«In what do a dæmon, hero, and soul, differ from each other? Is it in essence, or in power, or in energy?» — Porfirio pide la diferencia entre dæmon, héroe y alma, y ofrece las tres opciones entre las que pide elegir.
Neoplatonismo
What does this tradition say about experience, knowledge and transformation? We approach these questions with consciousness as our centre, listening to the language of each source.
Gonzalo Olivares Velázquez · Spiritus Mundi
1 · Listen to the sources
How these passages were chosen: from the works assigned to this tradition, in alphabetical order, the first passage of each whose quoted words name consciousness, awareness, soul, spirit or knowledge (in English or Spanish); one per work, up to four. The choice is by vocabulary only: a passage may agree with our reading, disagree with it, or leave the question open.
«He told one of his friends what was wrong, and the friend, who understood what his soul was yearning for, took him off to hear Ammonius, whom he had not yet tried. When Plotinus went and heard him, he said to his friend: ‘This is the man I was looking for!’» — el encuentro con Amonio, que Porfirio cuenta como reconocimiento: el amigo entendió lo que el alma de Plotino buscaba, y al oírlo Plotino lo dijo con esa frase.
«PROP. 20. Beyond aLl bodies is the soul's essence; beyond all souls, the intellective pn'ncijle~' and beyond all intellective subsla1lClS, the One.» — PROP. 20, en la sección C, *OF THE GRADES OF REALITY*, la escala de cuatro grados: cuerpo, alma, inteligencia y Uno.
2 · Ask what each source declares
Who knows, and what is transformed? Is the relationship between inner experience and the world declared, disputed, or left open? Let the passage determine the answer before bringing it into dialogue with our reading.
Explore documented argument maps →3 · Return to the centre
For us, these paths meet in consciousness. Which passage converses with that reading, and which qualifies or contradicts it? Save it with your own note.
Read the position of the house →Open your notebook →