Mortal Questions:.Plotinus On Self,Autonomy And Freedom

Most of the ancient Greek philosophers concerned with the concept of self.Whether Socrates,Plato,Aristotle,Epicurus or the Stoics,they all began to discuss the practical philosophy of self under the theme of "good life" or "happiness." As an agent,we want to understand the nature of human self and human action.What kind of agents are we?To what extent can we claim to be free?Does human happiness depend on us,or on fortune,destiny or God’s arrangement?In order to live a meaningful life,we need to constantly reflect on ourselves and make sure that the life we are living now is the life we really want.To a large extent,the pursuit of happiness by human being is the pursuit of a self-sufficient life.This kind of life can avoid intrusion of fate and contingency,and can distinguish what is external to us and what is dependent on us.In this context,I started the discussion of the relevance of Self,Autonomy and Freedom in Plotinus’s thought.This thesis will discuss these three concepts in three chapters respectively.First,Plotinus’ self-concept is closely related to his ontological theory,through the subjective consciousness activities,he discussed the three hypostases in the sense of epistemology rather than ontology.Plotinus distinguished two different dimensions of the self,i.e.intellectual self and embodied self.Intellectual self contains both contemplation and reflection,which is the subject of contemplation in the intelligible world.Whereas embodied self is associated with sensible world,which is the subject of affections and discursive reasoning in the sensible world.The key feature of Plotinus’ theory is that it involves multiple layers of self-experience:different layers of consciousness occur in different levels of self.It provides the human being with a rich experiential world.Self can fully absorb himself in the lowest level,or can also fully absorb himself in contemplation to the point of removing all duality and forgetting his embodied identity.The reflection on one’s own experience plays a key role in individual’s discovery of the true self.Our ultimate goal is to constantly improve ourselves and turn inward in order to integrate into the rationality of Intellect and the unity of the One.The more unified we are,the less we are influenced by things outside that beyond our control.Therefore,in order to ensure that the attention of the soul is not dispersed by external things,it need to be purified by philosophy.Pursuing unification is the dominant principle of Plotinus’s self-theory.The more unified we are,the less affected by external and uncontrollable things.Second,Plotinus’s analysis of autonomy is closely related to intellectual activities.In preparing for his own account,Plotinus also brings up,and criticizes,a version of the Aristotelian position as to what kind of knowledge or awareness is needed for actions to be εφ’ ημιυ and voluntary.Thus,he dismisses the view that merely demands awareness of particular facts of the situation of the action.Instead,he first argues that general normative knowledge,i.e.of what one ought and ought not to do in a given situation,should be demanded for something to be εφ’ ημιυ.Moreover,he specifies that this means not only acting from the right belief about what one ought to do,but that one has rational knowledge,i.e.of why this is the right way to act.Furthermore,as he carefully makes clear himself,the activities of virtue are not carried out in response to the specific circumstances of the outside,the notion of virtue here is virtue qua thought and contemplation aiming at the perfection or excellence of the soul,and it does not involve any passions.The concept of autonomy can be related to external action,while freedom is an activity that is completely internal and belongs to the characteristics of Intellect and the One.Third,Freedom is the core issue that affects the whole metaphysics of Plotinus.Plotinus defines the supreme being as absolute freedom and distinguishes two kinds of freedom.In his view,the conflict between freedom and determinism is not at all intrinsic,and fate or determinism applies only to those whose activities are in the lower self.On the contrary,those who are active in the higher self can be exempted from natural necessity and causal sequence according to their rational principles.Plotinus has a bold idea that there is a higher principle in us,and that the undescended soul is the dominant part of our essence,showing us how people living under the universal law of divinity can free themselves at the same time.Plotinus believed freedom should never be interpreted as a free choice,because choice usually includes the state of potential.Freedom is actually a kind of activity towards good rather a good choice.Plotinus combined freedom and Intellect,with the aim of shaping a whole personality and replacing the possibilities with the ability to become a true self.