Plotinus on the soul /

Here is a gem of metaphysical reasoning, when metaphysics has lost political urgency. The hook here is whether the universe is rational, possessed of aim and meaning--a question that haunts contemporary science. Caluori (Trinity Univ., Texas) stretches his discussion between two poles: the first is that interpretive headache, the Timaeus--in particular, 39E, about intellect, the craftsman, and forms; the other is Plotinus's insistence that rational structure of material creation requires a triad--"the one," intellect, and soul (hence the title). Those who follow Caluori into this terrain are in for a treat: clear argumentation that, for example, illuminates disagreements between Nemesius and Numenius (on whether Plato's craftsman needs singular or double agency--a debate hinging on whether contemplation of forms requires discursive thinking) and delineates between existential and essential priority--thus making sense not only of Plotinus but also of Plato's Republic and the relation of forms to perceptible reality. Unlike the broader Traditions of Platonism, ed. by John Cleary (1999), and Pauliina Remes's morally focused Plotinus on Self (2007), this study leverages the ontology of soul to systematize the rationality of reality according to Plotinus. Platonists, theologians, and anyone tiring of contemporary materialism, take notice! Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and faculty. --Peter W. Wakefield, Emory University