The Heart of Plotinus: The Essential Enneads (Perennial Philosophy Series) Kindle Edition
by Algis Uzdavinys (Author), Aldis Uzdavinys (Editor), & 1 more Format: Kindle Edition
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The Heart of Plotinus: The Essential Enneads
by Algis Uždavinys (Editor), Jay Bregman (Foreword)
4.35 · Rating details · 23 ratings · 3 reviews
Drawing parallels with other traditions, the author emphasizes that Plotinus' philosophy was not a purely mental or rational exercise, but a complete way of life incorporating the spiritual virtues. He provides an introduction to his teachings and an informative commentary on the Enneads. Also included is a commentary by Plotinus' leading disciple, Porphyry (c. 233-305 A.D.), on an enigmatic passage from Homer's epic, the Odyssey.
Plotinus was born at Lycopolis, in Upper Egypt in 204 CE, and died at Campania in 270 CE. In the twenty-eighth year of his life he applied himself to philosophy, and attended the lectures of the most celebrated men of that time in Alexandria. In 244 he went to Rome and won numerous adherents to his teaching, among them the Emperor Gallienus and his wife Salonina. He taught in Rome until about 268, retiring then to the country estate of a disciple in Campania. Plotinus did not reduce his doctrine to writing until toward the close of his life, and then did not publish it. His pupil Porphyry, arranged the fifty-four treatises of Plotinus in six Enneades, placing them in logical order from the simplest to the most abstruse, as well as chronological sequence. (less)
Average rating4.35 · Rating details · 23 ratings · 3 reviews
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Gary Beauregard Bottomley
Jul 30, 2020Gary Beauregard Bottomley rated it really liked it
This book consist mostly of selected writings from Plotinus' Enneads with marvelous introductions and contextual analysis spread through out from the author. I would actually recommend The Oxford Companion to Plotinus over this book because the author's selections for The Enneads credits Plotinus with slightly more coherence than a reader would get by reading the complete works of Plotinus on their own or by reading a series of essays as provided in the Oxford Companion.
With that being said, this book provides the reader with a superb subset of Plotinus while at times focusing on just parts of Plotinus and as Plotinus himself will warn his students against the multiple arising from the One as it returns to the Good such that the image of the images seeks to return the individual back to their authentic self. (less)
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B. Rule
Nov 16, 2021B. Rule rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I sometimes wish that Plotinus could replace most people's devotional readings. As this volume makes clear, he was a true prophet of rational mysticism. His texts aren't necessarily the most analytically rigorous product of antiquity, but his religious enthusiasm for an ascending path through virtue and reason to an apophatic encounter with the One behind the Nous is a welcome tonic to the irrational exuberances of our current theological milieu.
The texts offered here are selected well and organized intelligently, and Uzdavinys' introductory essays are worth their weight in gold. I only wish he'd offered more commentary. Coupled with an excellent essay on, and text of, Porphyry's On the Cave of the Nymphs, this is a wonderful volume for anyone interested in Late Platonism. My only real complaint is that I didn't love some of the technical terms used in the translation, and would have preferred keeping the Greek (or at least including the Greek as a parenthetical). (less)
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Sebastian
Apr 03, 2021Sebastian rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: philosophy
Completely down with both mysticism and Plato, but this sits in philosophical limbo. Neither as profound or interesting as the Timaeus, nor as touching as St. Augustine.
===What can the ancient philosophy of Plotinus (204-270 A.D.) teach us today? Drawing parallels with other wisdom traditions of the East and West, Uždavinys emphasizes that Plotinus’ philosophy was not a purely mental or rational exercise, but a complete way of life incorporating the spiritual virtues. Plotinus, the renowned Egyptian sage and philosopher of the classical world, is widely regarded as the founder of the school of Neo-Platonism, which sought to revive the teachings of Plato.
This book provides an extensive introduction to Plotinus’ teachings and an informative commentary on the Enneads. Also included is a commentary by Plotinus’ leading disciple, Porphyry (c. 233-305 A.D.) on an enigmatic passage from Homer’s epic, the Odyssey.
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Print length
296 pages
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Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Dr. Algis Uzdavinys is a senior research fellow at the Lithuanian State Institute of Culture, Philosophy, and Arts and an associate professor at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts in his native Lithuania. He is a published scholar in English, French, and Lithuanian. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Print length : 296 pages
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4.6 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
Melchizedek
5.0 out of 5 stars "The Only Thing Needful" for the Spiritual SeekerReviewed in the United States on June 4, 2018
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Note that Amazon has incorrect spelling of author's first name and so only half of his works are under each one. It's ALGIS. Someone should fix that!
The importance of Neoplatonism is a hot topic in the Academy. This is an excellent primer for those interested in it's "founder." Plotinus would likely say he is a Platonist, and that should tell you a lot about the history of philosophy in the West.
The author was prodigious academic of the Traditionalist school, so, unfortunately, his academic writing isn't accessible to all lay readers. He also died at a young age, which is tragic in a way but also shows how short life can be for those who are blessed with Grace. It would have been interesting to see if he would have written additional essays that were geared to the lay public since what he says is so seminal.
Anyway, I believe this book needs more than one five star review.
Despite the fact that one can obtain other editions of Plotinus' Enneads (complete ones I mean) as well as Porphyry's On The Cave Of Nymphs, the reason to get this book is because of the outstanding introductory essays to both. It also speaks volumes that he should have included excerpts from Stephen Mackenna's translation of Plotinus’ Enneads and Thomas Taylor's complete translation of Porphyry's De Antro Nympharum.
OUTSTANDING. Made to be an introduction to Neoplatonic thought, this is highly recommended especially for young scholars.
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Fana
5.0 out of 5 stars The Heart of PlotinusReviewed in the United States on April 30, 2019
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Uzdanivys is a Plotinus scholar second to none. The book is worth getting for his introduction alone. Excellent selections; superb commentary.
8 people found this helpful
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Roger Allen Hardister
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
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Great book.
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Mr B
4.0 out of 5 stars The heart of Plotinus. Algis UzdavinysReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2015
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For those who become interested in Plotinus, one is faced with two alternatives: the first Armstrong’s translation (with the original Greek) in the Leob Series (seven volumes), and the full, not necessarily word by word accuracy – but clearly in the spirit of Plotinus, various editions of McKenna’s translations;
Read less
Print length
296 pages
=====
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Dr. Algis Uzdavinys is a senior research fellow at the Lithuanian State Institute of Culture, Philosophy, and Arts and an associate professor at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts in his native Lithuania. He is a published scholar in English, French, and Lithuanian. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
Print length : 296 pages
Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Top reviews from the United States
Melchizedek
5.0 out of 5 stars "The Only Thing Needful" for the Spiritual SeekerReviewed in the United States on June 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Note that Amazon has incorrect spelling of author's first name and so only half of his works are under each one. It's ALGIS. Someone should fix that!
The importance of Neoplatonism is a hot topic in the Academy. This is an excellent primer for those interested in it's "founder." Plotinus would likely say he is a Platonist, and that should tell you a lot about the history of philosophy in the West.
The author was prodigious academic of the Traditionalist school, so, unfortunately, his academic writing isn't accessible to all lay readers. He also died at a young age, which is tragic in a way but also shows how short life can be for those who are blessed with Grace. It would have been interesting to see if he would have written additional essays that were geared to the lay public since what he says is so seminal.
Anyway, I believe this book needs more than one five star review.
Despite the fact that one can obtain other editions of Plotinus' Enneads (complete ones I mean) as well as Porphyry's On The Cave Of Nymphs, the reason to get this book is because of the outstanding introductory essays to both. It also speaks volumes that he should have included excerpts from Stephen Mackenna's translation of Plotinus’ Enneads and Thomas Taylor's complete translation of Porphyry's De Antro Nympharum.
OUTSTANDING. Made to be an introduction to Neoplatonic thought, this is highly recommended especially for young scholars.
13 people found this helpful
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Fana
5.0 out of 5 stars The Heart of PlotinusReviewed in the United States on April 30, 2019
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Uzdanivys is a Plotinus scholar second to none. The book is worth getting for his introduction alone. Excellent selections; superb commentary.
8 people found this helpful
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Roger Allen Hardister
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
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Great book.
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Mr B
4.0 out of 5 stars The heart of Plotinus. Algis UzdavinysReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2015
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For those who become interested in Plotinus, one is faced with two alternatives: the first Armstrong’s translation (with the original Greek) in the Leob Series (seven volumes), and the full, not necessarily word by word accuracy – but clearly in the spirit of Plotinus, various editions of McKenna’s translations;
the second are edited versions, the first one of which I came across was O’Brien’s ‘The essential Plotinus’ originally published by Mentor, and then re-issued under the Hackett label which I liked very much, and still do.
Then I discovered this, which in some respects update’s O’Brien’s and uses McKenna’s translation for the selections, which Bergman in his forward describes as ‘poetic’, although even a casual reader of Armstrong will find Plotinus poetic. The excellent introduction is about a quarter of the book the rest is made up of the selections, and some attention is drawn to similarities in Plotinus and eastern thought – although no one has tracked down any historical connections, some for example have found resonances with the Bhagavad Gita’ but then Eckhart has been rightly compared with Shankara. Such comments may be due to the perenialistic perceptions of the publishers – World Wisdom.
Each selection has a short helpful introduction, but the selection process has some surprises. The whole of Ennead 1:6 is included – the treatise on Beauty, but nothing from Ennead V I – the famous three hypostases, where Plotinus asks the soul, ‘Why have we forgotten our father and our divine origin?’ By contrast, O’Brien sees V I as very significant – it almost in the middle of his book, which means a random opening is likely to present it. Whether this is compensated by the appended inclusion of Porphyry’s exegesis of ‘The cave of the nymphs’ in the Odyssey – which is one of the first example we have of an allegorical exegesis, is a mute point. V I demonstrates (along with I:6) why the why Plotinus is also regarded as a mystic. So this is helpful material, for those wanting to access the 3rdc. philosopher who many regard as the founder of Neoplatonism, but I feel that singular omission lets the selection down.
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Each selection has a short helpful introduction, but the selection process has some surprises. The whole of Ennead 1:6 is included – the treatise on Beauty, but nothing from Ennead V I – the famous three hypostases, where Plotinus asks the soul, ‘Why have we forgotten our father and our divine origin?’ By contrast, O’Brien sees V I as very significant – it almost in the middle of his book, which means a random opening is likely to present it. Whether this is compensated by the appended inclusion of Porphyry’s exegesis of ‘The cave of the nymphs’ in the Odyssey – which is one of the first example we have of an allegorical exegesis, is a mute point. V I demonstrates (along with I:6) why the why Plotinus is also regarded as a mystic. So this is helpful material, for those wanting to access the 3rdc. philosopher who many regard as the founder of Neoplatonism, but I feel that singular omission lets the selection down.
Read less
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