Plotinus on Self: The Philosophy of the We

Plotinus, the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy, conceptualises two different notions of self (or ‘us’): the corporeal and the rational. Personality and imperfection mark the former, while goodness and a striving for understanding mark the latter. Dr Remes grounds the two selfhoods in deep-seated Platonic ontological commitments, following their manifestations, interrelations and sometimes uneasy coexistence in philosophical psychology, emotional therapy and ethics. Plotinus interest lies in what it means for a human being to be a temporal and a corporeal thing, yet capable of abstract and impartial reasoning, of self-government and perhaps even invulnerability. The book argues that this involves a philosophically problematic rupture within humanity which is, however, alleviated by the psychological similarities and points of contact between the two aspects of the self. The purpose of life is the cultivation of the latter aspect, the true self.

• Adopts a multifaceted approach to Plotinus\' philosophy of the self • Highlights self-sufficiency, rational coherence, stability and unity of selfhood as Plotinus\' philosophical ideals • Provides a genuinely philosophical motivation for several peculiar features of Neoplatonic philosophy

Introduction; Part I. The Endowed Structures of Selfhood: 1. Two lives, two identities: the ontological and anthropological setting; 1.1.Temporal particulars; 1.2. Human individuals and individuality; 2. The conscious centre; 2.1. From proprioception to self-consciousness; 2.2. Mental connectedness; 3. The rational self and its knowledge of itself; 3.1. The powers of intellect and reason; 3.2. Self-knowledge of the thinking thing; Part II. Constructing the Self: Between the World and the Ideal: 4. Sculpting your self: self-control, self-determination and self-constitution; 4.1. Free will and self-determination; 4.2. Therapy of emotions and what is up to us; 5. Action and other people: the self as a citizen of two communities; 6. Losing the limits of the self?; Conclusion.