IPT Talk Series 2025-26

Gabriel Martino

(CONICET, UBA, USAL, IPT)

14 November 2025, 19:00 to 20:00 (Athens Time, GMT+2) – Online (MS Teams)

In Potency and in Actuality:
A Discussion of Dialectical and Psychological Aspects of Plotinus’ Philosophy of Mind

Plotinus is arguably the most influential philosopher of Late Antiquity, and one of his greatest contributions lies in the field of the philosophy of mind. This dimension of his thought is both innovative and deeply rooted in the achievements and aporiai of his predecessors. In this talk, we examine the human intellective faculty in Plotinus’ philosophy, focusing on how he develops the concept of the undescended soul as a response to problems previously posed within the Platonic tradition. In particular, we contrast his views with those found in the Didaskalikos of Alcinous, an early attempt to systematize Plato’s thought with a distinctly Aristotelian imprint.

Alcinous’ Didaskalikos presents two conflicting Platonic models regarding the soul’s relationship with the intelligible: one presupposes direct contemplation of the Ideas prior to embodiment, while the other appears to permit an ascent to the Good even while the soul is embodied. Plotinus, in turn, proposes a reconciliatory and innovative solution through his doctrine of the undescended soul, which involves an inward turn, not toward individual subjectivity, but toward a shared and stable truth. Through this inward movement, the human soul gains access to the universal Intelligence (nous), which is identical in all and common to everyone. Plotinus’ approach seeks to resolve a major interpretative tension within (Middle) Platonism, while also rejecting the exclusivist soteriology of contemporary religious movements. Although it establishes an epistemological framework fully consistent with his metaphysical and psychological doctrines, it challenges earlier understandings of Plato and would later be questioned by his successors.

Gabriel Martino holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2021, he was awarded a Fulbright Visiting Scholar grant to conduct postdoctoral research at Rutgers University, USA. Since 2024, he has been a Visiting Research Associate at the Institute of Philosophy and Technology in Athens, Greece. He is currently working as an associate researcher at CONICET and teaches Sanskrit, Greek, and Ancient Philosophy at the university level. Martino has published several books, articles, and book reviews on Indian, Greek and comparative philosophy and religion.

Academia.edu page: https://conicet-ar.academia.edu/GabrielMartino

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