Neoplatonism
A late antique philosophical system teaching that all reality emanates from a transcendent, ineffable One
The Meaning of Neoplatonism
Neoplatonism, founded by Plotinus in third-century Rome, was the last great philosophical system of the ancient world and the dominant intellectual framework of late antiquity. Building on Plato's metaphysics, Plotinus taught that all reality proceeds from a single, transcendent source called the One (to Hen), which is beyond being, thought, and language. From the One emanates the divine Intellect (Nous), containing the Platonic Forms; from Nous emanates the World Soul (Psychē), which gives life to the material cosmos. The human soul, having descended from this luminous hierarchy into the body, can ascend back through philosophical contemplation, ethical purification, and ultimately mystical union with the One. Plotinus described experiencing this union on several occasions. His student Porphyry edited his writings into the Enneads, which became the movement's foundational text. Later Neoplatonists including Iamblichus and Proclus incorporated theurgic ritual and elaborate theological hierarchies. Neoplatonism profoundly influenced Christian theology through Augustine and Pseudo-Dionysius, Islamic philosophy through Al-Farabi and Avicenna, and the Renaissance through Marsilio Ficino.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Plotinus was reportedly so ashamed of inhabiting a physical body that he refused to sit for a portrait or reveal his birthdate
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Hermeticism
💭 conceptPhilosophy
A syncretic philosophical and spiritual tradition attributed to the legendary sage Hermes Trismegistus
Nous
💭 conceptPhilosophy and Mind
The Greek concept of pure intellect or mind, the highest faculty of the soul and the organizing principle of the cosmos.
Stoicism
💭 conceptPhilosophy
A Hellenistic school teaching virtue, rational self-control, and acceptance of fate as the path to flourishing
Pythagoreanism
💭 conceptPhilosophy
A philosophical and religious movement founded by Pythagoras centred on mathematics, harmony, and the soul
Philosophy
💭 conceptLanguage and thought
An English word for the study of fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, and ethics, derived from the Greek philosophia meaning love of wisdom
Plato
💭 conceptPhilosophy, myth, forms
Athenian philosopher who both critiqued traditional myths and created powerful new ones in his dialogues
Mnēmosynē
💭 conceptmythology, philosophy
Memory personified — Titaness, mother of the nine Muses, and the principle through which knowledge and identity persist across time and death.
Epicureanism
💭 conceptPhilosophy
A Hellenistic school teaching that pleasure through modesty, knowledge, and friendship is the highest good
Enthousiasmos
💭 conceptReligion and Inspiration
The state of being possessed by a god, the original meaning of divine inspiration in Greek religion.
Orphic Mysteries
💭 conceptreligion, afterlife
An initiatory religious tradition attributed to the mythical poet Orpheus, teaching reincarnation, ritual purity, and liberation of the soul through sacred texts and ascetic practices.
Logos
💭 conceptWord, reason, and the rational principle of the cosmos
The multifaceted Greek concept meaning word, speech, reason, account, and the rational principle governing the universe.
Palingenesia
💭 conceptphilosophy, religion
Rebirth or regeneration — the renewal of the soul through successive lives or the regeneration of the cosmos at the end of a great cycle.