Plotinus on ConsciousnessPlotinus is the first Greek philosopher to hold a systematic theory of consciousness. The key feature of his theory is that it involves multiple layers of experience: different layers of consciousness occur in different levels of self. This layering of higher modes of consciousness on lower ones provides human beings with a rich experiential world, and enables human beings to draw on their own experience to investigate their true self and the nature of reality. This involves a robust notion of subjectivity. However, it is a notion of subjectivity that is unique to Plotinus, and remarkably different from the Post-Cartesian tradition. Behind the plurality of terms Plotinus uses to express consciousness, and behind the plurality of entities to which Plotinus attributes consciousness (such as the divine souls and the hypostases), lies a theory of human consciousness. It is a Platonist theory shaped by engagement with rival schools of ancient thought. |
Contents
Consciousness Terms | |
The SoulTrace | |
The Lower Soul | |
The Higher Soul | |
SelfDetermination | |
7Conclusion | |
Bibliography | |
Common terms and phrases
actions activities actuality affection animals antilêpsis apprehension Aristotle awareness become belonging bodily Chapter cognitive contemplation dianoetic discursive reasoning embodied human Emilsson Enneads Epictetus experience external objects Forms givol grasp Hierocles higher soul homou hypostasis identity imagination impulses individual insofar Intellect intelligible world intentional object internal involves Kalligas knowledge layer of consciousness living logoi logos lower soul means memory mode of consciousness nature Neoplatonic noein noetic nonrational desires notion object of thought occurs one’s oneʼs pain parakolouthêsis Parmenides passage perceive philosophers Plato Plotinian Plotinus holds Plotinus writes Plotinusʼ theory Porphyry possess provides psychic qualified body rational relation Remes role says self-sculptor self-thinking sense sense-perception sensible objects sensible world soul-trace soul’s soulʼs Stoic sumpatheia sunaisthêsis sunesis theorem theory of consciousness things thinking Timaeus Töv translation Tſis type of consciousness unfolded unified unity usage verb virtue visual perception whole world soul