The Enneads | Plotinus

For Plotinus, the goal of human life is the of the soul back to its source.

Thinkers like Hegel saw Plotinus as a precursor to their own complex metaphysical systems. Recommended Resources Plotinus - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy PLOTINUS THE ENNEADS

"Civic virtues" (like justice and temperance) are necessary for order, but "purificatory virtues" are needed to strip away the soul's attachment to the material world. Legacy and Influence For Plotinus, the goal of human life is

Figures like Marsilio Ficino translated the Enneads into Latin, fueling the intellectual rebirth of Europe. PLOTINUS THE ENNEADS

At the furthest point of emanation lies matter, which Plotinus identifies as evil because it is the total absence of form and "light". The Return: Ethics and Beauty