The Ontological Meaning of the Concept of Contemplation in the Philosophy of Plotinus
The article deals with the ontological status of the concept of contemplation in the philosophy of Plotinus. The author reveals the nature and methodological foundations of Plotinus ’general approach to analysis of the contemplation and its relationship with the teleological vision of the Good in Platonism. The structure of contemplation is investigated in the context of the relationship of various levels of natural existence. Special attention is paid to the relationship of contemplation with the key concepts for Plotinus like the soul, the mind, and the one. In essence, in NeoPlatonism of Plotinus contemplation serves as a way of expansion or emanation of the different levels of existence. The contemplation of the one becomes the contemplation of the mind, and then it goes into the contemplation of the soul, through which in Platonism is performed a natural creation of all that is in the world. Relationship between different levels of contemplation provides a unity of ontological and epistemological approaches in the philosophy of Plotinus.
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