Filozofska istraživanja, Vol. 39 No. 4, 2019.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21464/fi39409
Ontology of Beauty: the Metaphysical Basis of Plotinian Kalology
Dušan Ignjatović
orcid.org/0000-0003-4456-8653
; Univerzitet Crne Gore, Filozofski fakultet, Ul. Danila Bojovića bb, ME–81400 Nikšić
Abstract
The theory of beauty plays an important role in Plotinus’s philosophy. It has metaphysical, psychological, ethical, as well as aesthetical dimension. It is also inseparable from the spiritual ascent and mysticism. For Plotinus, the role of beauty is to recall to us a knowledge of forms. Thus, soul ascends to the true beauty through the practice of virtues and its purification. His aesthetic theory searches for a way to the ultimate principle in terms of beauty, and by doing that it seeks to identify a soul with it. This is why Plotinus’ theory of beauty is as important as his ontology, and why he significantly extends the meaning of the beautiful and refers to it in several books of his Enneads (i.e. I. 6., V. 8. and VI. 7.).
Keywords
Plotinus; theory of beauty; ideas; beauty; soul; union; One; esthetics; ontology; metaphysics
Hrčak ID:
240431
URI
Publication date:
17.2.2020.
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