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Select Works of Plotinus · 453 of 752 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Select Works, Section 433

Section 1 1. Are we to think that a being knowing itself must contain diversity, that self-knowledge can be affirmed only when some one phase of the self perceives other phases, and that therefore an absolutely simplex entity would be equally incapable of introversion and of self-awareness? No: a being that has no parts or phases may have this consciousness; in fact there would be no real self-knowing in an entity presented as knowing itself in virtue of being a compound- some single element in it perceiving other elements- as we may know our own form and entire bodily organism by sense-perception: such knowing does not cover the whole field; the knowing element has not had the required cognisance at once of its associates and of itself; this is not the self-knower asked for; it is merely something that knows something else. Either we must exhibit the self-knowing of an uncompounded being- and show how that is possible- or abandon the belief that any being can possess veritable self-cognition. To abandon the belief is not possible in view of the many absurdities thus entailed. It would be already absurd enough to deny this power to the soul or mind, but the very height of absurdity to deny it to the nature of the Intellectual-Principle, presented thus as knowing the rest of things but not attaining to knowledge, or even awareness, of itself. It is the province of sense and in some degree of understanding and judgement, but not of the Intellectual-Principle, to handle the external, though whether the Intellectual-Principle holds the knowledge of these things is a question to be examined, but it is obvious that the Intellectual-Principle must have knowledge of the Intellectual objects. Now, can it know those objects alone or must it not simultaneously know itself, the being whose function it is to know just those things? Can it have self-knowledge in the sense [dismissed above as inadequate] of knowing its content while it ignores itself? Can it be aware of knowing its members and yet remain in ignorance of its own knowing self? Self and content must be simultaneously present: the method and degree of this knowledge we must now consider.
Themes
◆Demiurgecosmology

A secondary creator deity—often ignorant or malevolent—responsible for fashioning the material world, distinct from the supreme transcendent God.

The Demiurge is mentioned as the entity that cast the soul around the universe, acting as a secondary creator distinct from The One.

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◆Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

The soul is identified as a 'divine thing' belonging to another order than sense, implying an inner divine element.

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◇Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

[auto] The text describes the reasoning phase of the soul maintaining its 'distinctive Act' of thinking in purity.

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◇Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

[auto] The One is described as a Principle which 'transcends Being', indicating it cannot be defined by positive categories of existence.

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◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

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

[auto] The reasoning phase of the soul is described as needing 'no bodily organ for its thinking' to maintain purity.

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◇Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

[auto] The author states that the three cosmic principles exist for Nature and correspondingly exist for ourselves.

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◇Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] The One is described as lying 'beyond all the heavens' and transcending Being, placing it beyond ordinary perception.

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◇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.

[auto] The passage explicitly outlines a descending chain of principles: The One, followed by the Intellectual-Principle, and then Soul.

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◇Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

[auto] The text describes the human soul as a 'divine thing' and part of the 'Interior Man' beyond the sense realm.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The author asserts that these divine principles exist for ourselves and refers to the 'Interior Man' as the corresponding aspect of man.

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◇Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

[auto] The Intellectual-Principle is presented as the mediating principle of reason and being between The One and Soul.

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◇Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

[auto] The human being is described as having a corresponding aspect to the cosmic system, referred to as the 'Interior Man'.

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◇Monadcosmology

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

[auto] The text identifies 'The One' as the primary Principle which transcends Being and from which others follow.

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◇Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] The passage directs attention to the 'Interior Man' and states that our soul is a divine thing belonging to another order.

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◇Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

[auto] The centrality of 'The One' as the source from which Being and Soul follow implies an ultimate unity underlying existence.

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Related passages · 9 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 7, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VII Concerning “Wisdom,” “Mind,” “Reason,” “Truth,” “Faith.” 1. Now, if it like thee, let us consider the Good and Eternal Life as Wise and as Very Wisdom, or rather as the Fount of all wisdom and as Transcending all wisdom and und…”
Both passages explore the concept of self-knowledge and the nature of the divine intellect. They discuss the limitations of human understanding in comprehending the divine, with Plotinus focusing on the Intellectual-Principle's self-awareness and the Christian mystic discussing the transcendent nature of divine wisdom beyond human reason.
◆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 self-knowledge and the intellect, particularly in the context of higher, non-material beings or principles. They explore the idea of self-awareness and the understanding of intellectual objects, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 9 (part 1)
“p. 180 CHAPTER IX. GENERATION. "Let every Brahman, with fixed attention, consider all nature, both visible and invisible, as existing in the Divine Spirit. For when he contemplates the boundless universe in the Divine Spirit, he cannot…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its connection to a higher, divine principle. They emphasize the transcendence of the soul above the material world and its aspiration to unite with the divine, though they use different terminology and frameworks.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 5 (part 1)
“p. 9 NOTES ON THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS FROM THE COMMENTARIES OF HIEROCLES. The Golden Verses may be divided into two parts, the first treating of the Practical or Human Virtues, whose aim is the making of Good Men; and the second,…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to higher principles or divine entities. They share a common theme of the soul's elevation and its connection to the intellectual and divine realms, reflecting a conceptual parallel across different mystical traditions.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius|Section 1c
“And for this cause hath He all names, in that they are one Father's. And for this cause hath He Himself no nome, in that He's Father of [them] all. Who, then, may sing Thee praise of Thee, or [praise] to Thee? Whither, again, am I to tur…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine as an all-encompassing principle that transcends being and is the source of all existence. They also explore the relationship between the divine and the individual soul or mind.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 9: The Decalogue|Section 1c
“This is God's sense-and-thought, ever to move all things. And never time shall be when e'en a whit of things that are shall cease; and when I say "a whit of things that are", I mean a whit of God. For thigs that are, God hath; nor aught […”
Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the world and the individual. They emphasize the unity and transcendence of the divine principle, as well as the importance of understanding and belief in achieving spiritual insight.
◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount|Section 1c
“For that the soul who hath no knowledge of the things that are, or knowledge of their nature, or of Good, is blinded by the body's passions and tossed about. This wretched soul, not knowing what she is, becomes the slave of bodies of stran…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its relationship to the body and the divine. They emphasize the importance of the intellectual or spiritual aspect of the soul and its separation from the material world, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 1)
“p. 176 CHAPTER XVI The phenomenal and the noumenal side of man. "Man-in-himself." How do we know the inner side of man? Can we know of the existence of consciousness in conditions of space not analogous to ours? Brain and consciousness.…”
Both passages explore the nature of self-knowledge and consciousness, with Plotinus discussing the self-awareness of an uncompounded being and the passage from Chapter XVI examining the complexity of human consciousness and the limitations of knowing the inner self of others. Both texts grapple with the idea of self-awareness and the challenges of understanding consciousness.
◆western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XVI (part 11)
“All the beings assumed by us to exist in the world of many dimensions , cannot know one another, i.e., cannot know that we are binding them together in different wholes in our phenomenal world, just as in general they cannot know our phenom…”
Both passages explore the concept of self-knowledge and awareness within different metaphysical frameworks. Passage A discusses the self-knowledge of an uncompounded being in the context of Neoplatonism, while Passage B examines the self-awareness of beings in a multi-dimensional world, highlighting the limitations of human perception. Both texts delve into the nature of consciousness and the ability of beings to know themselves and others.