Plutarch's 'Isis and Osiris' and some deeper philosophical wisdom.....

 A few words about why I like Plutarch (Πλούταρχος) – and some clues to the richness and wisdom one can find in his writings.

Firstly, let me say that I am talking about the ‘real’ or ‘famous’ ’ Plutarch, well to my mind at least. He is usually known as ‘Plutarch of Chaeronea’ (a city in central Greece) and lived around  46 CE and died around 120.    (In other words, this is not the latter Plutarch of Athens who lived around 350 – 430 CE and was one of the latter Neo Platonist group of that time – a group that I personally have mixed feelings about…… but that is something for another day.)

Plutarch was born into a wealthy and well connected family and received the best possible education.  He travelled to Asia minor and Egypt – and later made a series of visits to Rome where he was given official recognition by the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, which added to his fame.  

He writes in a popular / accessible and practical way…. You will know what Plutarch was getting at after you read the one of his essays – even if you do not agree with him about everything.   If you prefer reading this with specialist vocabulary, supposed esoteric hidden meanings, and the discussion of very vague abstract ideas opened to interpretation or esoteric deliberations - then I think this Plutarch will not be to your taste.

However, if like me - you are not put off by down to earth and straightforward philosophical writing, I think it is fair to say Plutarch’s essays contain a rich source of spiritual and philosophical guidance and nourishment; along with several suggested pitfalls to avoid in a quest to lead a more philosophical life. Keep in mind, he also held responsible positions here in Delphi in the priesthoods there…and was very well respected here. When he speaks about ‘certain’ spiritual things – albeit in a simple and straightforward way - we should consider at least that he not only knows what he is talking about – but has an understanding of these deeper things as well.

Personally, I try to read some Plutarch every year or two at least…… to remind myself of the wisdom within his writings about how to live, and what kinds of attitudes we should have towards other people……

When I hear some modern commentators relegate Plutarch to the side lines simply - because he uses down to earth and very understandable language - I am not that impressed. After all, Socrates himself (who lived some 400 years before Plutarch ) warns us about just accepting ‘clever or stylish  arguments’ over ideas that are presented simply and in a straightforward manner. Socrates is very critical of rhetoric (basically the art of persuasion and clever speech making) - if it is in the wrong hands. By this Socrates means, if the speaker however elegant and polished, does not really what they are talking about and just pretends they do, or is deliberately trying to mislead is audience.…… as is often the case with our political leaders, or people who perhaps are trying to persuade us to buy things we don’t want, or do things that are not good for us.

Plutarch wrote two main works which have come down to us today:

..... One was the more well know Parallel Lives of outstanding Greek and Roman leaders – which deliberately and cleverly compares two leaders at a time who may have different characters or outlooks on certain matters; so the descriptions are very ‘philosophical’ as well, and not just historical.

The second lesser well know work (book) is conventionally known as The Moralia which is a Latin translation of a Greek term for ‘Moral Pieces’ (ēthika), – which comprised of some 26 essays on various subjects – not just moral subjects as we might suppose. (Incidentally, Plutarch’s son, Lamprias, is attributed with compiling and editing his father’s essays and papers into books after Plutarch’s death.)

Within The Moralia Plutarch writes an essay explaining The E at Delphi, and I will make a few comments about this over the next week or two.  Greek members of this group can read Plutarch’s Isis and Osiris, and about the E in Delphi from:

https://www.kaktos.gr/el/authors/archaioi-suggrafeis/ploutarchos/ploutarhos-ithika-10-978-960-352-354-3.html

However, let me finish this post by telling you some of the more unusual things (but very straightforward and important things) Plutarch says within his essay on the Gods Isis and Osiris.  I feel these are importance quotes to share with people who are on the philosophical path….

Some Quotes from Plutarch’s essay on Isis and Osiris

(Plutarch is talking to a friend, Clea, in Delphi)

🔑All good things, my dear Clea, sensible men must ask from the gods; and especially do we pray that from those mighty gods we may, in our quest, gain a knowledge of themselves, so far as such a thing is attainable by men. For we believe that there is nothing more important for man to receive, or more ennobling for God of His grace to grant, than the truth.

🔑For the Deity is not blessed by reason of his possession of gold and silver, nor strong because of thunder and lightning, but through knowledge and intelligence.

🔑Therefore, the effort to arrive at the Truth, and especially the truth about the gods, is a longing for the divine. For the search for truth requires for its study and investigation the consideration of sacred subjects, and it is a work more hallowed than any form of holy living or temple service; and, not least of all, it is well-pleasing to that goddess whom you worship, a goddess exceptionally wise and a lover of wisdom, to whom, as her name at least seems to indicate, knowledge and understanding are in the highest degree appropriate. For Isis is a Greek word,…..

🔑.....for she is wise, and discloses the divine mysteries to those who truly and justly have the name of “bearers of the sacred vessels” and “wearers of the sacred robes.” These are they who within their own soul, as though within a casket, bear the sacred writings about the gods clear of all superstition and pedantry; and they cloak them with secrecy, thus giving intimation, some dark and shadowy, some clear and bright, of their concepts about the gods, intimations of the same sort as are clearly evidenced in the wearing of the sacred garb. ……

🔑 It is a fact, Clea, that having a beard and wearing a coarse cloak does not make philosophers, nor does dressing in linen and shaving the hair make votaries of Isis; but the true votary of Isis is he/she who has legitimately received what is set forth in the ceremonies connected with these gods, and uses reason in investigating and in studying the truth contained therein…

🔑 But for all this there is only one true reason, which is to be found in the words of Plato: “for the Impure to touch the Pure is contrary to divine ordinance.”  [Note: This is particularly important for readers searching for the truth, the beautiful, the good or the divine….]

🔑 In Saïs the statue of Athena, whom they believe to be Isis, bore the inscription: “I am all that has been, and is, and shall be, and my robe no mortal has yet uncovered.” Moreover, most people believe that Amoun is the name given to Zeus in the land of the Egyptians, a name which we, with a slight alteration, pronounce Ammon. But Manetho of Sebennytus dthinks that the meaning “concealed” or “concealment” lies in this word.

🔑 When they, therefore, address the supreme god, whom they believe to be the same as the Universe, as if he were invisible and concealed, and implore him to make himself visible and manifest to them, they use the word “Amoun”; so great, then, was the circumspection of the Egyptians in their wisdom touching all that had to do with the gods. 10 1 Witness to this also are the wisest of the Greeks: Solon, Thales, Plato, Eudoxus, Pythagoras, who came to Egypt and consorted with the priests; and in this number some would include Lycurgus also.

🔑 ……and you must not think that any of these tales actually happened in the manner in which they are related. The facts are that they do not call the dog by the name Hermes as his proper name, but they bring into association with the most astute of their gods that animal’s watchfulness and wakefulness and wisdom,b since he distinguishes between what is friendly and what is hostile by his knowledge of the one and his ignorance of the other, as Plato remarks. Nor, again, do they believe that the sun rises as a new-born babe from the lotus, but they portray the rising of the sun in this manner to indicate allegorically the enkindling of the sun from the waters.

🔑 If, then, you listen to the stories about the gods in this way, accepting them from those who interpret the story reverently and philosophically, and if you always perform and observe the established rites of worship, and believe that no sacrifice that you can offer, no deed that you may do will be more likely to find favour with the gods than your belief in their true nature, you may avoid superstition which is no less an evil than atheism.

🔑 Moreover, Lysippus the sculptor was quite right in his disapproval of the painter Apelles, because Apelles in his portrait of Alexander had represented him with a thunderbolt in his hand, whereas he himself had represented Alexander holding a spear, the glory of which no length of years could ever dim, since it was truthful and was his by right. 25 1 Better, therefore, is the judgment of those who hold that the stories about Typhon, Osiris, and Isis, are records of experiences of neither gods nor men, but of demigods, ewhom Plato and Pythagoras and Xenocrates and Chrysippus, following the lead of early writers on sacred subjects, allege to have been stronger than men and, in their might, greatly surpassing our nature, yet not possessing the divine quality unmixed and uncontaminated, but with a share also in the nature of the soul and in the perceptive faculties of the body, and with a susceptibility to pleasure and pain and to whatsoever other experience is incident to these mutations, and is the source of much disquiet in some and of less in others. For in demigods, as in men, there are divers degrees of virtue and vice.

🔑 The assumption, then, is that the demigods (or daemons) have a complex and inconsistent nature and purpose; wherefore

🔑 …..That Osiris is identical with Dionysus who could more fittingly know than yourself, Clea? For you are at the head of the inspired maidens of Delphi, and have been consecrated by your father and mother in the holy rites of Osiris. If, however, for the benefit of others it is needful to adduce proofs of this identity, let us leave undisturbed what may not be told, but the public ceremonies which the priests perform in the burial of the Apis, when they convey his body on an improvised bier, do not in any way come short of a Bacchic procession; for they fasten skins of fawns about themselves, and carry Bacchic wands and indulge in shoutings and movements exactly as do those who are under the spell of the Dionysiac ecstasies.

🔑 The Egyptians, as has already been stated, point out tombs of Osiris in many places, and the people of Delphi believe that the remains of Dionysus rest with them close beside the oracle; and the Holy Ones offer a secret sacrifice in the shrine of Apollo whenever the devotees of Dionysus wake the God of the Mystic Basket.

🔑 We must not treat legend as it were history at all, but we should adopt that which is appropriate in each legend in accordance with its verisimilitude.

Plotinus’ Treatise on the Beautiful (Ennead I, vi )

‘Try to raise the divine in yourself to the divine in all…..’

This blog on Plotinus is based on the online ‘meet up’ talk I gave in June 2020. It will appeal to anyone wanting to dig a bit deeper into Plato’s theory of forms – and his World of Perfect Ideas or Forms. In particular we will be looking at the Perfect Idea of Form of Beauty, which while including beautiful looks – also includes beautiful views, beautiful personalities, beautiful composition, and indeed ‘Beauty’ in the widest sense of the word.

It may sound as if this blog post is only about abstract and vague intellectual ideas (‘The Beautiful’ in this case……); and while it is about this in part - it is also going deeper - perhaps much deeper - into how Plato thought that we could live more  ‘ethically’ or ‘correctly and better’ - and indeed more ‘beautifully’ ourselves in the real world. In order to do this Plato believes that we need first to have some understanding of what the Idea of Beauty and the Beautiful really is in essence…..

Keep in mind also, that while we are largely discussing how we could live better ‘personally’, Plato and Plotinus’s views also apply to us as groups and communities of people (e.g. cities and countries); and about how our leaders make decisions on our behalf.

It is a fundamental principle of Platonic ethics and living 'the good life' that you have to try and improve yourself; and then after that try to improve the things and people around you in a practical way. ‘Real Greek philosophy’ is to a greater extent a ‘practical’ subject and only in part an intellectual pursuit, and often only then as a preliminary activity to action. If this is the case, then we need to look deeper at the link between the theoretical metaphysics of Plato– and his practical ethics of how to live our lives in the best possible way.

Remember metaphysics’ is simply the big stuff that is hard to prove – or disprove - with our usual science. Metaphysics is literally ‘above’ our known scientific principles.  Plato believed that there was another world all around us that we cannot usually see with our eyes, but it is actually there; and that in some ways this is the real world - in the sense of it being more important than the world of the senses that we see all around us and that we interact with using our human bodily senses.

The other ‘invisible’ world, to put it simply, we can only interact with and ‘see’ by using our mind and intellects - and in this world Ideas can actually exist on their own without any material examples of them. To ‘see’ in this this other world we are advised to close our eyes – and use our intellect to see and appreciate things. For example, we are all sitting on chairs which were ideas before they became material chairs, and perhaps you will be drinking a wine or a beer (or maybe two) later tonight which were also ideas before they came into being. While we can all appreciate these ‘visual’ and ‘ordinary’ material examples of ideas becoming “things and stuff” this is only half the story. Plato believed in a separate world of 'Perfect Ideas', which he calls ‘The Forms’ (hence Plato’s Theory of the Forms) where the basic or first idea (let’s call it a template idea) for everything exists in a perfect way

Now although chairs etc are very useful things, and easy visual examples to discuss, this Theory of the Forms also applies to other less visible or tangible concepts such as justice, courage, moderation and importantly for tonight’s talk ‘Beauty’ in this other unseen world, and here in our world, the sensible world of the bodily senses, we only see or witness ‘particular’ examples of these things.

I am not saying I agree or disagree – I am just giving a little background on deeper Platonic thought and his metaphysics. Now it is thought that Plato changed his views on this as he went through life - so it’s not a dogma he is suggesting - but something we should consider and contemplate as we try to get a fix on how the reality we live in really is - and decide how we are going to live our lives in the best possible way within that reality.

Plato also suggests that the universe and everything in it has been created or has flowed out of the one source or fountain of everything, which is beyond all description, and which he calls ‘the One’ and/or ‘the Good’. (A kind of divine fountain or source of everything…..)

According to the writings of Plato “the One” and the Good and very closely aligned – and almost different aspects of the same thing. Therefore, if we could get closer to and understand better ‘the Good’, then we would get closer to ‘The One” – the divine source.  Remember these things are ‘invisible’ Ideas – only knowable with our intellects – and not our usual senses – such as sight or sound.

In Platonic thinking the ‘contemplation and investigation’ of what the truly good and beautiful way to live is (and what the correct specific action to take in a given situation in the real world is) - is a pre requisite and first step in us choosing to live that way. Simply put, if we always act quickly and impulsively, we might do the right thing; but usually it’s better to consider what the right thing to do is before we take any action….both as individuals or leaders of a city or group.

In other words, we are looking at the idea of ‘Beauty’ in its essence (or Platonic form) - tonight to see if Plotinus suggests how we should live our life. We could of course have decided to look at other important Ideas such as Goodness, Courage and Fortitude, Moderation, Wisdom, Justice.

Socrates clearly believes in the actual existence of these perfect Ideas or Forms – and the Idea of Perfect beauty in the ‘Platonic’ sense of the word. He says that (Plato-Phaedo-100d/e):

‘….. nothing makes a thing beautiful but the presence and participation of Beauty in whatever way or manner obtained; for as to the manner I am uncertain, but I stoutly contend that by Beauty all beautiful things become beautiful. This appears to me to be the safest answer which I can give, either to myself or to another, and to this I cling, in the persuasion that this principle will never be overthrown, and that to myself or to anyone who asks the question, I may safely reply, that by Beauty beautiful things become beautiful’.

He then applies this notion to other eternal Ideas such as Greatness. According to Socrates nothing becomes great without participating in the idea of Greatness. He also says that there is no way anything comes into existence except by participation with its own proper essence or Form.

He also says that something cannot partake of two opposite perfect Ideas at the same time – for example hot and cold. A bowel of soup cannot be hot and cold at the same time – it can only move from one state of being to the other in stages….. It is a gradual process……

Let me just add a quick storey here that I call ‘The Piano Player’ which kind of fits in here – about moving from one state of being to another. Imagine a friend introduces me to someone who is an experienced concert pianist who sometimes offers instruction to other pianists. Imagine also that I have been planning to learn the piano at some point in my life, and although I have never bought a piano played one I did buy a book ‘piano for dummies’ last week albeit I haven’t read it yet. If I then say to this concert pianist that I would be grateful if he could give me a lesson it makes me seem ridiculous to people; since this pianist has so many insights to offer experienced pianists that are trying to improve.

….. And in general, learning or understanding better anything - gets better or more productive the more you know about something in the first place. A good guitarist could really learn something from Eric Clapton; a good artist could similarly learn from Leonardo da Vinci. A good sculptor from Michelangelo. The person who hasn’t made any effort at the guitar, painting or sculpture wouldn’t learn as much and might not even understand some of the things the expert is explaining. This principle applies even more for someone wanting to follow the philosophical path -or simply to try and live a little bit better. A bad selfish and greedy man does not go to bed one evening and wake up as a good man in the morning…. It also follows that the better and more ‘beautiful’ a person you are - the closer and easier it will be to understand the perfect ideas of The One, The Good and The Beautiful…..  You simply cannot recognise and know something – if you have no idea about that thing….. For example again, only a dedicated and trained mathematician can appreciate fully some high powered mathematical concepts ….

There is another problem – even for dedicated and experienced philosophers trying to following the right path. Contemplating the Good and The One is very difficult for everyone– and much harder than contemplating some of the other template Ideas or Forms….. 

Plato suggests that The Beautiful is the visible expression of the Good……..   and we can more easily see and understand examples of beautiful things around us (beautiful people – on the inside and out – beautiful sunsets and views ….. beautiful actions and behaviours - and we can listen to beautiful music etc……. So “if” we can get to understand a little better what the Beautiful actually is…… it helps us to understand what The Good is – and this in turn helps to give us some idea of what ‘The One’ is…..  since they are closely related….. Plato suggests that understanding ‘the Beautiful’ could be a stepping stone towards understanding the good. This blog is only trying to present an ‘overview’ of these things…..

This idea of steadily moving and working towards where you want to be with something being important in many fields of endeavour…… (like the piano player I just mentioned) .. includes if you are trying to be a good or ‘beautiful’ person - (again in its broadest sense) person. In Platonic thinking - the better and more beautiful a person you are - the easier it will be to understand and better the perfect ideas of The Beautiful, The Good, and who knows…. even The One

[Side Note:  someone trying to pick a beautiful diamond out of the bag of fake diamonds will find it very hard to do if he or she does not really know what a real diamond looks like. Choosing the real diamond will be guesswork at best; and might at worse be related to our physical senses and desires. E.g. someone might simply choose the biggest and shiniest looking diamond in the bag.]

So let’s discuss now what Plotinus has to say about this other worldly idea of ‘The Beautiful and the Good’ to see if it can help us get our own fix on these things – or at least help guide us with our own contemplation or search for the Beautiful… and the Good ….. and I suppose if we are very fortunate The One or the divine source of everything….

Short Biography of Plotinus

Plotinus was born in 204/205 C.E. apx in Egypt, the exact location of which is unknown. In his mid-twenties we do know he gravitated to Alexandria, where he attended the lectures of various philosophers, not finding satisfaction with any until he discovered the teacher Ammonius Saccas. He remained with Ammonius until 242 (ie about 20 years), at which time he joined up with the Emperor Gordian on an expedition to Persia, for the purpose, it seems, of engaging the famed philosophers of that country in the pursuit of wisdom. The expedition never met its destination, for Gordian was assassinated on the way in Mesopotamia, and Plotinus returned to Rome to set up his own philosophy school. (He was about 40 at this time) He taught philosophy in Rome for twenty years before the arrival of a special student to his school called Porphyry, who was destined to become his most famous pupil, as well as his biographer and the editor of his various writings…..

It was at this time, encouraged by Porphyry, that Plotinus (in his 60’s) began to collect his lecture notes / treatise and essays into any systematic form, and to compose new ones. His writings on various subjects are collectively known as The Enneads – and we are going to look at one of them this evening. (Although Plotinus regarded Plato as the ultimate authority on all things philosophical, he was known to have disagreed with him on occasions. After all – he was a great thinker and philosopher in his own right……   eg  Ennead IV.8.1 )

Plotinus is regarded by many as the father of the Neo Platonists and Neoplatonic movement -  since he was a great admirer of Plato, and refers to him along with many other philosophers in his writings; and indeed makes engaging references to Plato’s writings – using similar symbols and metaphors…...

Without going too far into this for this blog – suffice to say we should be cautious of thinking that all the Neo Platonists were the same and had similar views. This just isn’t the case since they covered a period of some 350 years – from say the founding of Plotinus’ school in Rome to the closing of all the philosophy schools in Athens around 520 CE. For example, some 200 years after Plotinus there was a another group of philosophers in Athens who are also regarded as Neo Platonists by many as they offer many commentaries and explanations of Plato. However, in my view, some of these ‘latter’ Neo Platonists of Athens (rather than the earlier Neo Platonists like Plotinus and Porphyry of the 3^rd century CE based in Rome) seem to be given much more dogmatically and prescriptively than those of the original philosophers Socrates and Plato who they claim to be explaining. It is an interesting subject for another talk maybe - but for the moment just be cautious of thinking that all the Neoplatonists were the same and shared the same ideas and views.

A final biographical point on Plotinus is that we should not make the mistake of regarding Plotinus as nothing more than a commentator on Plato, albeit a brilliant, entertaining and very understandable one. He was an original and profound thinker in his own right who wrote his own philosophical ideas as well. It is true that he borrowed and re-worked many things that he found useful from earlier thinkers such as Plato, and even from his opponents, in order to construct his essays and treatises. This great thinker and writer Plotinus died in solitude at Campania Italy in 270 C.E.

Let us now look at one of Plotinus’ pieces or Enneads that is Ennead I, part vi   which is sometimes known as his Treatise on The Beautiful. The piece itself is only 10 to 12 pages long - but it is a bit long for a blog post discussion. I have therefore chosen 3 extracts to give you a good flavour of what’s going on. (Refer to a previous post on this blog on 15th May 2020 for the "Text Extracts". Alternatively, the full piece to read if you wish is available at:  

http://jameslongerstuff.blogspot.com/2020/04/plotinus-on-beauty-ennead-i-vi-trans.html)

(Extract A) Plotinus tries to describe Beauty and define it

Notice:

-         We are talking about Beauty in its very widest sense…

-         The connection and similarities between the ‘idea’ of Beauty in the divine world, and this other visible world of the senses. (This crops up with The Cave and The Phaedrus. In the Phaedrus the lover sees a beautiful face in this world - but is reminded of the divine Beauty he once saw when his soul - not attached to his earthly body - followed a God to the outer heavens. You will see that Plotinus in his various writings often includes and refers very directly to some Platonic passages, themes and myths.

(Extract B) – The Importance of Virtue and Living Correctly

Notice:

-         Beautiful ways of life….

-          Being in control of ‘lusts’. (… Although Plato never suggests that being in love with someone - of physical intimacy is a bad thing at the appropriate time. This is different to someone who is a slave to their desires whether that be drink, sex, money or whatever. None of these things are necessarily bad providing we are in control and act appropriately with some moderation – according to Plato at least.

-           

(Extract C – Parts 1 and 2) Acting and living ‘beautifully’ (i.e How to Make Ourselves More Beautiful a both from a theoretical and practical point of view……) Pt 1 = ‘Theoretically’ and Pt 2 = ‘Practically’

Notice:

-         To actually “see” the perfect Beauty is the challenge

-         How to find it or see it. (We must shut our eyes to see…)

-         Not visible to the profane – (ties in with my piano player storey and being able to see the true diamond in the bag.) We will not see the Beautiful if we do not have ‘some idea’ what it is we are looking for…..

-         Finding our way

-         Looking after and finishing our own personal ‘statues’

-         Plotinus suggests that our goal should not simply be to live like a good person - but to live perfectly and beautifully like a God?

Some closing remarks if I may…..

So that’s a flavour of what Plotinus writes about Beauty. He tries to define what beauty actually is (which is a good place to start any philosophical discussion or contemplation) - and comes to a working definition at least that will do for his own purposes…… He then talks about the process of improving ourselves by living in virtue and living ‘correctly’ however we define this – again for our own purposes.   This is just the path or part of the process in achieving or seeing real Beauty in ourselves which is necessary if we are to be able to recognise divine Beauty at all. If you remember, I talked about only good piano players being able to learn from a great piano player – and not the beginners. There is a need for time and effort from us in the early stages.

Then later on in Plotinus’ essay he talks about us actually seeing ‘the Good and the Beautiful’ (there are echoes of Plato’s Phaedrus here which talks about the ascent of the soul represented by a chariot with 2 horses; and of Plat’s myth of the Cave);  and us not just ‘aspiring’ to be that way (like a God) but to actually live in a godlike way ourselves. Platonic philosophy is not just about reading books, discussing and observing – its about actually LIVING that way……. 

However, if we want to live in a good and beautiful way – FIRST we have to explore what these ideas actually mean in their purest sense – and then only secondly focus our attentions on trying to achieve them…… since ‘trying’ is an important part of Plato’s ethical living.

Plotinus uses the attractive and very understandable metaphor of a sculptor trying to make his statue as good as he possibly can by making small improvements here and there towards the end…… And he suggests that we should look at ourselves in the same way as we go through life - and make small improvements regularly to ourselves where we can….

In many of the talks I have given previously I have tried to strip away the extra details of Platonic philosophy so the we can grasp the essential ideas underneath. (A bit like unwrapping a Christmas present that has been over wrapped with too much string, tape and layers of paper…..) 

However, tonight we have gone the other way – and looked a bit deeper into the details of why Plato’s essential Ideas or Theory of Forms (and his metaphysics) are important to consider and understand a little…… as it helps us get a grasp at a true  understanding of the things around us…. or that we could have around us….. In part, it offers us another layer of reasoning and motivation to live in a certain way….. when on the face of it, carrying on as we are in some matters is more appealing to our down to earth senses and primal desires……

I hope you have enjoyed this small taste of Plotinus - and begin to see the importance of Plato’s Forms - and this world of ideas a little clearer…… We don’t have to agree with everything Plato, Socrates – or Plotinus says - but they can give us important signposts to follow as we make our own search for the Beautiful, the Good, and then who knows - even the One or the Divine itself… […. Since these things remember, according to Plato, are all closely related….]

I leave you with the final words of Plotinus who on his deathbed said to his friends and students gathered there:

‘Try to raise the divine in yourself to the divine in all…..’

The Three Powers of The Psyche (Soul) and their Virtues

In the early spring of 2013 I had the pleasure to attend three “Socratic” lectures in London given by the Prometheus Educational Trust. I posted brief details on this blog at the time for anyone who might want to go along; but now I wish to pick out one or two threads and ideas from those talks. This post will outline the essence of what Socrates and Plato meant by VIRTUE and EXCELLENCE (ARETE)– which is just slightly different than what we often regard as “the virtues” as later described in specific detail by Aristotle. Tim Addey reminds us in his first talk ‘The Philosopher in the World’ that philosophy (the love of wisdom) in its simplest sense is just about making the best choice we can when faced with a range of possible actions in a given situation. Every human being chooses what they consider to be the wisest choice and rejects the more foolish according to their own criteria. No-one would choose to act foolishly we can presume – although that may become apparent in hindsight.

We have as Tim suggests to make our way through the drama of life, hopefully avoiding too much tragedy – and hopefully not “frutting and stretting like poor actors across the stage” too much as Shakespeare once beautifully put it. In order to live well – we must Know Ourselves as inscribed above Apollo’s temple in Delphi; and this means to know where we are and what we are as individual human beings, collective societies and as human beings within a vast universe. Now whether readers of this piece are religious and spiritual people or not – I want to find and use a term for the inner self – or rational consciousness – that makes rational decisions about the actions we can take. Tim Addey suggests using the word ‘soul’ providing we can leave the considerable baggage associated with this word behind. I somehow doubt this – and so will stick to the word “psyche” used by the ancient Greeks, which literally meant 'breath'. Keep in mind that the word 'psyche' meant a little bit more to the ancient Greeks in some ways that soul means to us today; but in other ways carried less baggage than the word 'soul' does to most people today. For the non-spiritual reader “rational consciousness as yet to be fully scientifically explained” will do just as well – but I shall use psyche for convenience now.

Now the seeker of wisdom – the philosopher – in the Socratic and Platonic tradition consciously cultivates wisdom as he goes through the life lived by the psyche while living as a human being here on earth.

The psyche is seen as having three essential faculties or powers - and one of these might be called the ‘desiring’ nature which pursues what it perceives to be goodness through an instinctive attraction to whatever is beautiful.

The second faculty we can call the ‘knowing’ nature which peruses goodness and truth through investigation and trying to look beyond the first appearances of the person or situation requiring action. On another level it persues the truly good rather than what merely appears to be good or a good idea.

The third faculty or power sits somewhere between the previous two - almost trying to harmonise them into a unified whole. This third faculty was known as ‘thumos’ in Greek – which actively desires the good but listens also to the rational and investigative part of the psyche. It is often vary clumsily translated with the word 'anger' today – but it should include ‘spirited’ and 'vibrant' and 'positive actions' within its borders. Once again, we must be cautious with the way some words are translated since we use some words differently these days. I will therefore keep to the word thumos for this third faculty or power of the psyche.

This gives us a tri-partite psyche (soul) in the Platonic view – and this idea comes up time and again in the writings of Plato in various ways. My favourite example is in the Phaedrus dialogue – where we find the Myth of the Charioteer presenting the rational part of the psyche as a Charioteer being pulled by a good white horse (the spirited, active and ordinative part of the psyche) and a dark unruly horse which represents the desiring or appetitive part of the psyche.  Without going into all the details here – it is sufficient to quote that: ‘the life of the Charioteer is not always an easy one…..’

Now….. finally moving to my main theme of this particular blog – the virtue & excellence of the various parts of the psyche – I should point out that each of the three main faculties of the soul mentioned above can be improved individually – which leads on to the improvement of the whole psyche. Indeed, each of the three faculties has a perfection – and were a person able to perfect all three areas he would have perfected his psyche or soul as much as a human being could in the this mortal life. The perfection of these three faculties of the soul is ARETE in its formal description – that is VIRTUE and EXCELLENCE.

Specifically, the improvement and excellence of rational, knowing, investigative faculty of the soul (the Charioteer) is wisdom - where we become proficient in recognising the truly good from what only appears to be good…. 

The excellence of the thumos (spirited and active part - the white horse) is fortitude or courage – which keeps us going in tough and difficult times – and can keep us steadfast and stable amidst the storms of life.  It also helps to keep us true to the directions of the rational faculty, even in difficult times when easier options to choose from might tempt us away from the path we have chosen.

The improvement or excellence of the desiring quality of the soul (the dark unruly horse) is temperance – so that our pursuit of goodness in the form of beauty remains within its proper limits…. and allows our normal human desires to be kept under the control of the rational faculty. (It is not wrong to have desires per se in Plato –or to act on these desires providing that are kept under rational control.

In addition to the three virtues or excellences of the psyche mentioned above (temperance, wisdom, fortitude or courage) there is a fourth virtue in the Platonic tradition JUSTICE – which is mostly where a civil community is arranged in the best way for the community. Justice can also be applied to our personal choices and therefore psyche or soul in some ways.This is a reasonable enough point to clarify that while we often talk about a tripartite soul in Plato - it does not mean that it is in three distinct bits which are then stuck together - it simply means that there are three distinct qualities or powers to the psyche.

Now just a little more about these four virtues – three which are mostly faculties of the psyche or soul – and the fourth which largely applies to our communities and societies as a whole. The psyche can exercise its various powers outwardly towards the world, inwardly towards itself, and upwardly so to speak towards the immaterial causes, the divine, and the metaphysical. In each of these three cases (directions) the development of the four virtues is necessary if the process of obtaining excellence (ARETE) is to be advanced.

When the virtues are directed outwardly they are called civic or political virtues;

When the virtues are directed inwardly for self-improvement they are called cathartic (or purifying) virtues;

When directed upwards they are called contemplative or theoretic virtues; (….. and Tim Addey reminds us in his talk that: ‘for the causes from which we descend are only to be seen in purest contemplation’.)

“Bite Size Chunks” is one of the promises of this blog and so I will finish this introductory look at the Socratic Platonic four virtues here. I will conclude by adding just one more paragraph from the notes to Tim Addey’s talk on this subject:

‘This then, is the internal constitution of the human soul, with its powers and excellences: but what is the place of such a creature in the world? If justice enables parts to contribute to the whole, what kind of life should we be living in order to both give and take goodness in the universe…….. and how will the lover of wisdom extend the goodness inherent in his or her soul into the material world.

Notes: I hope to place some more ideas from these Prometheus Trust talks into “Bite Size Chunks” in due course. For those who would like to read more on this now take a look at my original post about these talks which has links to the full notes.

 See: The Philospher in the World (by Tim Addey)

For those of you who would like to read how I personally think this background is useful for our lives today (4 Today) there is a short piece on this subject on my more personal blog at: Virtue and Excellence In Leisure Time

The Philosopher in the World - A talk by Tim Addey

[I am currently attending in London a very interesting series of 5 talks/seminars presented by the Prometheus Trust. A sample of the notes to the first talk is below with a link to the full notes on the Trust’s website for those that like the flavour of my “taster”…. :)  ]

'.... Every human being stepping into the world has before him or herself a part to play in a drama: whether that drama is a tragedy or not just as clearly depends upon how well the self is known. Indeed, the whole human race living and acting upon this earth also has a collective drama to enact – and the message is still the same: unless we as a global society know what we are, what kind of creatures we truly are, we are likely to find out only through tragedy…….

….. This said, we can see why the Platonic tradition sees the soul as having various faculties: one might be called the desiring nature, another the knowing nature. The desiring nature, or appetitive faculty pursues goodness – or at least what it takes to be goodness – through an instinctive attraction to whatever appears beautiful. The knowing nature, or rational faculty, pursues goodness through an investigation of its truth – it looks beyond appearance,

examining the immaterial causes behind specific effects. Sitting between these two faculties is a third which harmonises their sometimes differing directives: it runs with the appetitive faculty, desiring good and rejecting the less-than-good, but listens attentively to the guidance of the rational faculty: it especially rejoices in good order. In Greek this third faculty was called the thumos – translated by some as 'the spirited part' and by others as 'anger' (although one has to be careful to understand anger used in this way, as that which reacts against in-ordination).

…… Now each of these faculties of the soul has a perfection which contributes to the perfection of the soul in itself, and the Platonic tradition has much to say about the perfection of these powers which it denominates arête – that is to say virtue or excellence. The excellence of the rational, guiding faculty is wisdom, through which we discern that which is really good from that which only appears to be good, and through which, also, we can adapt universal truths to particular situations and problems.

The Philosopher in The World by Tim Addey - Prometheus Trust