Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision by Pierre Hadot

Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision by Pierre Hadot

Since its original publication in France in 1963, Pierre Hadot's lively philosophical portrait of Plotinus remains the preeminent introduction to the man and his thought. Michael Chase's lucid translation--complete with a useful chronology and analytical bibliography--at last makes this book available to the English-speaking world. Hadot carefully examines Plotinus's views on the self, existence, love, virtue, gentleness, and solitude. He shows that Plotinus, like other philosophers of his day, believed that Plato and Aristotle had already articulated the essential truths; for him, the purpose of practicing philosophy was not to profess new truths but to engage in spiritual exercises so as to live philosophically. Seen in this light, Plotinus's counsel against fixation on the body and all earthly matters stemmed not from disgust or fear, but rather from his awareness of the negative effect that bodily preoccupation and material concern could have on spiritual exercises.

Pierre Hadot (1922-2010) was Professor Emeritus of the History of Hellenistic and Roman Thinking at the Collège de France, where he held the Chair of Hellenistic and Roman Thought. Philosophy as a Way of Life (1995), What is Ancient Philosophy?, and other key publications have been translated into English. Robert O.Davidson is Arnold I.Davidson. Professor of the History of Political Philosophy at the University of Pisa and Anderson Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. He is the English language series editor of Michel Foucault's Collège de France courses and the author of The Emergence of Sexuality (2001), among other works on modern French philosophy.

Professor at the École des Hautes Études in Sciences Sociales, Jeannie Carlier She is a specialist in Neoplatonism and has authored writings on philosophy and religious practices in late antiquity.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780226311944
ISBN 10	0226311945
Title	Plotinus or the Simplicity of Vision
Author	Pierre Hadot
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	The University of Chicago Press
Year published	1998-04-28
Number of pages	145
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.