La polémica acerca de la generación del mundo en el tiempo: Plotino frente a sus predecesores

Abstract

In this paper we analyze some of the arguments Plotinus offers in his treatise II, 1 [On Heaven, 40 in chronological order] to defend the eternity of the world without implying, in his eyes, a departure from the teachings of Plato's Timaeus. We will focus on the objections Plotinus presents in the first chapter of his treatise to two arguments in favor of the eternity of the cosmos and we will try to show that, although we may find these two arguments in the Timaeus, the dialogue is not the aim of Plotinus's criticism. We argue that it is important to take into account the divergent views of Atticus and Aristotle in this regard, because they could contribute, first, to illuminate how Plotinus reelaborates the Platonic philosophy and, second, to highlight the metaphysical assumptions underlying his postulation of the eternity of the world