Możność i akt w Plotyńskiej koncepcji kontemplacji
Potency and Act in the Plotinian Concept of Contemplation

Summary/Abstract: The paper aims at presenting a coherent view of Plotinus’ concept of contemplation,based on a close reading of Enn. V 1,12. Most scholars believe that accordingto Plotinus the fallen human self still contemplates Intellect through its “unfallen”part, although this contemplation is somehow outside of our fallen awareness. Theidea that the Plotinian contemplation can be a sensu stricto unconscious activity ishighly controversial and the paper shows that a more plausible view is that in thefallen state contemplation of the spiritual realm is only potential and if it becomesactual, then it becomes fully conscious. However, the analysis of Enn. V 1,12 showsthat it is not “potential” in the Aristotelian sense (that is, not yet existent), but thatPlotinus develops an original idea of contemplation that is potential “from the sideof the subject”, and yet actual “from the side of the object”. This gives the Plotinianpotential contemplation an intermediary status between spiritual “sleep” and full“awakening”.

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