The Self as Image and Suddenness: Some Remarks on Plotinus’ Noetic Life

• Authors: Salvatore Lavecchia
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This article focuses on certain dimensions of Plotinus’ notion of the noetic self, which so far have not received sufficient scholarly atten­tion. The evidence of Enn. V 8 makes clear the assumption about the inexhaustible generativity of the noetic self. This generativity implies an intimate relation with the notions of image and suddenness: the former is intended as a medium of unconditional self-transparency, whereas the latter is understood as pointing to the unlimited newness that is char­acteristic of the noetic life, which, according to Plotinus, consists in an indissoluble unity of identity and alterity (Enn. VI 7.13). The aforesaid notions make it reasonable to view Plotinus’ concept of noetic self as pointing to a predominantly relational and dynamic ontology, in which essentialism presupposes no staticity whatsoever, but can rather be seen as a perspective that leads to the development of a harmonious and non-narcissistic creativity.

Keywords

EN

noetic life; self; relationality; generativity; creativity; suddenness; art

• Publisher: Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu
• Journal: Peitho. Examina Antiqua
• Year: 2019
• Volume: 10
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 103-112

Dates

published

2019-11-29

Contributors

author

Salvatore Lavecchia

• University of Udine, Italy

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.14746/pea.2019.1.5