Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3: In Chronological Order, Grouped in Four PeriodsPlotinus
Philosophy
Plotinos: Complete Works, v. 3: In Chronological Order, Grouped in Four Periods
Plotinus
Plotinus
What is the origin of the cause of what is a form, which is
characteristic of Intelligence? It is not from Intelligence, because
the form is not separable from Intelligence, combining with it to form
one single and same thing. If then Intelligence possess the forms
in their fulness, this fulness of forms implies that they contain
their cause. Intelligence contains the cause of each of the forms it
contains. It consists of all these forms taken together, or separately.
None of them needs discovery of the cause of its production, for
simultaneously with its production, it has contained the cause of its
hypostatic existence. As it was not produced by chance, it contains all
that belongs to its cause; consequently, it also possesses the whole
perfection of its cause. Sense-things which participate in form do not
only receive their nature from it, but also the cause of this nature.
If all the things of which this universe is composed be intimately
concatenated; and if the universe, containing all things, also contain
the cause of each of them; if its relation with them be the same as
that of the body with its organs, which do not mature successively, but
which, towards each other, are mutually related as cause and effect;
so much the more, in the intelligible world, must things have their
"causes," all of them in general in respect to the totality, and each
independently in respect to itself.
IN THE INTELLIGIBLE WORLD EACH BEING IS ACCOMPANIED BY ITS WHYNESS.
Since all intelligible (entities) have a hypostatic consubstantial
existence affording no room for chance; and as they are not separated
from each other, things that are caused must bear these their causes
within themselves, and each of them has some sort of a cause, though
without really possessing one. If there be no cause for the existence
of the intelligibles; and if, though isolated from all causes, they be
self-sufficient; it can only be because they carry their cause along
with them, when they are considered in themselves. As they contain
nothing fortuitous, and as each of them is manifold, and as its cause
is all that they contain, we might assign this cause to themselves.
Thus in the intelligible world "being" is preceded, or rather
accompanied by its cause, which is still more "being" than cause,
or rather which becomes identified with it. What superfluousness,
indeed, could there be in intelligence, unless its conceptions
resemble imperfect productions? If its conceptions be perfect, one
could neither discover what they lack, nor define their cause, and,
since they possess everything, they also possess their cause. There,
"being" and cause are united; the presence of both is recognized
in each conception, in each actualization of intelligence. Let us,
for instance, consider the intelligible Man; he seems complete, in
his totality; all his attributes were his simultaneously from the
beginning; he was always entirely complete. It is the characteristic
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