Unit:
Speciality MA in Ancient PhilosophyLibrary of the School of Science
Author:
Johnson Asher Pascal
Supervisors info:
Assoc. Prof. George Karamanolis, University of Vienna (advisor)
Assoc. Prof. Irini Viltanoti, University of Crete (member)
Assoc. Prof. Pantelis Golitsis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (member)
Original Title:
Metaphysical-Cosmological Politics, A Plotinian City-Soul Analogy
Translated title:
Metaphysical-Cosmological Politics, A Plotinian City-Soul Analogy
Summary:
This thesis explores the possibility of a political philosophy within Plotinus' work, particularly focusing on his views on the soul and its relationship to the material world. Recent scholarship, notably by Dominic O'Meara and Stephen Clark, has proposed that Plotinus held a political philosophy, but I argue that his philosophy is fundamentally anti-political in its material dimension while still containing political implications in its immaterial aspects.
While Plotinus does not engage with political philosophy in the traditional sense, I examine whether his thoughts on the soul's ascent from multiplicity to unity can inform his views on the political. I argue that for Plotinus, civic virtues are limited in their ability to elevate the soul to its highest potential, which lies in intellectual and philosophical virtues. He dismisses the civic virtues as insufficient for achieving divinity or true wisdom. The ideal life for the philosopher, however, involves disengagement from worldly political activity. I also contend that Plotinus’ metaphysical system—focused on the ascent of the soul toward the Good—offers an alternative vision of a "city" that is not about political organization, but about intellectual unity among souls aligned with the divine.
Ultimately, I conclude that while Plotinus does not propose a typical political philosophy, his metaphysical ascent provides a framework for understanding virtuous political action as a derivative of intellectual and spiritual development. Thus, his political philosophy is rooted in transcending the material world and focusing on the higher, immaterial realities.
Main subject category:
Science
Other subject categories:
Philosophy - Psychology
Keywords:
Plotinus, Metaphysics, Political Philosophy, Ascent, Enneads
