Product Description

Each volume of this series of companions to major philosophers contains specially commissioned essays by an international team of scholars, together with a substantial bibliography, and will serve as a reference work for students and non-specialists. One aim of the series is to dispel the intimidation such readers often feel when faced with the work of a difficult and challenging thinker. Plotinus was the greatest philosopher in the 700-year period between Aristotle and Augustine. He thought of himself as a disciple of Plato, but in his efforts to defend Platonism against Aristotelians, Stoics, and others, he actually produced a reinvigorated version of Platonism that later came to be known as ‘Neoplatonism’. In this volume, sixteen leading scholars introduce and explain the many facets of Plotinus’ complex system. They place Plotinus in the history of ancient philosophy while showing that he was a founder of medieval philosophy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #701862 in Books
• Published on: 1996-08-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
‘The Cambridge Companion to Plotinus consists of a series of chapters on different themes written by various scholars, and brought together with great skill to form a coherent whole … It will inevitably go to the top of every reading list on the philosophy of Late Antiquity.’ Greece and Rome

Customer Reviews

Rough going
If you are an expert in philosophy (or becoming one), this book may be a good value for you. For a modest price, you get access to 16 experts on Plotinus.

However, it was very difficult reading for me, with some of the essays nearly impenetrable. The back cover of the book says it was an aim of the Cambridge Companion series to "dispel the intimidation such readers [ non-specialists] feel when faced with the work of a difficult and challenging thinker". Could have fooled me since The Enneads seem easier going than this collection. Nor did I find these collection the "most convenient and accessible guide to Plotinus currently available". The opposite seems closer to the truth.

The introductory essays presented by the editor John Dillon in Penguin's abridged publication of Stephen McKenna's translation of The Enneads were vastly more readable for me. Avoid the mistake I made of reading this book first: what you may lack in context even if you read Plotinus cold, Plotinus will more than make up for by his sweeping vision and attentiveness to clear explanation. If not, you might try the Karl Jaspers book on the great philosphers that includes a big section on Plotinus.

I wouldn't not recommend this book, because it does provide a great deal of context (e.g. on Plotinus's place within Platonism and his debt to Aristotle and the Stoics), the essayists are indeed top scholars, and the price is excellent. Even if you find one or two of the essayists you really benefit from and read more of them in the future, this book will have served as a good sampler. But be careful thinking that because you are very smart or very interested in Plotinus that this book is worth your time: you may find, like I am finding, that it serves mostly as a reminder of the twisty passages of academia.

Excellant, very good introduction to Plotinus' work.
An excellant introduction to Plotinus, particularly for people with no prior knowledge of the subject. The book is clear, on the most part concisely written and the presentation is excellant. The articles in it are well written and superbly researched.