Explanation of Plotinus' On the Intellectual Beauty

Plotinus discusses the nature of Intellectual Beauty and its connection to the divine Intellect. He explores how one can grasp the beauty of the Authentic Intellect and come to understand the Father and Transcendent aspects of the divine.

Original Text: Part 1

1. It is a principle with us that one who has attained to the vision of the Intellectual Beauty and grasped the beauty of the Authentic Intellect will be able also to come to understand the Father and Transcendent of that Divine Being. It concerns us, then, to try to see and say, for ourselves and as far as such matters may be told, how the Beauty of the divine Intellect and of the Intellectual Kosmos may be revealed to contemplation. Let us go to the realm of magnitudes:—Suppose two blocks of stone lying side by side: one is unpatterned, quite untouched by art; the other has been minutely wrought by the craftsman’s hands into some statue of god or man, a Grace or a Muse, or if a human being, not a portrait but a creation in which the sculptor’s art has concentrated all loveliness. Now it must be seen that the stone thus brought under the artist’s hand to the beauty of form is beautiful not as stone—for so the crude block would be as pleasant—but in virtue of the form or idea introduced by the art. This form is not in the material; it is in the designer before ever it enters the stone; and the artificer holds it not by his equipment of eyes and hands but by his participation in his art. The beauty, therefore, exists in a far higher state in the art; for it does not come over integrally into the work; that original beauty is not transferred; what comes over is a derivative and a minor: and even that shows itself upon the statue not integrally and with entire realisation of intention but only in so far as it has subdued the resistance of the material. Art, then, creating in the image of its own nature and content, and working by the Idea or Reason-Principle of the beautiful object it is to produce, must itself be beautiful in a far higher and purer degree since it is the seat and source of that beauty, indwelling in the art, which must naturally be more complete than any comeliness of the external. In the degree in which the beauty is diffused by entering into matter, it is so much the weaker than that concentrated in unity; everything that reaches outwards is the less for it, strength less strong, heat less hot, every power less potent, and so beauty less beautiful. Then again every prime cause must be, within itself, more powerful than its effect can be: the musical does not derive from an unmusical source but from music; and so the art exhibited in the material work derives from an art yet higher. Still the arts are not to be slighted on the ground that they create by imitation of natural objects; for, to begin with, these natural objects are themselves imitations; then, we must recognise that they give no bare reproduction of the thing seen but go back to the Ideas from which Nature itself derives, and, furthermore, that much of their work is all their own; they are holders of beauty and add where nature is lacking. Thus Pheidias wrought the Zeus upon no model among things of sense but by apprehending what form Zeus must take if he chose to become manifest to sight.

Explanation & Key concepts

The Vision of Intellectual Beauty

• Those who attain the vision of Intellectual Beauty can understand the Father and Transcendent of the divine being.
• Our aim is to see and express the Beauty of the divine Intellect and the Intellectual Kosmos.

Beauty in Art and Nature

The Role of Art

• Consider two blocks of stone:
• One is unpatterned and untouched by art.
• The other is wrought by a craftsman into a statue, embodying beauty.
• The stone is beautiful not because of its material, but due to the form introduced by art.
• This form originates in the designer's mind, not in the material.
• The beauty in art is higher and purer than in the material object.

The Nature of Beauty

• Art creates beauty by the Idea or Reason-Principle of the object it produces.
• The beauty in art is more complete than that in the external world.
• As beauty enters matter, it becomes weaker than its original, unified state.

The Relationship Between Cause and Effect

• Every prime cause is more powerful than its effect.
• The musical derives from music, not from an unmusical source.
• The art in material works comes from a higher art.

The Value of Arts

• Arts are not lesser for imitating natural objects because:
• Natural objects are themselves imitations.
• Art goes beyond mere reproduction to capture the Ideas behind Nature.
• Art adds beauty where nature lacks it.
• Pheidias created the statue of Zeus not by copying, but by understanding what Zeus must look like if manifest.

Original Text: Part 2

2. But let us leave the arts and consider those works produced by Nature and admitted to be naturally beautiful which the creations of art are charged with imitating, all reasoning life and unreasoning things alike, but especially the consummate among them, where the moulder and maker has subdued the material and given the form he desired. Now what is the beauty here? It has nothing to do with the blood or the menstrual process: either there is also a colour and form apart from all this or there is nothing unless sheer ugliness or (at best) a bare recipient, as it were the mere Matter of beauty. Whence shone forth the beauty of Helen, battle-sought; or of all those women like in loveliness to Aphrodite; or of Aphrodite herself; or of any human being that has been perfect in beauty; or of any of these gods manifest to sight, or unseen but carrying what would be beauty if we saw? In all these is it not the Idea, something of that realm but communicated to the produced from within the producer just as in works of art, we held, it is communicated from the arts to their creations? Now we can surely not believe that, while the made thing and the Idea thus impressed upon Matter are beautiful, yet the Idea not so alloyed but resting still with the creator—the Idea primal, immaterial, firmly a unity—is not Beauty. If material extension were in itself the ground of beauty, then the creating principle, being without extension, could not be beautiful: but beauty cannot be made to depend upon magnitude since, whether in a large object or a small, the one Idea equally moves and forms the mind by its inherent power. A further indication is that as long as the object remains outside us we know nothing of it; it affects us by entry; but only as an Idea can it enter through the eyes which are not of scope to take an extended mass: we are, no doubt, simultaneously possessed of the magnitude which, however, we take in not as mass but by an elaboration upon the presented form. Then again the principle producing the beauty must be, itself, ugly, neutral or beautiful: ugly, it could not produce the opposite; neutral, why should its product be the one rather than the other? The Nature, then, which creates things so lovely must be itself of a far earlier beauty; we, undisciplined in discernment of the inward, knowing nothing of it, run after the outer, never understanding that it is the inner which stirs us; we are in the case of one who sees his own reflection but not realising whence it comes goes in pursuit of it. But that the thing we are pursuing is something different and that the beauty is not in the concrete object is manifest from the beauty there is in matters of study, in conduct and custom; briefly in soul or mind. And it is precisely here that the greater beauty lies, perceived whenever you look to the wisdom in a man and delight in it, not wasting attention on the face, which may be hideous, but passing all appearance by and catching only at the inner comeliness, the truly personal; if you are still unmoved and cannot acknowledge beauty under such conditions, then looking to your own inner being you will find no beauty to delight you and it will be futile in that state to seek the greater vision, for you will be questing it through the ugly and impure. This is why such matters are not spoken of to everyone; you, if you are conscious of beauty within, remember.

Explanation & Key concepts

Understanding Natural Beauty

Plotinus examines the nature of beauty in natural objects and its relationship with the Ideal Form.

Natural Beauty vs. Artistic Beauty

• Let's leave the arts and focus on natural works that are universally recognized as beautiful.
  • These natural creations are what art attempts to imitate.
  • They include both reasoning life and unreasoning things, especially those perfected by their creator.
• What constitutes beauty in these natural objects?
  • It is not about blood or biological processes.
  • There is either a distinct colour and form that defines beauty or it is mere ugliness or a recipient of beauty.

The Source of Beauty

• Consider the beauty of historical and mythological figures:
  • Helen of Troy, whose beauty launched a thousand ships.
  • Women compared to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.
  • Any human being perfect in beauty or any divine figure.
• Is it not the Idea—a higher form of beauty—communicated to these beings, just like the Idea in art?
  • The Idea in the creator is primal, immaterial, and a unity.
  • This primal Idea is true Beauty.

The Immaterial Nature of Beauty

• If beauty were dependent on physical size or material extension, then the creating principle could not be beautiful.
• Beauty does not rely on magnitude because:
  • The same Idea moves and forms the mind, regardless of the object's size.
• The Impact of Beauty
  • When an object remains outside us, we know nothing of it.
  • It affects us by entering our perception as an Idea, not as an extended mass.
  • We grasp the object by elaborating upon its presented form.

The Source of Creative Beauty

• The principle producing beauty must be either ugly, neutral, or beautiful:
  • An ugly principle cannot produce beauty.
  • A neutral principle cannot favor beauty over ugliness.
  • Therefore, the creator must embody a higher form of beauty.

The Inward Nature of Beauty

• We are often misguided, focusing on the outer beauty rather than the inner source.
• We are like someone chasing their own reflection, not realizing its true source.
• Beauty is not confined to physical objects, as seen in:
  • The beauty of study, conduct, and custom.
  • The beauty in soul or mind.
• Greater Beauty lies in the mind:
  • When you appreciate the wisdom in a person, not just their appearance.
  • If unmoved by inner beauty, you lack the capacity to appreciate true beauty.

Conclusion

• Inner beauty must be recognized and remembered.
• Without awareness of inner beauty, the quest for greater vision through the ugly and impure is futile.
• This understanding is reserved for those conscious of beauty within.

Original Text: Part 3

3. Thus there is in the Nature-Principle itself an Ideal archetype of the beauty that is found in material forms and, of that archetype again, the still more beautiful archetype in Soul, source of that in Nature. In the proficient soul this is brighter and of more advanced loveliness: adorning the soul and bringing to it a light from that greater light which is beauty primally, its immediate presence sets the soul reflecting upon the quality of this prior, the archetype which has no such entries, and is present nowhere but remains in itself alone, and thus is not even to be called a Reason-Principle but is the creative source of the very first Reason-Principle which is the Beauty to which Soul serves as Matter. This prior, then, is the Intellectual-Principle, the veritable, abiding and not fluctuant since not taking intellectual quality from outside itself. By what image thus, can we represent it? We have nowhere to go but to what is less. Only from itself can we take an image of it; that is, there can be no representation of it, except in the sense that we represent gold by some portion of gold—purified, either actually or mentally, if it be impure—insisting at the same time that this is not the total thing gold, but merely the particular gold of a particular parcel. In the same way we learn in this matter from the purified Intellect in ourselves or, if you like, from the Gods and the glory of the Intellect in them. For assuredly all the gods are august and beautiful in a beauty beyond our speech. And what makes them so? Intellect; and especially Intellect operating within them (the divine sun and stars) to visibility. It is not through the loveliness of their corporeal forms: even those that have body are not gods by that beauty; it is in virtue of Intellect that they, too, are gods, and as gods beautiful. They do not veer between wisdom and folly: in the immunity of Intellect unmoving and pure, they are wise always, all-knowing, taking cognisance not of the human but of their own being and of all that lies within the contemplation of Intellect. Those of them whose dwelling is in the heavens, are ever in this meditation—what task prevents them?—and from afar they look, too, into that further heaven by a lifting of the head. The Gods belonging to that higher Heaven itself, they whose station is upon it and in it, see and know in virtue of their omnipresence to it. For all There is heaven; earth is heaven, and sea heaven; and animal and plant and man; all is the heavenly content of that heaven: and the Gods in it, despising neither men nor anything else that is there where all is of the heavenly order, traverse all that country and all space in peace.

Explanation & Key concepts

The Archetype of Beauty in Nature

Plotinus explains the existence of an Ideal archetype of beauty within the Nature-Principle, and how this archetype is reflected in material forms.

The Ideal Archetype in Nature

• There is an Ideal archetype of beauty in the Nature-Principle.
  • This archetype is more beautiful in the Soul, which is the source of beauty in Nature.
• In a proficient soul, this archetype is brighter and more advanced in loveliness.
  • The archetype adorns the soul with a light from the greater light, which is primal beauty.
  • Its presence makes the soul reflect upon the quality of this prior archetype.

The Intellectual-Principle

• The prior archetype is the Intellectual-Principle.
  • This principle is veritable, abiding, and not fluctuating.
  • It does not take intellectual quality from outside itself.
• Representation of the Intellectual-Principle
  • We can only represent it through itself, like representing gold with a portion of gold.
  • This representation is not the totality but a particular instance.
• We learn about the Intellectual-Principle from the purified Intellect in ourselves or from the Gods.
  • The gods possess a beauty beyond speech due to their Intellect.

The Divine Intellect

• All gods are august and beautiful because of their Intellect.
  • Intellect operates within them, especially in the divine sun and stars.
  • It is not their corporeal forms that make them gods.
• The gods are wise, always knowing, due to the purity of Intellect.
  • They do not waver between wisdom and folly.
  • They are aware of their own being and all that lies within the contemplation of Intellect.

The Divine Contemplation

• The gods dwelling in the heavens are constantly in meditation.
  • No task prevents them from this contemplation.
  • They look into the further heaven by lifting their heads.
• The gods of the higher Heaven see and know by their omnipresence.
  • All things are of the heavenly order: earth, sea, animals, plants, and humans.
  • The gods traverse all space in peace, despising nothing.

Original Text: Part 4

4. To “live at ease” is There; and to these divine beings verity is mother and nurse, existence and sustenance; all that is not of process but of authentic being they see, and themselves in all: for all is transparent, nothing dark, nothing resistant; every being is lucid to every other, in breadth and depth; light runs through light. And each of them contains all within itself, and at the same time sees all in every other, so that everywhere there is all, and all is all and each all, and infinite the glory. Each of them is great; the small is great; the sun, There, is all the stars; and every star, again, is all the stars and sun. While some one manner of being is dominant in each, all are mirrored in every other. Movement There is pure (as self-caused) for the moving principle is not a separate thing to complicate it as it speeds. So, too, Repose is not troubled, for there is no admixture of the unstable; and the Beauty is all beauty since it is not merely resident (as an attribute or addition) in some beautiful object. Each There walks upon no alien soil; its place is its essential self; and, as each moves, so to speak, towards what is Above, it is attended by the very ground from which it starts: there is no distinguishing between the Being and the Place; all is Intellect, the Principle and the ground on which it stands, alike. Thus we might think that our visible sky (the ground or place of the stars), lit, as it is, produces the light which reaches us from it, though of course this is really produced by the stars (as it were, by the Principles of light alone not also by the ground as the analogy would require). In our realm all is part rising from part and nothing can be more than partial; but There each being is an eternal product of a whole and is at once a whole and an individual manifesting as part but, to the keen vision There, known for the whole it is. The myth of Lynceus seeing into the very deeps of the earth tells us of those eyes in the divine. No weariness overtakes this vision which yet brings no such satiety as would call for its ending; for there never was a void to be filled so that, with the fulness and the attainment of purpose, the sense of sufficiency be induced: nor is there any such incongruity within the divine that one Being there could be repulsive to another: and of course all There are unchangeable. This absence of satisfaction means only a satisfaction leading to no distaste for that which produces it; to see is to look the more, since for them to continue in the contemplation of an infinite self and of infinite objects is but to acquiesce in the bidding of their nature. Life, pure, is never a burden; how then could there be weariness There where the living is most noble? That very life is wisdom, not a wisdom built up by reasonings but complete from the beginning, suffering no lack which could set it enquiring, a wisdom primal, unborrowed, not something added to the Being, but its very essence. No wisdom, thus, is greater; this is the authentic knowing, assessor to the divine Intellect as projected into manifestation simultaneously with it; thus, in the symbolic saying, Justice is assessor to Zeus. (Perfect wisdom) for all the Principles of this order, dwelling There, are as it were visible images projected from themselves, so that all becomes an object of contemplation to contemplators immeasurably blessed. The greatness and power of the wisdom There we may know from this, that it embraces all the real Beings, and has made all and all follow it, and yet that it is itself those beings, which sprang into being with it, so that all is one and the essence There is wisdom. If we have failed to understand, it is that we have thought of knowledge as a mass of theorems and an accumulation of propositions, though that is false even for our sciences of the sense-realm. But in case this should be questioned, we may leave our own sciences for the present, and deal with the knowing in the Supreme at which Plato glances where he speaks of “that knowledge which is not a stranger in something strange to it”—though in what sense, he leaves us to examine and declare, if we boast ourselves worthy of the discussion. This is probably our best starting-point.

Explanation & Key concepts

Divine Existence and Beauty

Plotinus explores the concept of divine existence and beauty in the realm of the Intellect, emphasizing the unity and transparency of all beings within this realm.

The Nature of Divine Existence

• In the realm of the divine, to "live at ease" is the norm.
  • For these divine beings, verity is both mother and nurse, existence and sustenance.
  • They see all that is of authentic being without process.
  • Each being is transparent, with no darkness or resistance.
  • Light runs through light, and every being is lucid to every other in breadth and depth.
• Each divine being contains all within itself.
  • Each being sees all in every other.
  • Everywhere there is all, and all is all, and each is all.
  • The small is great; the sun is all the stars, and every star is all the stars and sun.
  • One manner of being is dominant in each, but all are mirrored in every other.

Movement and Repose in the Divine Realm

• Movement in the divine realm is pure and self-caused.
  • The moving principle is not separate, and there is no complication.
• Repose is not troubled, as there is no admixture of the unstable.
• Beauty is not merely an attribute of an object; it is inherent.
• Each being walks upon its own soil, and its place is its essential self.
• As each moves toward what is above, it is attended by the ground from which it starts.
• There is no distinction between Being and Place; all is Intellect.
• The ground and the Principle are the same.

Unity and Wholeness

• In our realm, all is part rising from part, and nothing is more than partial.
• In the divine realm, each being is an eternal product of a whole.
  • Each being is at once a whole and an individual manifesting as part.
  • To the keen vision of the divine, each being is known for the whole it is.

Divine Vision and Wisdom

• The myth of Lynceus describes divine eyes that see into the very deeps of the earth.
  • This divine vision does not tire and brings no satiety.
  • There was never a void to be filled, so no sense of sufficiency is induced.
  • There is no incongruity within the divine.
  • All beings are unchangeable, and there is no repulsion.
• The absence of satisfaction means a satisfaction that leads to no distaste.
  • To see is to look more, continuing in the contemplation of an infinite self.
  • Life in its purest form is never a burden; it is most noble.

Wisdom and Knowledge in the Divine Realm

• This life is wisdom, not built by reasonings, but complete from the beginning.
  • Wisdom suffers no lack that would set it enquiring.
  • It is a primal wisdom, unborrowed, and the very essence of Being.
• All principles of this order are visible images projected from themselves.
  • All becomes an object of contemplation for blessed contemplators.
• The greatness and power of the wisdom in the divine realm embraces all real Beings.
  • Wisdom has made all beings and all follow it.
  • Wisdom is those beings, and all is one; the essence is wisdom.

Understanding Divine Knowledge

• If we fail to understand, it is because we think of knowledge as a mass of theorems and propositions.
  • This is false even for our sciences of the sense-realm.
  • Plato speaks of "knowledge which is not a stranger in something strange to it."
  • Understanding this requires us to be worthy of the discussion.

Original Text: Part 5

5. All that comes to be, work of nature or of craft, some wisdom has made: everywhere a wisdom presides at a making. No doubt the wisdom of the artist may be the guide of the work; it is sufficient explanation of the wisdom exhibited in the arts; but the artist himself goes back, after all, to that wisdom in Nature which is embodied in himself; and this is not a wisdom built up of theorems but one totality, not a wisdom consisting of manifold detail co-ordinated into a unity but rather a unity working out into detail. Now, if we could think of this as the primal wisdom, we need look no further, since, at that, we have discovered a principle which is neither a derivative nor a “stranger in something strange to it.” But if we are told that, while this Reason-Principle is in Nature, yet Nature itself is its source, we ask how Nature came to possess it; and, if Nature derived it from some other source, we ask what that other source may be; if, on the contrary, the principle is self-sprung, we need look no further: but if (as we assume) we are referred to the Intellectual-Principle we must make clear whether the Intellectual-Principle engendered the wisdom: if we learn that it did, we ask whence: if from itself, then inevitably, it is itself Wisdom. The true Wisdom, then (found to be identical with the Intellectual-Principle) is Real Being; and Real Being is Wisdom; it is wisdom that gives value to Real Being; and Being is Real in virtue of its origin in wisdom. It follows that all forms of existence not possessing wisdom are, indeed, Beings in right of the wisdom which went to their forming, but, as not in themselves possessing it, are not Real Beings. We cannot therefore think that the divine Beings of that sphere, or the other supremely blessed There, need look to our apparatus of science: all of that realm (the very Beings themselves), all is noble image, such images as we may conceive to lie within the soul of the wise—but There not as inscription but as authentic existence. The ancients had this in mind when they declared the Ideas to be Beings, Essentials.

Explanation & Key concepts

The Nature of Wisdom and Being

Plotinus examines the role of wisdom as an underlying principle in the creation of all things, whether by nature or art, and its relationship to real being.

Wisdom in Creation

• All things that come into being, whether by nature or craft, are the result of some wisdom.
  • Everywhere, a wisdom presides over creation.
  • The wisdom of the artist may guide their work.
  • This wisdom explains the skill exhibited in the arts.
• The artist's wisdom ultimately traces back to nature.
  • This wisdom is embodied in the artist.
  • It is not a wisdom built from theorems but a unity working out into detail.
  • It is a totality rather than manifold detail coordinated into unity.

The Source of Wisdom

• If this is primal wisdom, no further source is needed.
  • This principle is neither derivative nor foreign.
• If wisdom in nature has another source, we must understand it.
  • If nature possesses wisdom, where did it come from?
  • If wisdom is self-sprung, no further search is required.
  • If referred to the Intellectual-Principle, we must understand its role.

Wisdom and the Intellectual-Principle

• The Intellectual-Principle is the source of wisdom.
  • If wisdom is self-derived, it is Wisdom itself.
• True wisdom is identical with the Intellectual-Principle and is Real Being.
  • Wisdom gives value to Real Being.
  • Being is real due to its origin in wisdom.
  • Existence forms not possessing wisdom are Beings by their formation but are not Real Beings.

Divine Wisdom and Real Being

• Divine Beings do not rely on our science.
  • All in that realm is a noble image.
  • These images are not mere inscriptions but authentic existences.
• The ancients referred to the Ideas as Beings, Essentials.

Original Text: Part 6

6. Similarly, as it seems to me, the wise of Egypt—whether in precise knowledge or by a prompting of nature—indicated the truth where, in their effort towards philosophical statement, they left aside the writing-forms that take in the detail of words and sentences—those characters that represent sounds and convey the propositions of reasoning—and drew pictures instead, engraving in the temple-inscriptions a separate image for every separate item: thus they exhibited the mode in which the Supreme goes forth. For each manifestation of knowledge and wisdom is a distinct image, an object in itself, an immediate unity, not an aggregate of discursive reasoning and detailed willing. Later from this wisdom in unity there appears, in another form of being, an image, already less compact, which announces the original in an outward stage and seeks the causes by which things are such that the wonder rises how a generated world can be so excellent. For, one who knows must declare his wonder that this Wisdom, while not itself containing the causes by which Being exists and takes such excellence, yet imparts them to the entities produced in Being’s realm. This excellence, whose necessity is scarcely or not at all manifest to search, exists, if we could but find it out, before all searching and reasoning. What I say may be considered in one chief thing, and thence applied to all the particular entities:—

Explanation & Key concepts

Symbolism and Expression in Egyptian Wisdom

Plotinus reflects on how the ancient Egyptians, through their symbolic use of hieroglyphics, captured a philosophical truth about the nature of knowledge and wisdom.

The Egyptian Approach to Knowledge

• Egyptian wisdom, possibly due to precise knowledge or natural intuition, offers profound insights.
  • They avoided the written language of words and sentences that merely convey sound.
  • Instead, they used images engraved in temple inscriptions, creating separate images for each idea.
  • This method of using images illustrates how the Supreme manifests itself.

The Nature of Supreme Wisdom

• Every piece of knowledge and wisdom is a distinct, unified image, not a collection of logical reasoning.
  • From this unified wisdom, an image emerges in a different form of being.
  • This image, though less unified, represents the original source outwardly.
  • It explores the causes of existence, leading to wonder about the excellence of the created world.

The Wonder of Wisdom's Excellence

• There is an inherent wonder in how Wisdom imparts causes to entities without containing them.
  • The necessity of this excellence is not easily discerned through reasoning.
  • This excellence exists before any search or reasoning and is an inherent aspect of being.

Application to Particular Entities

• The principles outlined can be applied to understand all particular entities.
• This exploration of Egyptian wisdom serves as a model for considering the expression of knowledge.

Original Text: Part 7

7. Consider the universe: we are agreed that its existence and its nature come to it from beyond itself; are we, now, to imagine that its maker first thought it out in detail—the earth, and its necessary situation in the middle; water and, again, its position as lying upon the earth; all the other elements and objects up to the sky in due place and order; living beings with their appropriate forms as we know them, their inner organs and their outer limbs—and that having thus appointed every item beforehand, he then set about the execution? Such designing was not even possible; how could the plan for a universe come to one that had never looked outward? Nor could he work on material gathered from elsewhere as our craftsmen do, using hands and tools; feet and hands are of the later order. One way, only, remains: all things must exist in something else; of that prior—since there is no obstacle, all being continuous within the realm of reality—there has suddenly appeared a sign, an image, whether given forth directly or through the ministry of soul or of some phase of soul, matters nothing for the moment: thus the entire aggregate of existence springs from the divine world, in greater beauty There because There unmingled but mingled here. From the beginning to end all is gripped by the Forms of the Intellectual Realm: Matter itself is held by the Ideas of the elements and to these Ideas are added other Ideas and others again, so that it is hard to work down to crude Matter beneath all that sheathing of Idea. Indeed since Matter itself is, in its degree, an Idea—the lowest—all this universe is Idea and there is nothing that is not Idea as the archetype was. And all is made silently, since nothing had part in the making but Being and Idea—a further reason why creation went without toil. The Exemplar was the Idea of an All and so an All must come into being. Thus nothing stood in the way of the Idea, and even now it dominates, despite all the clash of things: the creation is not hindered on its way even now; it stands firm in virtue of being All. To me, moreover, it seems that if we ourselves were archetypes, Ideas, veritable Being, and the Idea with which we construct here were our veritable Essence, then our creative power too would toillessly effect its purpose: as man now stands, he does not produce in his work a true image of himself: become man, he has ceased to be the All; ceasing to be man—we read—“he soars aloft and administers the Kosmos entire”; restored to the All he is maker of the All. But—to our immediate purpose—it is possible to give a reason why the earth is set in the midst and why it is round and why the ecliptic runs precisely as it does, but, looking to the creating principle, we cannot say that because this was the way therefore things were so planned: we can say only that because the All is what it is, therefore there is a total of good; the causing principle, we might put it, reached the conclusion before all formal reasoning and not from any premises, not by sequence or plan but before either, since all of that order is later, all reason, demonstration, persuasion. Since there is a Source, all the created must spring from it and in accordance with it; and we are rightly told not to go seeking the causes impelling a Source to produce, especially when this is the perfectly sufficient Source and identical with the Term: a Source which is Source and Term must be the All-Unity, complete in itself.

Explanation & Key concepts

The Universe and Its Origin

Plotinus examines the nature of the universe, questioning the notion of a deliberate, detailed design by a creator and proposing a spontaneous emergence from a higher realm.

The Concept of Universal Design

• The universe's existence is acknowledged to come from beyond itself.
  • Plotinus questions whether a creator meticulously planned every detail, from earth to sky, and living beings.
  • He argues that such detailed planning is impossible without external observation.
  • The creator does not work with material as human craftsmen do; hands and tools come later in the order of creation.

The Emergence of All Things

• All things exist within a greater reality, appearing as a sign or image from the divine world.
  • The exact method—whether directly or through the soul—does not matter for the explanation.
  • The entire universe springs from the divine realm, where it exists in greater beauty, unmingled with matter.
  • From beginning to end, everything is shaped by the Forms of the Intellectual Realm.
  • Matter is influenced by the Ideas of the elements, making the universe a manifestation of Ideas.

The Role of Ideas and Forms

• Ideas and Being are the sole contributors to creation, leading to a silent and effortless process.
  • The Exemplar, or archetype, is the Idea of the All, necessitating the existence of an All.
  • The Idea remains dominant despite the chaos of physical things, allowing the universe to stand firm.
  • If humans were archetypes or veritable Being, our creative power would be effortless and true.

Creation and the All-Unity

• Plotinus suggests that while we can reason about the physical universe, the true cause lies beyond formal reasoning.
  • The universe as it is represents a total of good, stemming from the nature of the All.
  • Creation is not based on formal plans or reasoning but originates from the Source, which is both the beginning and end.
  • The Source, as the All-Unity, is complete in itself, and creation flows in accordance with it.

Original Text: Part 8

8. This then is Beauty primally: it is entire and omnipresent as an entirety; and therefore in none of its parts or members lacking in beauty; beautiful thus beyond denial. Certainly it cannot be anything (be, for example, Beauty) without being wholly that thing; it can be nothing which it is to possess partially or in which it utterly fails (and therefore it must entirely be Beauty entire). If this principle were not beautiful, what other could be? Its prior does not deign to be beautiful; that which is the first to manifest itself—Form and object of vision to the intellect— cannot but be lovely to see. It is to indicate this that Plato, drawing on something well within our observation, represents the Creator as approving the work he has achieved: the intention is to make us feel the lovable beauty of [83] the autotype and of the Divine Idea; for to admire a representation is to admire the original upon which it was made. It is not surprising if we fail to recognise what is passing within us: lovers, and those in general that admire beauty here, do not stay to reflect that it is to be traced, as of course it must be, to the Beauty There. That the admiration of the Demiurge is to be referred to the Ideal Exemplar is deliberately made evident by the rest of the passage: “He admired; and determined to bring the work into still closer likeness with the Exemplar”: he makes us feel the magnificent beauty of the Exemplar by telling us that the Beauty sprung from this world is, itself, a copy from That. And indeed if the divine did not exist, the transcendently beautiful, in a beauty beyond all thought, what could be lovelier than the things we see? Certainly no reproach can rightly be brought against this world save only that it is not That.

Explanation & Key concepts

Beauty as a Fundamental Principle

Plotinus delves into the nature of Beauty, describing it as a fundamental, omnipresent principle that is reflected in the world around us.

Beauty in Its Entirety

• Beauty is described as a primal and omnipresent principle.
  • It is complete and present in its entirety, lacking nothing.
  • Beauty is not something that can be possessed partially or in which it fails; it is entirely itself.
  • If Beauty were not complete, what other principle could be?

The Divine Beauty

• The first manifestation of Beauty is lovely to behold, being the object of intellectual vision.
  • Plato illustrates this by portraying the Creator as admiring his creation, emphasizing the beauty of the divine Idea.
  • The admiration of a representation leads to admiration of the original, the autotype.

Recognizing Beauty Within

• Lovers and admirers of beauty often fail to recognize its divine origin.
  • The Beauty in this world is a reflection of the Beauty in the divine realm.
  • The Demiurge's admiration is directed towards the Ideal Exemplar, reinforcing its magnificent beauty.

The Transcendent Beauty

• The existence of divine Beauty, beyond all thought, is emphasized.
  • Without the divine Beauty, nothing could surpass the beauty seen in the world.
  • The only reproach against this world is that it is not the divine Beauty itself.

Original Text: Part 9

9. Let us, then, make a mental picture of our universe: each member shall remain what it is, distinctly apart; yet all is to form, as far as possible, a complete unity so that whatever comes into view shall show as if it were the surface of the orb over all, bringing immediately with it the vision, on the one plane, of the sun and of all the stars with earth and sea and all living things as if exhibited upon a transparent globe. Bring this vision actually before your sight, so that there shall be in your mind the gleaming representation of a sphere, a picture holding all the things of the universe moving or in repose or (as in reality) some at rest, some in motion. Keep this sphere before you, and from it imagine another, a sphere stripped of magnitude and of spatial differences; cast out your inborn sense of Matter, taking care not merely to attenuate it: call on God, maker of the sphere whose image you now hold, and pray Him to enter. And may He come bringing His own Universe with all the Gods that dwell in it—He who is the one God and all the gods, where each is all, blending into a unity, distinct in powers but all one god in virtue of that one divine power of many facets. More truly, this is the one God who is all the gods; for, in the coming to be of all those, this, the one, has suffered no diminishing. He and all have one existence, while each again is distinct. It is distinction by state without interval: there is no outward form to set one here and another there and to prevent any from being an entire identity; yet there is no sharing of parts from one to another. Nor is each of those divine wholes a power in fragment, a power totalling to the sum of the measurable segments: the divine is one all-power, reaching out to infinity, powerful to infinity: and so great is God that his very members are infinites. What place can be named to which He does not reach? Great, too, is this firmament of ours and all the powers constellated within it, but it would be greater still, unspeakably, but that there is inbound in it something of the petty power of body; no doubt the powers of fire and other bodily substances might themselves be thought very great, but in fact, it is through their failure in the true power that we see them burning, destroying, wearing things away, and slaving towards the production of life; they destroy because they are themselves in process of destruction, and they produce because they belong to the realm of the produced. The power in that other world has merely Being and Beauty of Being. Beauty without Being could not be, nor Being voided of Beauty: abandoned of Beauty, Being loses something of its essence. Being is desirable because it is identical with Beauty; and Beauty is loved because it is Being. How then can we debate which is the cause of the other, where the nature is one? The very figment of Being needs some imposed image of Beauty to make it passable, and even to ensure its existence; it exists to the degree in which it has taken some share in the beauty of Idea; and the more deeply it has drawn on this, the less imperfect it is, precisely because the nature which is essentially the beautiful has entered into it the more intimately.

Explanation & Key concepts

Plotinus on the Unity and Beauty of the Universe

Plotinus explores the idea of the universe as a unified whole, emphasizing the divine beauty and interconnectedness of all things. Below is a detailed breakdown of his philosophical ideas:

Visualizing the Universe as a Unity

• Imagine the universe as a transparent sphere that displays all its components:
  • The sun, stars, earth, sea, and all living things are visible on this sphere.
  • All elements are distinct but contribute to a complete and unified whole.
• This sphere represents the interconnectedness of the universe where each part contributes to the whole.

Divine Presence and Unity

• Visualize a sphere without spatial differences or matter, representing the divine creator.
  • Imagine the divine creator entering this sphere with all gods, creating a unity where each god is distinct but forms a complete identity.
  • This unity is not physical but an essential and complete identity with each divine power remaining distinct.
• The divine unity is characterized by a complete identity where there is no physical separation, yet each divine entity retains its unique power.

The Power and Beauty of the Divine

• The divine power is infinite and all-encompassing.
  • Each divine entity contributes to the totality of divine power, making it boundless and all-reaching.
  • The physical universe is limited by its material nature, whereas the divine power is limitless.
• Divine power and beauty are intertwined, surpassing the limitations of the physical realm.

Being and Beauty

• In the divine realm, Being and Beauty are inseparable.
  • Beauty cannot exist without Being, and Being loses its essence without Beauty.
  • Being is desirable because it embodies Beauty, and Beauty is cherished because it represents Being.
• The concept of Beauty is essential for the existence of Being, highlighting the deep connection between the two.

Existence and Beauty

• Even the notion of Being requires an image of Beauty to exist.
  • The more Beauty an entity possesses, the closer it is to perfection.
  • Beauty is essential to existence, and the more intimately an entity embodies Beauty, the less imperfect it is.
• The divine nature of Beauty influences existence, ensuring that all entities reflect the divine essence.

Original Text: Part 10

10. This is why Zeus, although the oldest of the gods and their sovereign, advances first (in the Phaidros myth) towards that vision, followed by gods and demigods and such souls as are of strength to see. That Being appears before them from some unseen place and rising loftily over them pours its light upon all things, so that all gleams in its radiance; it upholds some beings, and they see; the lower are dazzled and turn away, unfit to gaze upon that sun, the trouble falling the more heavily on those most remote. Of those looking upon that Being and its content, and able to see, all take something but not all the same vision always: intently gazing, one sees the fount and principle of Justice, another is filled with the sight of Moral Wisdom, the original of that quality as found, sometimes at least, among men, copied by them in their degree from the divine virtue which, covering all the expanse, so to speak, of the Intellectual Realm is seen, last attainment of all, by those who have known already many splendid visions. The gods see, each singly and all as one. So, too, the souls; they see all There in right of being sprung, themselves, of that universe and therefore including all from beginning to end and having their existence There if only by that phase which belongs inherently to the Divine, though often too they are There entire, those of them that have not incurred separation. This vision Zeus takes and it is for such of us, also, as share his love and appropriate our part in the Beauty There, the final object of all seeing, the entire beauty upon all things; for all There sheds radiance, and floods those that have found their way thither so that they too become beautiful; thus it will often happen that men climbing heights where the soil has taken a yellow glow will themselves appear so, borrowing colour from the place on which they move. The colour flowering on that other height we speak of is Beauty; or rather all There is light and beauty, through and through, for the beauty is no mere bloom upon the surface. To those that do not see entire, the immediate impression is alone taken into account; but those drunken with this wine, filled with the nectar, all their soul penetrated by this beauty, cannot remain mere gazers: no longer is there a spectator outside gazing on an outside spectacle; the clear-eyed hold the vision within themselves, though, for the most part, they have no idea that it is within but look towards it as to something beyond them and see it as an object of vision caught by a direction of the will. All that one sees as a spectacle is still external; one must bring the vision within and see no longer in that mode of separation but as we know ourselves; thus a man filled with a god— possessed by Apollo or by one of the Muses—need no longer look outside for his vision of the divine being; it is but finding the strength to see divinity within.

Explanation and Key Concepts

Zeus and the Vision of Divine Beauty

This passage explores the nature of divine vision and how beings perceive divine beauty, particularly focusing on Zeus and the gods.

Zeus and the Divine Vision

• Zeus' Role:
  • Zeus, being the oldest and sovereign of the gods, is the first to advance towards the divine vision.
  • He is followed by other gods, demigods, and souls capable of seeing this vision.
• The Source of Light:
  • The divine Being emanates from an unseen place, rising loftily and pouring light upon all things.
  • This light causes everything to gleam, and different beings react differently to this divine radiance.

Perception of the Divine Vision

• Different Reactions:
  • Some beings are uplifted and able to see the divine light, while others are dazzled and turn away.
  • The quality of vision varies among those who can see it: some perceive the fount of Justice, others the essence of Moral Wisdom.
• Gods and Souls:
  • Gods and souls, being part of the divine realm, have the ability to see all that is present there.
  • They each see according to their nature and relationship to the divine beauty.

The Nature of Divine Beauty

• Transformation Through Vision:
  • Those who reach the divine realm are bathed in its radiance and become beautiful themselves.
  • This transformation is likened to how the color of the soil influences those who climb to high places.
• Perception Beyond the Surface:
  • Beauty in the divine realm is not superficial but a pervasive quality of existence.
  • Those who are deeply affected by this beauty experience it within themselves, rather than just as an external sight.

Internalization of Divine Vision

• Vision Within:
  • To truly perceive divine beauty, one must internalize the vision rather than viewing it as an external spectacle.
  • When someone is inspired or possessed by a divine entity (such as Apollo or a Muse), they no longer look outside but find divinity within themselves.

This passage highlights the deep connection between divine vision and internal transformation, emphasizing that true perception of divine beauty involves integrating this vision within oneself.

Original Text: Part 11

11. Similarly any one, unable to see himself, but possessed by that God, has but to bring that divine-within before his consciousness and at once he sees an image of himself, himself lifted to a better beauty: now let him ignore that image, lovely though it is, and sink into a perfect self-identity, no such separation remaining; at once he forms a multiple unity with the God silently present; in the degree of his power and will, the two become one; should he turn back to the former duality, still he is pure and remains very near to the God; he has but to look again and the same presence is there. This conversion brings gain: at the first stage, that of separation, a man is aware of self; but retreating inwards, he becomes possessor of all; he puts sense away behind him in dread of the separated life and becomes one in the Divine; if he plans to see in separation, he sets himself outside. The novice must hold himself constantly under some image of the Divine Being and seek in the light of a clear conception; knowing thus, in a deep conviction, whither he is going—into what a sublimity he penetrates—he must give himself forthwith to the inner and, radiant with the Divine Intellections (with which he is now one), be no longer the seer, but, as that place has made him, the seen. Still, we will be told, one cannot be in beauty and yet fail to see it. The very contrary: to see the divine as something external is to be outside of it; to become it is to be most truly in beauty: since sight deals with the external, there can here be no vision unless in the sense of identification with the object. And this identification amounts to a self-knowing, a self-consciousness, guarded by the fear of losing the self in the desire of a too wide awareness. It must be remembered that sensations of the ugly and evil impress us more violently than those of what is agreeable and yet leave less knowledge as the residue of the shock: sickness makes the rougher mark, but health, tranquilly present, explains itself better; it takes the first place, it is the natural thing, it belongs to our being; illness is alien, unnatural and thus makes itself felt by its very incongruity, while the other conditions are native and we take no notice. Such being our nature, we are most completely aware of ourselves when we are most completely identified with the object of our knowledge. This is why in that other sphere, when we are deepest in that knowledge by intellection, we are aware of none; we are expecting some impression on sense, which has nothing to report since it has seen nothing and never could in that order see anything. The unbelieving element is sense; it is the other, the Intellectual-Principle, that sees; and if this too doubted, it could not even credit its own existence, for it can never stand away and with bodily eyes apprehend itself as a visible object.

Explanation & Key concepts

Transformation through Divine Unity

This passage explores the nature of self-perception and unity with the Divine. It discusses the process of internal transformation and the nature of beauty and self-awareness.

Internalizing the Divine

• Seeing the Divine Within:
  • A person who cannot see themselves can still perceive a divine image within, which elevates their beauty.
  • By focusing inwardly and merging with the Divine, one transcends separation and forms a unity with the Divine presence.
  • Even if one returns to a state of separation, the proximity to the Divine remains, and the same divine presence is accessible again.
• The Stages of Perception:
  • In the initial stage of separation, a person is aware of themselves as distinct.
  • By turning inward and aligning with the Divine, one experiences a profound unity and gains a broader, deeper understanding.
  • The journey involves moving from external separation to internal oneness with the Divine.

Identification with the Divine

• Vision and Beauty:
  • True beauty is not seen as an external object but experienced through identification with the Divine.
  • To become one with the Divine is to experience true beauty, rather than merely observing it from a distance.
• Self-Knowledge and Sensory Experience:
  • Identifying with the object of knowledge leads to a deeper self-awareness.
  • Sensory experiences of the ugly or evil are more striking but provide less lasting understanding compared to the steady presence of health and beauty.
  • Unpleasant sensations are more noticeable due to their incongruity with our natural state, while pleasant conditions are more integrated and less remarked upon.

The Nature of Intellectual Perception

• Intellectual Insight vs. Sensory Perception:
  • In the sphere of divine knowledge, one is deeply immersed in the intellectual understanding rather than sensory experiences.
  • Sensory perception cannot capture the essence of the Divine, as it relies on external observation, which is inadequate for understanding the Divine reality.
  • True intellectual perception does not involve the senses but an internal, intuitive grasp of the divine essence.
• Self-Consciousness and Divine Awareness:
  • In the deepest intellectual insight, there is no self-awareness in the conventional sense, as one is entirely absorbed in the divine unity.
  • The intellectual principle sees and understands without needing sensory validation or external evidence.

This passage emphasizes the transformative power of divine unity and internal perception, showing how true beauty and self-awareness come from within rather than from external observation.

Original Text: Part 12

12. We have told how this vision is to be procured, whether by the mode of separation or in identity: now, seen in either way, what does it give to report? The vision has been of God in travail of a beautiful offspring, God engendering a universe within himself in a painless labour and—rejoiced in what he has brought into being, proud of his children—keeping all closely by Him, for the pleasure He has in his radiance and in theirs. Of this offspring—all beautiful, but most beautiful those that have remained within— only one has become manifest without; from him (Zeus, sovran over the visible universe) the youngest born, we may [88] gather, as from some image, the greatness of the Father and of the Brothers that remain within the Father’s house. Still the manifested God cannot think that he has come forth in vain from the father; for through him another universe has arisen, beautiful as the image of beauty, and it could not be lawful that Beauty and Being should fail of a beautiful image. This second Kosmos at every point copies the archetype: it has life and being in copy, and has beauty as springing from that diviner world. In its character of image it holds, too, that divine perpetuity without which it would only at times be truly representative and sometimes fail like a construction of art; for every image whose existence lies in the nature of things must stand during the entire existence of the archetype. Hence it is false to put an end to the visible sphere as long as the Intellectual endures, or to found it upon a decision taken by its maker at some given moment. That teaching shirks the penetration of such a making as is here involved: it fails to see that as long as the Supreme is radiant there can be no failing of its sequel but, that existing, all exists. And—since the necessity of conveying our meaning compels such terms—the Supreme has existed for ever and for ever will exist.

Explanation & Key concepts

Divine Vision and the Nature of Creation

This passage discusses the divine creation of the universe, its relation to the Divine Being, and the ongoing nature of creation.

The Vision of Creation

• Nature of the Vision:
  • The vision involves the Divine giving birth to a beautiful universe, an act of creation that is painless yet full of joy and pride.
  • The Divine enjoys the beauty of what has been created, keeping all close to Himself for the pleasure derived from His radiance and that of His creations.
• The Manifestation of the Divine:
  • Among the creations, only one has manifested outwardly—Zeus, who governs the visible universe.
  • Zeus, the youngest offspring, reflects the greatness of the Divine Father and the divine beings that remain within the Father’s essence.

The Nature of the Created Universe

• The Universe as an Image:
  • The manifested universe is a beautiful image of the Divine, created to reflect the archetype of beauty and existence.
  • This second cosmos is a continuous reflection of the original divine world and holds the divine perpetuity that sustains it.
  • The existence of this image is tied to the ongoing existence of the archetype; as long as the Divine endures, the universe also persists.
• Endurance of the Visible Sphere:
  • It is incorrect to consider the visible universe as having an end or as dependent on a specific decision by its creator.
  • The ongoing existence of the Supreme Being ensures that the universe continues to exist, reflecting the continuous radiance of the Divine.

Implications of Divine Perpetuity

• Supreme Existence:
  • The Supreme Being has always existed and will continue to exist forever.
  • As long as the Supreme exists, so does the universe, reflecting its eternal nature.

This passage illustrates the idea that the universe, as an image of the Divine, is a perpetual reflection of the divine archetype, emphasizing the unending nature of both the Divine and the created cosmos.

Original Text: Part 13

13. The God fettered (as in the Kronos Myth) to an unchanging identity leaves the ordering of this universe to his son (to Zeus), for it could not be in his character to neglect his rule within the divine sphere, and, as though sated with the Authentic-Beauty, seek a lordship too recent and too poor for his might. Ignoring this lower world, Kronos (Intellectual-Principle) claims for his own father (Ouranios, the Absolute, or One) with all the upward-tending between them: and he counts all that tends to the inferior, beginning from his son (Zeus, the All-Soul), as ranking beneath him. Thus he holds a mid position determined on the one side by the differentiation implied in the severance from the very highest and, on the other, by that which keeps him apart from the link between [89] himself and the lower: he stands between a greater father and an inferior son. But since that father is too lofty to be thought of under the name of Beauty, the second God remains the primally beautiful. Soul also has beauty, but is less beautiful than Intellect as being its image and therefore, though beautiful in nature, taking increase of beauty by looking to that original. Since then the All-Soul—to use the more familiar term—since Aphrodite herself is so beautiful, what name can we give to that other? If Soul is so lovely in its own right, of what quality must that prior be? And since its being is derived, what must that power be from which the Soul takes the double beauty, the borrowed and the inherent? We ourselves possess beauty when we are true to our own being; our ugliness is in going over to another order; our self-knowledge, that is to say, is our beauty; in self-ignorance we are ugly.
Thus beauty is of the Divine and comes Thence only.
Do these considerations suffice to a clear understanding of the Intellectual Sphere or must we make yet another attempt by another road?

Explanation & Key concepts

The Divine Hierarchy and the Nature of Beauty

This passage explores the divine hierarchy, the nature of beauty, and how it relates to different levels of divine entities.

The Divine Hierarchy

• Kronos and the Divine Sphere:
  • Kronos, bound to an unchanging identity, leaves the universe’s ordering to his son Zeus.
  • Kronos focuses on the higher divine realm and does not concern himself with the lower world, which is managed by Zeus.
  • Kronos' position is between the highest divine entity (Ouranios, the Absolute) and his son Zeus, who is seen as inferior in this hierarchy.
  • Despite being a significant divine figure, Kronos is not considered the epitome of Beauty as the Absolute is too lofty for such a designation.
• Beauty in the Divine Hierarchy:
  • The Absolute (Ouranios) is above the concept of Beauty, and Kronos is deemed the primally beautiful entity after the Absolute.
  • Soul, while beautiful, derives its beauty from the Intellect and is thus less beautiful than Intellect itself.
  • The beauty of the Soul is an image of the Intellect’s beauty, and the Soul’s beauty is increased by its connection to the original source of beauty.
  • Considering Aphrodite (the All-Soul) as exceptionally beautiful highlights the question of what must be the nature of the prior source of such beauty.

Human Beauty and Self-Knowledge

• Human Beauty:
  • Human beauty is achieved when one remains true to their own being and self-knowledge.
  • Ugliness arises from deviating from one’s true nature or from self-ignorance.
  • True beauty is thus intrinsic to the Divine and is only accessible through alignment with the Divine essence.

Concluding Thoughts

• Understanding the Intellectual Sphere:
  • The passage concludes by questioning whether these considerations sufficiently clarify the nature of the Intellectual Sphere or if further exploration is needed.

This passage delves into the complex hierarchy of divine entities, the nature of beauty within this hierarchy, and its implications for human self-understanding.