McGroarty, Kieran (2001) The Ethics of Plotinus. In: Eklogai: Studies in Honour of Thomas Finan and Gerard Watson. Department of Ancient Classics, National University of Ireland Maynooth, pp. 20-34. ISBN 0901519340

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Abstract

The theme of this paper is, what I believe to be, the inconsistency in the life lived by Plotinus and the ethical teaching of the Enneads. This paper will do little more than set out the problem. We know quite a bit about the life Plotinus lived because of a biography written by his most famous pupil, Porphyry. We have some fragments from another biogra~hy by Eunapius and other bits and pieces. But Porphyry is the chief source. We are lucky to have anything at all when we consider the opening lines of Porphyry's biography: Plotinus, the philosopher of our times, seemed ashamed of being in the body. As a result of this state of mind he could never bear to talk about his race or his parents or his native country (Vita Plotini 1.1-2).

Item Type:	Book Section
Keywords:	Plotinus;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > Ancient Classics
Item ID:	4636
Depositing User:	Dr. Kieran McGroarty
Date Deposited:	04 Dec 2013 16:46
Publisher:	Department of Ancient Classics
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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