The purpose of this article is to present the influence of Plotinus' thought on the political philosophy of the Roman Emperor Julian, between the years 361 to 363. The methodology consists of selecting excerpts from the works of Juliano Misopogon and Cartas y Fragmentos that may indicate the influence of the ideas of Plotinus' Ennead in the speech given by the Emperor to legitimize his political power. Juliano argues that the laws of the empire were created by the gods for (...) the organization of human life, so that obedience to the gods necessarily requires an obedience to those laws. According to Juliano, knowledge or episteme about the laws of empire is conditioned to the escape from sensible reality in the name of spiritual reality, in which the wise ruler also needs to transcend the body to know and obey divine laws. Thus, after analyzing Juliano's arguments, we seek to reflect on the viability of the political system adopted by him, especially if the reception of his ideas by rulers from the 20th century onwards is considered. (shrink)

The analysis of the characteristics of the concept φρόνησις (phronesis) in Plotinus’ philosophy inevitably opens a wider discussion about the status and autonomy of ethical theory in Plotinus’ philosophy and about the relationship between contemplative and active life. On the one hand, the paradigmatic interpretations hold that there is an otherworldly, self-centred and elitist ethics in Plotinus’ philosophy, and on the other, in the recent interpretations, the so-called “ethics of descent”, as opposed to “ethics of ascent”, the autonomy of πρᾶξις (...) is asserted. Without examining φρόνησις with a predefined position about the status of practical ethics in Plotinus, in this article the standpoint on this issue will be formed precisely through an analysis of φρόνησις, as a key axis around which the understanding of practical reasoning and action develops. In this analysis, the connection between φρόνησις and likeness to God, understood as the ultimate goal of life, will be investigated; as well as the relationship between θεωρία and πρᾶξις, considered through the relationship between φρόνησις and σοφία, as well as through the conception of virtue as ἕξις. The goal is to show to what extent φρόνησις, and thus ethical practice, is dependent on contemplation, that is, whether φρόνησις has an autonomous status or performs an intermediary role between the intellect and the human soul. (shrink)

Na tradução das Enéadas de MacKenna (1969), encontra-se uma rica introdução de Paul Henry ao pensamento de Plotino, especialmente no que se refere à recepção do neoplatônico pela posteridade. Nesse texto preambular, há uma afirmação de caráter controverso, que consiste em considerar que o homem em Plotino seria “isolado”, não sendo viável concebê-lo como animal político. Desta feita, a antropologia plotiniana se distinguiria do célebre entendimento de Aristóteles acerca do homem como animal político e de Platão, na medida em que (...) se aceite haver no filósofo da academia pressupostos teóricos semelhantes, isto é, relativos à natureza política do homem. O objetivo desse trabalho é realizar um breve exame sobre se seria possível pensar o homem como animal político em Plotino, o que se averiguará a partir das considerações do filósofo concernentes à antropologia e à virtude nos excertos pertinentes das Enéadas. (shrink)