Plotinus

Plotinus

Plotinus (AD 205–270) was a follower of Plato and founder of a school of philosophy subsequently called Neoplatonism. Our interview about the best books to learn about Neoplatonism is with Ursula Coope, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Oxford, who calls Plotinus “a deep and imaginative thinker.” This list includes books by Plotinus but also books that introduce his thinking, which can seem quite alien to a modern reader.

Books by Plotinus

“I would also like to mention two other books that are nicely complementary to O’Meara’s. One is Eyjólfur Emilsson’s Plotinus, which is similar in scope and aim to O’Meara’s book but slightly more advanced. It would be a good thing to read after O’Meara.”

Ursula Coope on Neoplatonism, Five Books interview

“The other is Pierre Hadot’s Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision (in the original French, Plotin ou la simplicité du regard). Hadot is especially good at bringing out the way in which, for Plotinus, philosophy is not only an intellectual exercise but also a way of life: a means to self-improvement and self-transformation.”

Ursula Coope on Neoplatonism, Five Books interview

“Porphyry also wrote a short life of Plotinus, which tells us some interesting details about him. Of course, we can’t be sure how reliable it is. Porphyry wanted to paint a particular picture of his own relation to Plotinus. But it’s interesting to have the little details that we get from that portrait.”

Ursula Coope on Neoplatonism, Five Books interview

Interviews where books by Plotinus were recommended

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