The Enneads Book

I have chosen to perhaps write this review prematurely, before my thoughts settle and before I've reread certain parts of the text that I want to reread. But it is difficult to tell whether freshness or certainty is more beneficial for a review, and for now I choose the former.

I read this book because of my more mystic leanings and because Plotinus is referenced in the footnotes on just about every other page of my copy of Augustine's Confessions. I'm on a hunt for significant primary texts in the history of philosophy, and Plotinus seemed both interesting and influential.

The opening biographical chapter by Porphyry is entertaining. It seems that Plotinus was fond of nursing until he was eight. Most interesting to me, however, from this part is Porphyry's statement that, as opposed to caring about style, Plotinus' "one concern was for the idea" (7). Of course, I did not read this book in the Greek, so translation might have polished it, but I think a large part of my love for it is a result of its style.

I mentioned that I have mystic leanings, and as one might imagine this leads me to prefer Plato to Aristotle, and Plotinus, perhaps taking this aspect of Plato even further than Plato, was quite agreeable to me. The most enjoyable parts to me were his discussions of the contemplative life, found throughout the work but especially at the very end. A passage from nearer the beginning:

"Murders, death in all its guises, the reduction and sacking of cities, all must be to us just such spectacle as the changing scenes of a play; all is but the varied incident of a plot, costume on and off, acted grief and lament. For on earth, in all the succession of life, it is not the Soul within but the Shadow outside of the authentic man, that grieves and complains and acts out the plot on this world stage which men have dotted with stages of their own constructing ... Those incapable of thinking gravely read gravity into frivolities which correspond to their own frivolous nature ... we cannot take laments as proof that anything is wrong; children cry and whimper where there is nothing wrong" (III.2.15, 194-195).

A long passage but a good one. What has led me away from literary studies lately has been its lack of purpose for life. It is enjoyable to unlock new methods to analyze a poem, but this does not affect my perception of things that I think matter more, such as real life. Thus, part of my interest in philosophy is a determination to flesh out my own beliefs about reality. Plotinus' mystic philosophy is just what I am looking for: it seems to grow distant, at times, from the practical, but ultimately I view it as a push toward a certain approach to life, culminating in VI.9. All of the ideas leading to that point do in fact lead to it. His philosophy necessitates - if it's correct - a certain style of living. And he has not abandoned the eudaimonic goal. "But there is a third order," he writes in V.9.1, "those godlike men who, in their mightier power, in the keeness [sic] of their sight, have clear vision of the splendour above and rise to it from among the cloud and fog of earth and hold firmly to that other world, looking beyond all here, delighted in the place of reality, their native land, like a man returning after long wanderings to the pleasant ways of his own countries" (499). He goes on to discuss the necessary attributes of such a person in V.9.2. This is a philosophy of life, and I view his other metaphysical discussions as a method to attain this lifestyle. And I believe it is correct. As I believe, and have always believed, this world is something of a mess, and not very pleasant, and Plotinus seems to believe this too, but he gives a large dose of hope, an escape from this realm in this life.

I could quote all of VI.9 if I'm not careful, but to wrap up this review, I will restrain myself to a single much shorter quote: "'Not to be told, not to be written': in our writing and telling we are but urging towards it: out of discussion we call to vision: to those desiring to see, we point the path; our teaching is of the road and the travelling; the seeing must be the very act of one that has made this choice" (VI.9.4, 701-702). This plainly states that a view and way of life is his goal.

I regret not discussing in detail his less directly practical ideas, which are very interesting, but I think other reviewers have done so, and this is my review, and therefore I review what I mainly took from the text which, as the above quote states, would have likely pleased Plotinus. I guess this makes me a Plotinian.

I recommend this book to anyone. It helps to have read some Plato first, but everybody should read Plato anyway, so my recommendation stands. This translation was clear, and the edition is nice, including multiple translations of tricky passages and helpful/pretty appendices. I plan on eventually working through the Loeb multi-volume edition as well.