Introduction

 Peculiar in Plotinus:
o Thinking of the self for its own sake; differest form the soul
 Breakthrough: immediate reflexivity;
 Self:
o Self is irreducible to: human being; soul
o Levels of self levels of soul.
o Hemeis: situated rather than defined, cannor be substantified.
 Consciousness means of identification
 Fundamental role in system:
o How metaphysics integrates ethics
o That by which the necessity of procession leaves room for free choice of
conversion
Degrees of the Soul and the Metaphysics of Procession
The separated soul  (most of this part not relevant to my concerns now.)
 Separated soul
 IV.8.1. experience
 Plotinuan subject
o Grasps itself in an interrogative form it undergoes the experience of several
forms of relation to itself;
 Hemeis  soul (distinction) V.3.
 Separated soul: a possible identity
 Ethical itineary – trajectory of consciousness
The lower powers of soul and dianoia
 3 points
o Soul does not descend; dynamis
o Dianoia comes to be with the contact with the body;
o Descent is only a fall if if the consciousness is oriented towards the body
Dynamis and descent
 Not all descent is bad
 IV.8.; individual and world soul, etc.
The constitution of the dianoia
 Soul qua soul – dianoia
 Ok.
The situation of the hemeis
 Levels of soul – levels of self (?)
 VI.4.14  szövegek és interpretációk összegyűjtése…
o Hémeis sunampho
  But: both are in it without either being it…(blabla)
 Grasping itself: reveals duality rather than identity
 I.1. értelmezések;
o Reflexive subject subject of attribution
o I.1.7.; málista situation;
o I.1.10. twofold;
o Hémeis can be higher or lower than the dianoia
 Summary: essential self – sep. Soul; hemeis – reflexive subject;
o Consciousness: does not grant acces to identity but to: constitutive duality,
various inner contents it can be referred to.
o Situation of hemeis is mobile;
The identification of the hemeis and the ethics of conversion
The hemeis and the levels of the soul
 I.1.; V.3. proximity and difference of hemeis and dianoia;
 V.3. értelmezése:
o Dianoia és hemeis nem azonos (de)
o Érv: a nous hozzánk tartozik, de nem a lélekhez
 Ez nem jó érv: a mienk és a mi nem ugyanaz.
o Érv: érzékelés mienk; de nem a dianoiához tartozik
 Ugyanaz a probléma
Hemeis and consciousness
 Discovery of difference: subject-consciousness  subject substrate
 Connection: hemeis and consciousness
o V.1.12
Consciouness and identification
 I.1.11; we do not always use…
 Hemeis presides over orientation; also described as „making use”
 Thesis: consciousness is a means of identification: we become what we are aware of
o Becoming aware: choice of an identity
Consciouness and conversion
 Ethics
 Subject of consciousness: can orient its attention towards the separate soul;
 Trajectory of consciousness – ethical trajectory
 Procession: necessary; conversion: choice of the hemeis
What makes the choice of identity.