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What we’re about
"Truth springs from argument amongst friends"
We are a discussion group of friendly and intelligent people who enjoy wrestling with and studying philosophical topics.
Promoting exchange through examination and reasoned argument, expect to justify, critique, be critiqued and engage analytically with the ideas of others.
Interested to attend?
We hope you will join us all for future discussions.
RULES
In order to maximise the respect, enjoyment and engagement of all the members of the group, which request that you:
- read all relevant material for a discussion prior to a meeting;
- if you are not already familiar with the subject of philosophy, please try to familiarise yourself with a general background in philosophy by reading some general introductions;
- be considerate to others during our discussions.
Upcoming events (1)
See all- BEAUTY (according to Plotinus)The Grapes, Bath
BEAUTY
(according to Plotinus)
Last year, Marios hosted a discussion on the Aesthetic Experience. In some respects the subject of Beauty covers some of the same ground, but when it comes to the ancient Greek philosophers, the subject of Beauty raises questions of mathematics and virtuous character, as readily as it implies physical attractiveness. For example, Plato said – ‘Forms are beautiful, the perfect being is beautiful, and among these forms, the form of good is the most beautiful.’ The “Good” was Plato’s ontological starting point, where non-being becomes being, and it’s Beauty (ought to be) the Object of (our) Love. Many other Philosophers continued the discussion on Beauty. Kant said it was not a property of an object, but based on the feeling(s) of the subject. Artists and poets, especially, have been busy either trying to pin Beauty down, or set it free upon a cloud of ineffable gobbledegook. Shakespeare describes it as a bit of a pain - ‘A vain and doubtful good’ and ‘A brittle glass that’s broken presently.’
This discussion approaches the subject of Beauty from a different angle than Marios’ discussion and through the lens of Plotinus – the most influential ancient philosopher that you’ve never heard of; certainly one of the most referenced and quoted. Therefore, Plotinus’ ideas become a key focus of our discussion, as much as Beauty itself.
Background & Introduction
Plotinus – 205 to 270 CE. An Egyptian, which was Roman at the time, but identified as Greek (Hellenistic). Schooled in philosophy at Alexandria, and became a teacher himself in Rome, then retired in Sicily. Known to us as the first of the Neo-Platonists; this is a relatively modern term, so he would have called himself a Platonist. Not the Plato we know – as father of logic and reason, but as Plato actually was – more closely aligned to Pythagoras and earlier mysticism (see his Timaeus). Plotinus’ Enneads have inspired many Medieval Christian mystics, such as Thomas Aquinas and the unknown author of The Cloud of Unknowing. They loved his take on a “divine unfolding trilogy” which he called (the three) hypostases:”
· The One (Plato’s Good),
· The Intelligence (Plato's realm of Ideal Forms), and
· The Soul.
“Beauty” is the earliest of Plotinus’s writings, and for hundreds of years the only thing he was known for. Also probably the most well-written, most poetic and most coherent. His final writings were jumbled, with bad hand-writing, and lacking links and references; but he was getting old (running out of time) and had failing eyesight. Mind you, he apparently worked very quickly anyway and never re-read nor edited any of his work – it just poured out the once! Although he did expound his ideas and reasoning to others in a classroom environment; and specifically to Porphyry, more than most. Porphyry, his “beloved” pupil (disciple), collated, edited and rearranged Plotinus’ notes (after his death) and separated them into Six Enneads; “ennead” means “nine”, so each Ennead has 9 Treatises (sections), and each Treatise is divided into many chapters. Porphyry moved Beauty from the first Treatise to the Sixth Treatise of the first Ennead; Beauty has 9 Chapters. Porphyry was a fan of Pythagoras – hence him trying to squeeze harmony from a numerical framework.
The notes available via the Link below are taken from:
· The Essential Plotinus by Elmer O’Brien, Hackett Publishing, 1964, and
· Kindle-Penguin abridged edition 1991, translated by Stephen MacKenna with added introduction and notes by John Dillon.
The Chapter headings are my invention.
Link to Reading Material
Read through the summaries of the 9 chapters on Beauty (40-mins) and make any notes you wish. Bring your own thoughts, views, examples; as we are not limited only to the published questions.
The actual session questions we will consider are shown at the end of the document, and they tie-up and make sense of Plotinus' text, which can sometimes be hard to follow. Embedded within the document are questions (both my own and Plotinus’), these are to assist reading and understanding, and aid creative thinking. I also provide my thoughts on the text's meaning.CONDUCT OF DISCUSSION
We try to allow the conversation to flow. However, please adhere to the following:
- Please be respectful of others during the Meetup.
- If you would like to raise a point but feel that you have difficulty in being heard, please raise your hand and the person who is leading the discussion will ask you to speak when there is a natural pause;
- Try not to talk over others;
- Speak concisely and to the point of the subject.