Self and selfishness in Late Antiquity: Plotinus on oikeiosis

Plotinus' understanding of self is formulated largely in dialogue with the Stoics. In early works he categorically rejects the Stoic notion of the hegemonikon ('leading part' or 'commanding faculty') of the soul. In this paper, I show how, in light of a general dissatisfaction with the Stoic account of self articulated in his early work, Plotinus deals with the Stoic notion of oikeiosis ('appropriation'). I argue that Plotinus' understanding of oikeiosis develops across the period during which he uses it. In his middle writings, Plotinus engages with Stoic oikeiosis by exploring how it functions in contexts related to selfhood. In his later writings, he shows, on the one hand, how the concept of oikeiosis can be Platonized, such as to account for the relation of the self to the Good, and, on the other, how the Stoic understanding of oikeiosis is untenable for many of the same reasons that he rejects the Stoic notion of the hegemonikon. Ultimately, Plotinus thinks that Stoic understandings of the hegemonikon and oikeiosis are untenable because they lead to something that could be characterized as 'selfishness'.

Automated summary

The author examines Plotinus' development of self-understanding by critiquing the Stoic concepts. In his early works, Plotinus rejects the Stoic notion of the hegemonikon of the soul. However, he later engages with the Stoic concept of oikeiosis, exploring its function in relation to selfhood. Ultimately, Plotinus argues that both the Stoic understanding of the hegemonikon and oikeiosis are untenable, as they lead to selfishness.