Translated by Zhang Wenming
Glossary of Neoplatonic Terms
By Pauliina Remes
Uppsala University
Distinguished University Professor at Department of Philosophy, Theoretical Philosophy; Academic Staff
Translator: Zhang Wenming (Graduate student of Department of Philosophy, Sichuan University, Major in Foreign Philosophy)
actuality (energeia), reality, also as activity. Refers to the activity specific to each thing, which can be divided into internal (energeia tēs ousias) and external (energeia ek tēs ousias). For the entity in question, only the former is complete, its characteristics, while the latter is relative to its outward-facing representation or generation. In the metaphysical hierarchy, in a sense, the latter is already some kind of lower (prior) entity.
appearance (phantasia), presentation, also imagination .) Refers to a function in Neoplatonism that, as in the Stoic school, reveals the object of cognition to the soul and may explain the unified judgment derived from two different perceptions from other things.
Ascent (anabasis, anodos), ascending, the movement of the soul toward its original (Tai Yi), by virtue, contemplation, and/or prayer.
Audacity (tolma), arbitrary, the primordial impulse of the soul that wants to belong to itself, to separate itself from other souls and perfection.
(self-) awareness (sunaisthēsis), (self)awareness/consciousness, the soul's direct, instantaneous awareness of its own state.
Becoming godlike (homoiōsis theō), deified, the core purpose of ancient ethics: to perfect goodness, happiness, to become invincible and invulnerable.
being (on), being/being, encompasses the existence and nature of beings. Typical examples are Plato's ideas.
belief (doxa), believing/opinion, a state of cognition with (propositional) content in which errors are allowed.
cause (aitia, aition), cause, including the four causes of the Aristotle school, but also contains the typical cause of Platonism and the cause of instrumentality (sunaitia).
concept (logos, ennoia), a concept that relies on sense-perception, but refers specifically to its intellectual remnant or organization.
Contemplation (theōria), contemplation, intellect, and the relationship between the intellect and its objects of thought: ideas or rational knowers.
descent (kathodos, katabasis), descending, incarnates the soul and becomes an imperfect, vulnerable being.
Discursive reason (dianoia), the inferential reasoning of the soul, the inference of the soul, needs to be carried out in time and employs a variety of representations.
Division (dihairesis), distinction, refers to the Platonic method of distinguishing between substances and species, determining essence and examining their interrelationships. Dialectics as a whole also includes the opposite activity, i.e. gathering, collecting (sunagōgē).
Emotion (pathos), emotion, the emotional state of the soul-body complex, including desire and suffering. Seen as a psychological disturbance.
Essence (ousia), essence/is what it is, the nature peculiar to things, as a finite, definite existence. First and foremost are the ideas. Taiichi is above this exact existence (epekeina ousias).
existence(einai), existence, the reality of a thing, is distinct from its existence/being, but contains the characteristics or essence of the thing.
First kinds (prōta gene), the first species, Andino's interpretation of Plato's highest species (megista genē), includes "tautotēs", "heterotēs", "motion", "stillness" (and "is"). They are the principle of the "is" of organization, the most "initial" idea of Plato. The first two, in particular, are related to cognition, to systematic thought and truth.
Generation (genesis), creation, the beginning or generation of all beings in time.
Happiness (eudaimonia), happiness, in ancient philosophy, was universally recognized as the goal of human life. In Neoplatonism, a turn toward someone's true self (i.e., reason) needs to be achieved.
Henad (henas), unity, unity. To a certain extent, it is a transcendent, unknowable principle of unity and monism, but nevertheless it can be described in some way, and the human soul can reach (and the oneness is not reachable for the human soul).
Human being (anthrōpos), human beings, a soul-body complex and, as Aristotle put it, a rational animal. Separated from self-concept but still related.
hypostasis, ontology/reality, literally means "superior", especially in contemporaneous works on the main hierarchies and principles of metaphysics, especially on the intellect and the soul. In the later Neoplatonism, each of them was further subdivided into classes; see Stops, Progress, and Turns.
Intellect (nous), one of the main hierarchies and principles of intellect, metaphysics, is the totality of plato's ideas. For Plotinus, it was the first creation of Taiyi.
Intellect (nous) [non-capitalized], reason, is a part of human cognition that can be directly related to the object of knowledge, or, rather, identity.
Intelligible (noēton), the rational knower, the object of intellectual thought activity; the plural form refers to the content of intellect, i.e., ideas.
inward turn (epistrophē pros heauton), turning inward, literally "turning to someone himself," whereby the soul begins to strive to ascend toward its origin in reason and taiyi. It is a source and action of moral self-improvement and self-identification.
judgement (krisis), judgment, or discernment. It is a fundamental property of cognition that involves the recognition of identity and difference.
knowledge (epistēmē), knowledge, a "non-inferential" cognition of ideas that are directly known in knowledge, do not require mediated representations, and are understood according to their significant interrelationships. Absolutely.
limit and unlimited (peras and apeiron), finite and infinite, are two of the basic principles of the Pythagorean school and are at the heart of Plato's Phileb. Later Neoplatonists gave them an important place in metaphysics, second only to Taiyi.
Living being (zōon), a living being, i.e., a being with a soul, encompassing the entire universe, has a sensible structure, functionalized different parts, and self-awareness of the whole.
Love (erōs), love, a desire, a lack, and is the power that leads to the satisfaction of that same desire. Towards beauty and goodness.
Material or corporeal (hulikos, sōmatikos), material, is the most basic level of existence, the combination of matter and the principle of organization (i.e., the principle of the formation of reason).
matter (hulē), material, Latin form is matoria prima. Refers to the constituents of material or sensory things, as parts of these things, which cannot inherently have any organization or order in their own nature, but can accept the principles of formation. For Plotinus, matter is also evil in the non-existent sense, or loses "yes" and rational intellect.
Monad (monas), a single, the cause that unites a series of things.
Nature (phusis), which refers to the physical things in the universe, also includes metaphysical entities that directly determine such research, such as time.
One (Hen), Tai Yi, refers to the first principle, and all explanations end here. It is the ultimate cause of all things( including itself, aition heautou).
Participation (methexis), which is divided, refers to the asymmetrical dependence between the sensible and the sensible. Later in Neoplatonism, it was also used in relations within the field of rational knowledge.
perfection (teleiōsis), perfect, (completely) to achieve a goal.
Political virtue (aretai politikai), political virtue, refers to the lower level of virtue, which is particularly concerned with self-control and emotional control, and at most can achieve a state of the soul, that is, a metriopatheia with measured and restrained emotions.
Power (dunamis), power, has two meanings: potential or ability in the Aristotle sense (to be realized), and especially in the Neoplatonic sense, which refers to a higher principle that gives power or characteristics to a lower principle and is expressed in the lower principle.
Practical reason (phronēsis), practical reasoning, reasoning that guides action. It relies on higher, sensible principles, but involves applying them in the context of practical life.
principle (archē), principle, 1) interpretation, 2) source or origin, 3) example. The ontology are the principles that have these three meanings.
Privation (sterēsis), loss, refers to a lack that prompts change to occur, and is used to explain the nature of the material (i.e., a lack of intentionality, rational knowledge, and presence/yes).
Procession (prohodos), progress, everything derives from the hierarchical creation of Taiyi as the ultimate principle. Specifically, these include the secondary stages or aspects of the inner trinity organization of the metaphysical principles, i.e., their external activities.
Purifications (katharseis), purifications, virtues or higher levels of excellence, in which there are few or no components of the body and its functions. Those who successfully reach this level enjoy apatheia, which means that they are not emotionally disturbed.
rational forming principle (logoi; Logoi spermatikoi), the principle of rational formation, refers to a principle expressed at a lower level, especially a rational principle expressed in material existence. It is also sometimes translated as reason-principle.
Reason, reason, see Inference Reason, Thinking, Reason.
rest (monē), the rest, the first stage or aspect of the inner trinity organization of metaphysical principles, i.e., their intrinsic, self-guided activity.
reversion (epistrophē), also known as conversion, literally means "turning towards"; refers to the way in which each entity determines itself by turning toward its source. For human beings, it is to turn inward, to someone's true self.
Right moment (kairos), at the right time, is relevant to the teachings of political science as something that deals with worldly things. They are also used in texts that deal with proper action in the universe governed by fate.
Sage (spoudaios), sages, refers to a model figure in cognition and ethics through which many ethical norms are explained.
Self, "we" (hēmeis), self, has two main meanings: 1) it refers to the leader of life and is interested in the soul-body complex; and 2) it refers to the ideal, true self, usually to reason.
self-constituted (authupostaton), self-determined, refers to the way of activity in which, in the turn, the created thing interprets its source by analyzing or "dissecting" itself, thus presenting itself as a new level of reality with its own unique characteristics.
Self-determination (to autexousion), autonomy, refers to the ability to make free decisions about someone's own actions.
Self-transcending experience (ekstasis), the experience of transcending the self, refers to the ability to transcend what is already there and ascend to a higher metaphysical, cognitive level.
series (seira), chain, synonym for "order".
signs (sunthēmata), symbols, a way of knowing that is close to the rational and the taiyi of the exclusive human. Conceptualized or symbolized.
S/soul (Psuchē), the soul, the third principle or ontology of Plotinus metaphysics, explains the mundane and life. In humans, it refers to the principles of movement, physiology, cognition, and consciousness.
Soul of the All (hē tou kosmou psuchē, hē tou pantos psuchē), the soul of all, refers to the full soul, responsible for the unity, formation, and rational knowledge of the material existence in the universe.
Substance (ousia), entity, metaphysical entities, for the Neoplatonists, refers specifically to rational entities (i.e., ideas). In only one derived sense, it refers to "quasi-entities", i.e., the individual things that are generally considered perceptible by the Aristotle school.
Theurgy (theourgia), or theosologian work, refers to a complex practice of pre-preparing the soul for the sake of the gods, including meditation, contribution, and prayer.
Thinking (noēsis), thinking, refers to the activity of the intellect, a structural identity of all beings. This activity also produces laws on which general inferential reason functions.
Union (henōsis), union, is identical with a higher principle, especially Intellect, and perhaps also taiyi.
up to us, in our own power (eph' hēmin), depending on us, in our own power, refers to a technical method of referentialization in which the actor himself is the origin of an action or choice.
vehicle (ochēma), carrier/support, refers to the luminous or astral body of the soul in the presence of the formless body. Associated with personality identity.
virtue (aretē), virtue, see political virtue, and purification.