Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul

Navigating Two Worlds

This book addresses the mid-rank of the soul theme as it emerges in Plotinus and Augustine in the context of their respective interpretations of universal order. They both use the journey metaphor to describe the soul’s progress through the turbulent “sea” of earthly existence.

In this book, Joseph Torchia, OP, explores the mid-rank of the soul theme in Plotinus and Augustine with a special focus on its metaphysical, epistemological, and moral implications for each thinker’s intellectual outlooks. For both, human existence assumes the character of a prolonged journey—or, in the nautical imagery they both employ, an extended voyage. Augustine’s account incorporates theological significance, addressing the ontological difference between God and creatures. As a rational creature, the soul stands mid-way between God and corporeal natures and, in broader terms, between eternity and temporality. Plotinus and Augustine on the Mid-Rank of Soul: Navigating Two Worlds encompasses two parts: Part I addresses the significance that Plotinus attributes to the soul’s mid-rank within the broader context of his understanding of universal order, and Part II delineates Augustine’s interpretation of the intermediary status of the soul with an ongoing reference to his spiritual and intellectual peregrinatio, as recounted in the Confessions.