Starting from Burnyeat's thesis that idealism had no ancient formulation, this paper compares Plotinus's argument for an infinite divine Intellect (Ennead V.3.8) with Descartes's proof of God in the Third Meditation. Both ask how a finite mind can access the infinite, and both hold that the less perfect cannot produce the more perfect. For Descartes, the argument is foundational: it proves an infinite substance outside the meditator. For Plotinus it is explanatory: the soul already latently knows the Nous, and this knowledge reveals the soul as an image of the Intellect. The contrast is ultimately between proof and self-disclosure.
Chiaradonna, R., Null, N. (2026). Infinite Thought: Plotinus versus Descartes. GRADUATE FACULTY PHILOSOPHY JOURNAL, 47(1), 87-108 [10.5840/gfpj20264714].
Infinite Thought: Plotinus versus Descartes
Chiaradonna, Riccardo
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2026-01-01
Abstract
Starting from Burnyeat's thesis that idealism had no ancient formulation, this paper compares Plotinus's argument for an infinite divine Intellect (Ennead V.3.8) with Descartes's proof of God in the Third Meditation. Both ask how a finite mind can access the infinite, and both hold that the less perfect cannot produce the more perfect. For Descartes, the argument is foundational: it proves an infinite substance outside the meditator. For Plotinus it is explanatory: the soul already latently knows the Nous, and this knowledge reveals the soul as an image of the Intellect. The contrast is ultimately between proof and self-disclosure.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
