Is Plotinus' Universe a Perfect One?
Good and Evil in a Neoplatonic Cosmology of Emanation
The problem of whether or not the universe is good, according to Plotinus, does not seem to have a clear answer. Referencing various passages of the Enneads, it appears that Plotinus makes somewhat contrary claims regarding the order of the universe, and whether that order is the best possible order, or if it could somehow be better. It seems that Plotinus does believe the universe to be good, but that he thinks it could, in some manner, be more perfect. This theory appears defensible, particularly given, on the one hand, his language describing the One (i.e. the "Good") as a sort of 'substrate' for all being, and on the other hand, his frequent assertions that evil does invariably exist.
Plotinus' Basic Cosmology
The foundation of Plotinus' cosmological understanding is the assertion of the three hypostases: viz. the One, the Intellect and the Soul. According to Plotinus, the One is the principle, undivided and absolutely perfect being (which actually transcends "being" as one understands it to exist). As such, even Plotinus struggles to find the words to speak of the One in itself; in his articulation of its reality, he sometimes names it "the Good," in order to suspend it meaningfully above the other hypostases, and to speak of it in some intelligible manner. (cf. p. 48)
The second hypostasis, the Intellect, is an emanation from the One; "Intellect, by means of itself, also defines its own being by the power that comes from the One and, because it is a sort of unitary part of what belongs to the One and is the substance coming from it, it is strengthened by it and brought to perfection as substance by it, and comes from it." (77) In other words, the Intellect can be seen to be "an image of the One." (76)
The final hypostasis, the Soul, is the "expressed principle" afforded by the Intellect; the Soul exists in a manifold way, both as a singular, unified Soul, as well as individual, incarnate souls. In sum, each of the lower hypostases is the result of the activity of the immediately higher one. For Plotinus, all reality is ordered in this way.
Is Emanation Good?
At the heart of the question of whether or not Plotinus sees the universe as good is the question of how he understands the emanation of the Intellect from the One to have occurred. Admittedly, the account is bound to remain vague, since the question seeks to understand how absolute and perfect unity could, in some way, become divided. While there is no easy answer, Plotinus does offer some suggestions: mainly that the Intellect, "having begun as one [...] did not remain as it had begun, but without itself noticing it, it became many, in a way, "weighted down" and unrolled itself wishing to have everything." (44) In another place, he speaks of this becoming diverse in volitional terms, saying that the basis for the emanation of the lower hypostases is their "wanting to belong to themselves." (66)
In both instances, Plotinus proceeds to make the claim that, although the descent of the Intellect is somehow unknown to itself, it is nevertheless in some way voluntary. "[I]t would have been better for it [Intellect] not to have wished this," he says, "for it thereby became second." (44) And again, in the passage concerning volition, he calls the desire to know oneself apart from the One "evil." (66)
Could the Universe be Better?
This outlook on the fundamental principle of emanation introduces an idea that appears to be juxtaposed to his concept of basic order and goodness in the universe. On the one hand, there is supreme Good, which bestows being itself upon the cosmos. But on the other hand one has Plotinus, almost lamenting the fate of the Intellect and the lower hypostases, for he says: "[W]here [the Intellect] came from is better, and where it went is worse." (44)
In the end, it seems to be that Plotinus believes the cosmos to be deficient, but at the same time that it exists as efficiently and perfectly as possible. The only real problem that remains: if the universe cannot attain the perfection that Plotinus desires for it, then where does he get such an idea in the first place?
References:
Plotinus. "Plotini Opera." Ed. P. Henry and H.R. Schwyzer, 3 v. (Oxford, 1983), in "Neoplatonic Philosophy." Ed. J. Dillon and L. Gerson (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 2004)
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