Plotinus

Eyjólfur K. Emilsson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo, Norway. He is the author of Plotinus on Sense-Perception (1988), Plotinus on Intellect (2007) and (with Steven K. Strange) of a translation and commentary, Plotinus: Ennead VI.4 and VI.5: On the Presence of Being, One and the Same, Everywhere as a Whole (2015). He has published numerous articles on Plotinus and other ancient philosophers and translated Plato’s Republic and other Platonic dialogues into Icelandic.

• ChronologyIntroduction1. Life, Works and Philosophical Background2. The World According to Plotinus3. The One and the Genesis of Intellect4. Intellect5. Soul6. The Physical World7. The Human Being I: The Soul–Body Compound8. The Human Being II: The Higher Soul and We Ourselves9. Ethics I: Virtue, Happiness and the Ethics of Everyday Life10. Ethics II: Mystical Experience, Theodicy, Freedom and Beauty11. Plotinus’ Legacy and Influence

'[A] general introduction to Plotinus that is pleasant to read and very well informed, by a specialist who has written a great deal on Plotinus. … The exposition is clear, the argumentation rigorous, and no important Plotinian passage has been overlooked. This makes the book an invaluable resource. … This is an important book that brings to the surface the merits and the weaknesses of an interpretation that is tending to become standard in a context in which philosophy is no longer a way of life, but a university discipline.' - Luc Brisson, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews'The beauty of this book lies in the way that Emilsson guides the reader through both the intellectual background and legacy of the greatest philosopher of late antiquity. By engaging Plotinus in argument, Emilsson brings the Enneads to life, revealing a system behind unsystematic exposition, exposing philosophical reason where there is an apparent dogma.' - Pauliina Remes, Uppsala University, Sweden'This is a reliable and readable introduction to Plotinus, from one of the leading scholars of his thought. It offers a level of detail that is unusual in an introductory volume, as well as engaging with the most recent secondary literature. It thus offers a good orientation for students, while also being of interest to seasoned readers of the Enneads.' - Peter Adamson, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany