What was Plotinus's philosophy of religion?

Answer 1

The answer depends upon what is meant by 'religion.' Plotinus was a philosopher. If 'religion' is taken to refer to believing a creed (set of judgments) of some kind about the supernatural, Plotinus wasn't interested in it. Rather, he was interested in what some might consider religious experience. Plotinus was a neo-Platonic philosopher who thought like his mentor (see "Symposium") that the best or most divine kind of human life had to do with direct apprehension of The One, which, for Plato, was the Form of Goodness, Beauty, and Being. Much to the chagrin of those philosophers who think that the essence of philosophy consists in endless conceptualizing, Plotinus argues that we are unable to apprehend the One by discursive reason. Why? The One is unitary. To reason discursively is to conceptualize (sort, classify, divide). So discursive reason results in multiplicity, not unity. For this reason, it is impossible to speak or think well about the One. Speaking and thinking about the One is only useful as a sign pointing towards something beyond. Ultimately, then, discursive reason must be renounced. Direct (in other words, nonconeptual) awareness of the One is the greatest experience. Anyone who has had it already knows that. Anyone who has not yet had it can gain some idea of how blissful it is by comparing it to the joy felt by a lover in the arms of his or her beloved. Such physical unions are transitory and, so, not really what we humans seek. Whether we realize it or not, the genuine object of our desire lies beyond the domain of the conceptualized in the Eternal domain of being that is beyond the world of becoming. To attain this experience is to lose all attachment to one's self. One's old self no longer exists and one becomes a radically different kind of being. Becoming absorbed in the One is to become one with the One. These ideas are similar to the ideas of such Eastern philosophers as Nagarguna. It's not clear whether or not they should be classified as religious; again, it depends upon what is meant by 'religion' and related words. If religion is understood as having to do with a God concept such as the personal God found in monotheistic religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, then Plotinus's ideas are pagan and not religious. Similarly, for example, the ideas of Zen Buddhism would not be considered religious either. On the other hand, the mystical ideas of Plotinus are not anti-religious. After all, a theist would interpret mystical experience as union with God. Therefore, it may be best to conclude that Plotinus's ideas are nonreligious. He values union with the One and isn't ultimately concerned with how that experience is interpreted. ----