: Seventh Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; The Second Ennead: Eighth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; The Second Ennead: Ninth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; Section 14; Section 15; Section 16; Section 17; Section 18; The Third Ennead: First Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; The Third Ennead: Second Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; Section 14; Section 15; Section 16; Section 17; Section 18; The Third Ennead: Third Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; The Third Ennead: Fourth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; The Third Ennead: Fifth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; The Third Ennead: Sixth Tractate; Section 1; Section 2; Section 3; Section 4; Section 5; Section 6; Section 7; Section 8; Section 9; Section 10; Section 11; Section 12; Section 13; Section 14; Section 15; Section 16; Section 17; Section 18; Section 19; The Third Ennead: Seventh Tractate; Section 1; S

About the Author:

"Plotinus (ca. AD 205-270) was a major philosopher of the ancient world who is widely considered the father of Neoplatonism. Much of our biographical information about him comes from Porphyry's preface to his edition of Plotinus' Enneads. His metaphysical writings have inspired centuries of Pagan, Christian, Jewish, Islamic and Gnostic metaphysicians and mystics. Porphyry reported that Plotinus was 66 years old when he died in 270, the second year of the reign of the emperor Claudius II, thus giving us the year of his teacher's birth as around 205. Eunapius reported that Plotinus was born in the Deltaic Lycopolis (Latin: Lyco) in Egypt, which has led to speculations that he may have been a native Egyptian of Roman, Greek, or Hellenized Egyptian descent.

Plotinus had an inherent distrust of materiality (an attitude common to Platonism), holding to the view that phenomena were a poor image or mimicry (mimesis) of something "higher and intelligible" which was the "truer part of genuine Being". This distrust extended to the body, including his own; it is reported by Porphyry that at one point he refused to have his portrait painted, presumably for much the same reasons of dislike. Likewise Plotinus never discussed his ancestry, childhood, or his place or date of birth. From all accounts his personal and social life exhibited the highest moral and spiritual standards.

Plotinus took up the study of philosophy at the age of twenty-seven, around the year 232, and travelled to Alexandria to study. There Plotinus was dissatisfied with every teacher he encountered until an acquaintance suggested he listen to the ideas of Ammonius Saccas. Upon hearing Ammonius lecture, he declared to his friend, "this was the man I was looking for," and began to study intently under his new instructor. Besides Ammonius, Plotinus was also influenced by the works of Alexander of Aphrodisias, Numenius, and various Stoics." (Quote from wikipedia.org)