beauty

finite

time

ugliness

nationality

Egyptian

occupation / innovator as

philosopher

innovator in the field of

neoplatonism

philosophy

The Enneads

is a phenomenon consisting of order and proportion but rather of unity.

Plotinus (205-270) is an exception. In Enneades (I, 6) he rejects the idea that beauty consist of order and proportion. His main points are: (1) Proportions, order, symmetry, and harmony apply to compound objects, while beauty is also found in simple elements like sunlight or gold. (2) The parts of a beautiful object must be beautiful, too, because beauty cannot consist of ugly elements. However, the parts themselves are simple and cannot convey order. (3) A beautiful face may look ugly when it expresses anger or wickedness, yet its proportions are the same. (4) Physical beauty is a reflection of the divine beauty, which unifies the formless multiplicity of matter. Thus, unity, not complexity, is essential to beauty.

is a light that plays over the symmetry of things than that symmetry itself.

Beauty is rather a light that plays over the symmetry of things than that symmetry itself.

is independent of motion, but can be measured in terms of it. It is analogous with life, with one term being eternity figured as a 'life changelessly motionless and ever holding the universal content [time, space and phenomena] in actual presence and the other being the time of before, now, and after as the constant progress of novelty contained in the differentiation of life.

Plotinus's subtle defence of a Platonic understanding of time in The Six Enneads maintains that time is independent of motion, but can be measured in terms of it (see Plotinus, 1971, Third Ennead, VII, 12). Here time is discussed not just in terms of motion, but in terms of an analogy (if it is one) with life, with one term being eternity figured as a 'life changelessly motionless and ever holding the Universal content [time, space and phenomena] in actual presence' (Third Ennead, VII, 3) and the other being the time of before, now, and after as the 'constant progress of novelty .. contained in the differentiation of life' (Third Ennead, VII, 11). These themes, along with emphasis on the experience of the soul, were taken up by Augustine in Book XI of the Confessions on 'Time and Eternity' but reworked into a meditation upon the soul's experience of (395)

Plotinus thinks of time primarily as a mental phenomenon, but for Aristotle time is very closely associated with local motion or change of place.

is not being true to one's own being. It is in going over to another order.

We ourselves possess Beauty when we are true to our own being... ugliness is in going over to another order. . . (Plotinus)

Plotinus

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Plotinus