A Revisit of the Philosophy of Art in Plotinus' Thought

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Mahmud saidy ¹
• Mohammad Javad pashaee ²

¹ Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Wisdom, Shahid University

² Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, Shahed University

10.22067/epk.2025.94053.1450

Abstract

The philosophy of art is one of the branches of philosophy that has been the subject of much discussion and opinion in the contemporary era. This important aspect of Plotinus’s views is so closely linked to his metaphysical foundations that it has generated significant discussions about art and works of art. The present study, which aims to study Plotinus’ views and ideas on the most important issues of the philosophy of art, is inspired by the descriptive analytical method and the techniques and tools available in documentary analysis methods in a qualitative approach. The findings of the study showed that in Plotinus’ view, art means imitation of a Platonic idea or simile, and the artist, due to reaching that world, creates its reasonable beauty in the tangible world. Also, works of art reflect the beauty of ideas and reflect their characteristics such as order, love, creativity, and imitation of ideas. Plotinus classified works of art according to the role and position of human will in their creation, and finally, he considers the faculty of imagination as the intermediary between the supersensible and tangible worlds in the creation of works of art.

Keywords

• Plotinus
• beauty
• art
• idea
• imagination
• artist

Main Subjects

• Islamic Philosophy and Kalam

---