Plotinus on Self: The Philosophy of the 'We'

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Pauliina RemesCambridge University Press, 9/13/2007EAN 9780521867290, ISBN10: 0521867290Hardcover, 298 pages, 22.9 x 15.9 x 2.5 cmLanguage: EnglishOriginally published in EnglishPl otinus, the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy, conceptualises two different notions of self (or 'us'): the corporeal and the rational. Personality and imperfection mark the former, while goodness and a striving for understanding mark the latter. In this text, Dr Remes grounds the two selfhoods in deep-seated Platonic ontological commitments, following their manifestations, interrelations and sometimes uneasy coexistence in philosophical psychology, emotional therapy and ethics. Plotinus' interest lies in what it means for a human being to be a temporal and a corporeal thing, yet capable of abstract and impartial reasoning, of self-government and perhaps even invulnerability. The book argues that this involves a philosophically problematic rupture within humanity which is, however, alleviated by the psychological similarities and points of contact between the two aspects of the self. The purpose of life is the cultivation of the latter aspect, the true self.IntroductionPart I. The Endowed Structures of Selfhood1. Two lives, two identitiesthe ontological and anthropological setting2. The conscious centre3. The rational self and its knowledge of itselfPart II. Constructing the SelfBetween the World and the Ideal4. Sculpting your selfself-control, self-determination and self-constitution5. Action and other peoplethe self as a citizen of two communities6. Losing the limits of the self?Conclusion. Show more