An introduction to the thought of the third-century AD writer Plotinus, one of the greatest of ancient philosophers. The text is tailored to the requirements of students: it assumes no knowledge of Greek or expertise in ancient philosophy, stays close to the texts, and relates Plotinus's ideas to modern philosophical concerns.

`It is a book intended for the beginner, and includes all the information about the life of Plotinus, and the nature of his works, needed to set the scene ... O'Meara succeeds in showing how Plotinus' fits in with other, more familiar, philosophical ideas. ... It is hard to imagine a more useful book to put into the hands of anyone starting the study of late antique thought.' Greece & Rome `one of the refreshing sides of this short work is its willingness to treat Plotinus as what he was, a philosopher, and not simply a purveyor of interesting and often stimulating ideas' Anthony A. Meredith, Heythrop College, Heythrop Journal, July 1994 `scholarly, and philosophical, attention has turned his way. O'Meara's book is a clear and readable account of Plotinian philosophy and much recent scholarship, and should help many to start the lifetime's task of following Plotinus' arguments.' Stephen R.L. Clark, Liverpool University, International Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3, Issue No. 135, September 1994 `The guide to further reading and bibliography are outstanding. I recommend this book without qualification to anyone interested in Plotinus.' Kurt Pritzl, The Catholic University of America, Review of Metaphysics, June 1994 'O. succeeds brilliantly, packing in an astonishing amount of information about Plotinus' life and thought and also conveying the philosophical excitement he finds in the Enneads ... a crisp, accurate picture of Plotinus' immaterialism and hierarchical metaphysics. The guide to further reading and the bibliography are outstanding. This is the rare introductory book that can be recommended without qualification. Indeed, scholars of Plotinus have much to learn from it as well.' John Bussanich, University of New Mexico, The Classical Review, Volume XLIV, No. 1, '94 'O'M. shows succinctly that Plotinus' definition of the intellect as a 'one-many', a plurality in unity, marks an advance on Aristotle's thesis that the highest intellect ... is a self-reflective thought' M.J. Edwards, Journal of Hellenistic Studies 114 (1994) `provides the student with acheap, but at the same time, a full and authoritative evaluation of the Enneads and their author...This is an ideal little volume.' Greece and Rome Reviews 42 There is no better introductory philosophical text about Plotinus than O'Meara's...He cleverly places Plotinus' arguments into their classic content showing how the tradition and his immediate predecessors' presuppositions about what Plato meant informed Plotinus' own strong moral purpose... New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Plotinus currently available. `No prior knowledge of Greek philosophy or language is necessary; the presentation is organized into thematic chapters that give the student an excellent overview of Plotinus' way of thinking; further reading is then suggested, with a substantial bibliography.' The Journal of Indo-European Studies `a great success. To write a general introduction to this most difficult of Greek philosophers is no easy task ... O'Meara's book is a valuable addition to the existent literature.' Kieran McGroarty, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, in Hermathena, no 164, Summer 1998