Eros in Plato and Plotinus
The Transcendent Beloved April 24, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/9780197842805.003.0003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Plato's and Plotinus's complex concepts of Eros, rooted in epistemology and ontology, provided a framework in which psychology and metaphysics could be expressed through a terminology of love, offering a basis for examining Eros in medieval Arabic and Jewish sources. |
Abstract
Abstract: With the aim of providing a solid basis for the examination of the Platonic concept of Eros in medieval Arabic and Jewish sources, the starting point of the study is the ladder of beauty in the Symposium and the intertwining of Eros, self-knowledge, and knowledge of God in Plato’s Phaedrus. Inheriting Plato’s framework, Plotinus develops the ontological concept of Eros and extends the theme of devotional love to the dimension of mystical union. Plato’s and Plotinus’ concepts of Eros were so complexly woven around basic concepts of epistemology and ontology that it became possible to express psychology and metaphysics through a terminology of love.