Cities and Thrones and Powers: Towards a Plotinian Politics

by Stephen R.L. Clark

What would a “reappeared” Plotinus answer today if asked how we might build a divinely-ordered city? That is the question at the core of this unique book, and Stephen Clark takes us on a wide-ranging deep dive to uncover possible answers. To do so, he first gives an account of the Plotinian philosophy of mind and metaphysics, showing how Plotinus nicely balances the entanglement of soul-body composites (our immediate identities) with the workings of the World Soul and the eternal soul that animates “from within.” Drawing on later Christian and Islamic interpretations of the Neoplatonic tradition, and parallel developments in Hindu thought, he then describes the various social forms that seem to be the inevitable context of our lives here and now. Furthermore, we discover that the form a Plotinian religion adopts depends on taking seriously the thought of reincarnating souls and wandering hermits, but now with the difference in our time that, although some sages may be content to consider themselves simple wanderers in a world without borders or settled communities, some will follow the same path as Buddhists, Epicureans, and Christians: forming communities of friends loyal to their founder and to the fellowship of the Sangha. We learn as well that in due course even those among the hermits who prefer to go, almost literally, “alone to the Alone” will become part of dispersed, unhierarchical communities. Finally, Clark offers cautious thoughts about our likely futures, dependent both on current technological advances and on the realistic suspicion (shared by our predecessors) that catastrophes and wholly unexpected turns are always to be expected.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

328 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2022

Reviews

[Zachary Mays · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another immensely enjoyable book by Stephen R.L. Clark, this time exploring the political, social, and cultural implications of Plotinus's philosophy. Clark again shows that it is a misconception to think of Plotinus's thought as otherworldly and world denying. Neoplatonism (Pagan, Abrahamic, or its close counterparts in Buddhism, Hinduism, and indigenous "animism") is about recognizing that the multifaceted splendors of this Soul-filled material world are wonderful and often beautiful reflections of that Other World, that heaven of shining faces, that unity in plurality oriented around and emanating from the Father of All.

The bulk of the book explores various forms a Plotinian society might take, hypothetical Platonopolises if you will, and extensively outlines the historical context of Plotinus's social and political world. Clark draws from Plato's Laws, from the works of Porphyry, and from later parallel sources in Christian, Islamic, and Hindu thought. Clark generously ponders the various forms human society can take, while remaining sympathetic to the diversity of our ways of conceiving of our political cosmos (past, present, and future). Is Utopia really possible? Can we effect real and lasting change? Maybe not. But we can still model our impermanent lives and transitory social orders on that Immortal Beauty we see reflected in and through the world we inhabit. "This world, after all, could be a better place."

The book ends with an exploration of the many possible futures of "Lifekind" on this planet (or any other). Clark displays his usual concern for recognizing the full ensouledness of the creatures we share this world with (animals, plants, gods, "monsters," angels, and demons). He also touches upon the idea of reincarnation, and displays his usual love for poetry and science fiction. A book to read again, and certainly a book that leads one to other books.

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

An examination of neoplatonic thought on the society of all beings. The work is peppered with excerpts not only from Plotinus, but also for sources as diverse as G.K. Chesterton, G.M. Hopkins, and the Upanishads. This is a work of deep wisdom that had me pausing every view pages to reflect and react.