Plotinus The Enneads «FREE — Series»

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

Existence is viewed as a "flow" or emanation from the One, like light from a fire or heat from a sun. This process is: PLOTINUS THE ENNEADS

Thinkers like Hegel saw Plotinus as a precursor to their own complex metaphysical systems. Recommended Resources Plotinus - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy For Plotinus, the goal of human life is

The first emanation from the One. It contains the totality of Platonic Forms and represents eternal, non-discursive thinking where the thinker and the thought are one. It is beyond "being" and "intellect," acting as

The absolute, simple, and transcendent first principle. It is beyond "being" and "intellect," acting as the source of all existence.

Each layer of reality becomes less unified and more complex as it moves further from the One.

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