Plotinus Or The Simplicity Of Vision; Author: Hadot, Pierre; Author: Translator Chase, Michael; Paperback; Large size

Author: Hadot, Pierre; Author: Translator Chase, Michael
Paperback; Large size; 1 Halftone, Chronology, Bibliography
144 pages
Published: May 1998
The University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226311945

Since its original publication in France in 1963, Pierre Hadot's lively philosophical portrait of Plotinus remains the preeminent introduction to the man and his thought. Michael Chase's lucid translation -- complete with a useful chronology and analytical bibliography -- at last makes this book available to the English-speaking world.Hadot carefully examines Plotinus's views on the self, existence, love, virtue, gentleness, and solitude. He shows that Plotinus, like other philosophers of his day, believed that Plato and Aristotle had already articulated the essential truths; forhim, the purpose of practicing philosophy was not to profess new truths but to engage in spiritual exercises so as to live philosophically. Seen in this light, Plotinus's counsel against fixation on tIn this work, Hadot examines Plotinus' views on the self, existence, love, virtue, gentleness and solitude. He shows that Plotinus, like other philosophers of his day, believed that Plato and Aristotle had already articulated the essential truths, and so his purpose was to live philosophically.