← Home
Select Works of Plotinus · 174 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 180

Section 4 4. Another theory: The Universe is permeated by one Soul, Cause of all things and events; every separate phenomenon as a member of a whole moves in its place with the general movement; all the various causes spring into action from one source: therefore, it is argued, the entire descending claim of causes and all their interaction must follow inevitably and so constitute a universal determination. A plant rises from a root, and we are asked on that account to reason that not only the interconnection linking the root to all the members and every member to every other but the entire activity and experience of the plant, as well, must be one organized overruling, a "destiny" of the plant. But such an extremity of determination, a destiny so all-pervasive, does away with the very destiny that is affirmed: it shatters the sequence and co-operation of causes. It would be unreasonable to attribute to destiny the movement of our limbs dictated by the mind and will: this is no case of something outside bestowing motion while another thing accepts it and is thus set into action; the mind itself is the prime mover. Similarly in the case of the universal system; if all that performs act and is subject to experience constitutes one substance, if one thing does not really produce another thing under causes leading back continuously one to another, then it is not a truth that all happens by causes, there is nothing but a rigid unity. We are no "We": nothing is our act; our thought is not ours; our decisions are the reasoning of something outside ourselves; we are no more agents than our feet are kickers when we use them to kick with. No; each several thing must be a separate thing; there must be acts and thoughts that are our own; the good and evil done by each human being must be his own; and it is quite certain that we must not lay any vileness to the charge of the All.
Themes
◆Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The passage suggests that material principles and surface causes can enslave Real Being and determine human states.

All passages →
◆Cosmic Sympathycosmology

The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.

The text mentions the belief in planetary circuits and stars having power of foretelling as a determinant school of thought.

All passages →
◆Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text debates the nature of causation, contrasting blind fate or necessity with a higher first-principle that orders existence.

All passages →
◆Divine Simplicitytheology

The doctrine that God has no parts, divisions, or composite attributes; pure undivided being.

The critique of atomic agglomeration implies a preference for a non-composite Real Being over fragmented material principles.

All passages →
◆Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

Distinguishing between 'nearest determinants' and 'primal and transcendent causes' suggests a hierarchical structure of causality.

All passages →
◆Mechanical Humanityanthropology

Gurdjieff and Ouspensky's claim that ordinary human beings live in a state of waking sleep, reacting mechanically without unified will or consciousness, and that the spiritual path begins with recognising this condition.

The passage critiques the view that human impulses are determined by material principles like animal members moving without choice.

All passages →
◆Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The search for 'primal and transcendent causes' aligns with the concept of a single first principle from which existence flows.

All passages →
◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The text contrasts material atomic principles with transcendent Real Being, establishing an opposition between matter and higher reality.

All passages →
◇Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

[auto] The passage explicitly urges the mind to penetrate deeper beyond surface causes and go further back to primal origins.

All passages →
Related passages · 7 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 13, Section 1c
“Emily Brontë: “Every existence would exist in Thee.”) And if all things be conceived as being ultimately unified with each other, then all things taken as a whole are One. 507 507 All things possess the same Super-Essence, and that is why…”
Both passages discuss the concept of unity and the interconnectedness of all things. Passage A from Plotinus explores the idea of a single Soul permeating the Universe and the interconnection of causes, while Passage B from the mystical tradition discusses the ultimate unity of all things in the One, emphasizing the Super-Essence that connects everything. Both texts grapple with the balance between individuality and unity.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1
“Intr., p. 5. 259 Here we get once more the Aristotelian classification of causes. The Good is:— (i) Formal Cause (1) immanent in the world (Order— τάξις ); (2) containing the world (Embracing Power— περιοχή ). (ii) Efficient Cause (Caus…”
Both passages discuss the nature of causality and the interconnectedness of all things within a universal framework. Passage A explores the idea of a single Soul as the cause of all phenomena, while Passage B delves into the Aristotelian classification of causes and the pervasive influence of the Good. Both texts grapple with the concept of unity and individuality within a larger cosmic order.
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1b
“(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”
Both passages discuss the nature of unity and individuality within a larger cosmic framework. Passage A explores the idea of a universal soul and the interconnection of all things, while Passage B discusses the emanation of wisdom from a divine source and the unity of spiritual truths. Both texts grapple with the balance between individual agency and a higher, unifying principle.
◆taoism|The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters)|Book 128 (part 1)
“p. 236 BOOK VI. PART I. SECTION VI. Tâ Zung Shih, or 'The Great and Most Honoured Master 1 .' 1. He who knows the part which the Heavenly 2 (in him) plays, and knows(also)that which the Human 2 (in him ought to) play, has reached the p…”
Both passages explore the nature of human existence and the interplay between innate (Heavenly/Human) and external factors. They discuss the limitations of surface-level explanations and the search for deeper, transcendent causes.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XII (part 1)
“p. 136 CHAPTER XII Analysis of phenomena. What defines different orders of phenomena for us? Methods and forms of the transition of one order of phenomena into another. Phenomena of motion. Phenomena of life, Phenomena of consciousness…”
Both passages explore the nature of causality and the interconnection of phenomena within the universe. Passage A discusses the unity and individuality of actions within a universal system, while Passage B analyzes different orders of phenomena and their transformations, questioning the origin of life and consciousness from physical phenomena.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XII (part 4)
“______ If we would correlate all of the above with the principle of physics that the amount of energy is constant , then we must state more exactly that in the preceding discussion nothing has been said of the creation of new energy, but of…”
Both passages explore the limitations of understanding phenomena through surface causes and the need to delve deeper into the underlying realities. They question the materialistic explanations of reality and suggest that there are more fundamental principles at play.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 7)
“From the STANDPOINT OF LOGIC such a theory is more correct than the theory of two classes of actions—REASONED AND UN-REASONED. It at least establishes the principle of NECESSARY UNIFORMITY. It is really impossible to suppose that in an im…”
Both passages discuss the nature of causality and the unity of the universe. They explore whether events are determined by a single, overarching principle or if individual entities have their own agency. However, they come from different philosophical and mystical traditions, Plotinus representing Neoplatonism and the second passage likely representing a Gurdjieffian perspective.