Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision

This is a great introduction to Plotinus. I think this would work well for a class on Neo-Platonism, or the way philosophy was conducted in the late Roman world as well as a class focused on Plotinus. It is well written and accessible for those with a modest philosophical background. I suspect that those without such a background, but who have an interest in western mysticism, would also find it accessible.The book is arranged into seven chapters that touch on major themes in the writings of Plotinus. The first chapter is a portrait of Plotinus, based on the biography of Porphyry. This portrait aspect of Plotinus is regularly reintroduced in the following chapters and by the end of the book you have a feeling for Plotinus as a human being. It is a remarkably attractive portrait.The other six chapters give the reader an overview of central themes in Plotinus. These include the nature of the Self, the nature of Presence (the Presence of the Divine), Love, the place of Virtues in spiritual practice, Gentleness, and Solitude. Hadot has a secure grasp of the material and is able to draw on a wide range of quotes from our philosopher to assist us in understanding Plotinus.Plotinus has his critics and one of the benefits of the book is that Hadot is aware of them and responds to them with grace and consideration. Hadot’s defenses of Plotinus ring true to me. And I appreciate how he engages with these critics without becoming rancorous himself; that is becoming a very rare ability.Plotinus is one of the towering figures in the western intellectual tradition. His work is foundational for understanding western mysticism. He has had, and continues to have, a significant influence on Christian, Islamic, and Jewish thought. And some Neo-Pagans have told me that the presence of the thought of Plotinus is often found in their communities. But Plotinus is not an easy read. For those who have struggled with his essays, Hadot’s book is a good way to open the gate onto the garden of the transcendent source of all things, the Good, the Beautiful, and the One.

You can keep all your dry academic discourses written in scholastic ivory towers. Just give me Pierre Hadot's Simplicity of Vision. Who gives a horse pucky about the dry renditions and rationalization issuing from the dry, sterile, and stale mind of a tenured professor. I want the the nugget of gold at the center of our mystical traditions in plain and clear Language. Hadot deliveries all that, and more. Buy this book if you want clarity rather than jargon.

Pierre Hadot wrote PLOTINUS OR THE SIMPLICITY OF VISION at a time (1963) when far fewer supplementary Plotinian texts existed. This third edition paperback, translated from the French, has been available since 1993 essentially unchanged from the earliest version. Hadot's scholarship regarding both the life and philosophy of Plotinus has passed the test of time.This short, but not superficial, overview examines Plotinus' teachings on the Self, Presence, Love, Virtues, Gentleness, and Solitude.It also provides a spiritual biography of the third-century Roman and seeks to dispel certain misconceptions that reading THE LIFE OF PLOTINUS, by the master's student, Porphyry, can and have biased the minds of many pre-Hadot readers. Precious little is known about Plotinus' life, but Hadot takes care to place what is in the context of the norms of philosopher's era. Thus, Plotinus is depicted as a man of balance, not as a unhealthy ascetic: "Plotinus' spiritual life consists in tranquil confidence and peaceful gentleness," Hadot persuades.Plotinus sought to teach his students constant inner contemplation (very similar to meditation disciplines popularized in the West over the last several decades but not widely influential here in 1963). In the ENNEADS (the compilation of his writings, as organized by Porphyry), he explains what a diligently practicing student could experience," ' Suddenly a light bursts forth, pure and alone. We wonder whence it came: from the outside, or from the inside?...The light comes from nowhere, and it goes nowhere; it simply either appears or does not appear....What a wonder!' "For anyone interested in this philosopher/sage, PLOTINUS OR THE SIMPLICITY OF VISION is an outstanding place to begin.

I first read about Pierre Hadot in Brian Hines' "Return to the One" subtitled Plotinus's Guide to God-Realization. He made a number of references to "Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision". I wanted to read the source. At first I found the read pretty steep. I needed to come up to speed to understand and appreciate Hadot's approach. He is a philosopher. However, the effort was worth it. The insight he brings to Plotinus opens up a very deep spirituality. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a handle on the source of many threads of spiritual teaching that have come down to us through the centuries. This book can be enlightening.

First off, I feel that I should suggest that readers skip the foreword by Arnold L. Davidson. It is written in a dry, academic style and lacks the depth and clarity of the book itself. It adds nothing to what is already in the book.Second, I have to commend the translator for acknowledging the difficulty and almost impossible task of accurately translating all the nuances between different languages. His inclusion of the original French in places was very helpful.As to the book itself, Hadot manages to bring tremendous insight and clarity to the life and work of Plotinus without embellishments. He is very clear on what is actually known and what can only be inferred. Reading this book will make you want to read the Enneads as well as many of Plato's works. I would suggest this book as an ideal introduction to Neo-Platonism.

A gem of a book. Cuts straight to the point, provides essences without getting lost in detail. Can inform as well as inspire. Packed with information in less than 120 pages, and yet, though it's packed, it's not dense. Charming and touching at every turn. If you want to know more about Plotinus the Philosopher, the Mystic and the man, this is a great way to get started.

An academic, or, indeed, a spiritual seeker, might not consider it an exaggeration to say that upon reflection, anything worth saying about the development of the Mind, has been said by Plotinus (205-270CE), and that the work of Plotinus is as inspiring as any Asian philosophical tradition, purporting to explain the same subject. Sometimes, the clarity with which Plotinus describes his experience of the 'inner' mind, is reminiscent of the style of crisp and concise analysis found in early Buddhist Sutras.This is spiritual development, free of the dogma of religious garb, and confusing symbolism. But it is 'pure' development, as spirituality should be. Plotinus lived at a time when the development of the Mind was viewed as the highest endeavour available to a human being. What is more, academia, to be legitimate, had to evolve into a definite state of superior insight. Plotinus developed the Mind beyond 'concept'.For him, 'pure' intellect was that which lay beyond thought, but which could be acquired through thought, (at least in-part). He advocated the disentanglement of awareness from the 'senses', and the 'emotions', and turn it toward the 'theos', or the highest available cognition realisable by the seeking philosopher. Theos, prior to the full development of Christian theology, did not refer to 'God' within the Greek tradition of philosophy. It rather referred to the highest attainable conscious state, known to humanity, through introspective observation. As such, it is not a philosophical work that merely considers the 'nature' of 'thought', but rather shows how the Mind as subject, can be thoroughly examined and understood, and through such insight, penetrated to its core. The author, Pierre Hadot states:'Plotinus expresses his inner experiences in terms consonant with the Platonic tradition. He situates himself and his experience within a hierarchy of realities which extends from the supreme level - God - to the opposite extreme; the level of matter. According to doctrine, the human soul occupies an intermediate position between realities inferior to it - matter and the life of the body - and realities superior to it; purely intellectual life, characteristic of divine intelligence, and, higher still, the pure existence of the Principle of all things. Within this framework, the experience Plotinus describes for us consists in a movement by which the soul lifts herself up to the level of divine intelligence, which creates all things and contains within itself, in the form of a spiritual world, all the eternal Ideas or immutable models of which the things of this world are nothing but images.' (Page 26).The 1998 (paperback) edition contains 138 numbered pages, and is translated from the original French, by Michael Chase. This book carries a fascinating Introduction by Arnold I Davidson, entitled 'Reading Hadot Reading Plotinus'. and is separated into 7 chapters:1) Portrait.2) Levels of the Self.3) Presence.4) Love.5) Virtues.6) Gentleness.7) Solitude.Plotinus lived an ascetic life, teaching students about his spiritual insight. He eminated compassion, and it is hard not to fall in love with the philosophy of Plotinus. This book is well written and expresses a deep and clear understanding of the subject. It is also a very good over-view, and can easily serve as a spring-board to further research. More than this however, Hadot's achievement is extraordinary in its own right. Many claim a working knowledge of philosophy, but few penetrate the surface, into the inner-workings of a particular philosopher's mind. This is exactly what Pierre Hadot has managed to do, and express this understanding in writing. Michael Chase has performed a very vital service to the English reader, by providing a superb translation of painstaking detail, and Arnold Davidson offers a context by which the reader may understand Hadot, as he understands Plotinus. A relatively short book of immense character and charm. Something of a philosophical classic.

Really interesting essay by an author that shows a deep understanding of Plotinus

This short book introduces the reader to the key thoughts of Plotinus: the intelligible accessed by thinking and grace accessed by love. It is readable, and makes Plotinus a little more accessible.We are naturally at risk of wanting to draw parallels between Plotinus' Good/God and Christian theology, but Hadot carefully mitigates this risk showing us how the Plotinian focus on self-become-like-God through virtue has really nothing to do with St Paul's "Christ-in-me".Hadot therefore casts fruitful light on the vexed question of the relationship between pagan and Christian thought in late antiquity. Plotinus holds our attention not because of his elaborate mystical vision of unity in diversity, but because of his fateful, serene indifference to the Christian moment.

This book is so rich, an amazing spiritual exegesis of beautiful thinker, everything Pierre Hadot writes is gold. A treasure.