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Plotinus

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Founder of Neoplatonism who taught that all reality emanates from the One, a transcendent source beyond being and thought.

Detailed Definition
Plotinus’ hierarchical cosmology of emanation deeply influenced mystical poetry, offering a framework for spiritual ascent, the soul’s longing for unity, and the ineffable nature of ultimate reality beyond language.
Example
Example in poetry:
Plotinus, Neoplatonist, inspires ascent: "Plotinus sought union with the One—ecstasy beyond thought, beyond being"; A mystical poem: "Down the ray, up the beam—Plotinus climbs to light source"; A reflection: "Beauty draws us upward, said Plotinus, to the realm of pure forms"; A metaphor: "Soul as emanation, like light from sun—Plotinus’ hierarchy of radiance"
Additional Notes
Plotinus taught that all reality emanates from the One, a transcendent source beyond being and thought; his Neoplatonism shaped mystical poetry from Dante to Yeats, where the soul’s ascent through levels of being becomes a poetic structure, and the poem itself becomes a ladder toward ineffable unity, expressed through symbolic hierarchy and rhythmic elevation.
Also Known As
Plotinus the Neoplatonist
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