Die providentielle sorge der seele um den körper bei plotin

The aim of this paper is to elucidate the relationship between soul and body in Plotinus in the light of his teleology of nature, in which his conception of providence plays a crucial role. Particular attention is paid to Plotinus' attempt to dismantle traditional mythical, often anthropomorphic, notions of providence. This demythologization of providence is embedded in a general strategy which can be described as a "naturalization of providence". As a first step, I outline the providential care of the soul for the body, in which the teleological framework emerges. It is then shown how the traditional, especially Platonic, views of "divine" providence are to be naturalized in Plotinus' concept of the "law of nature". On this basis, I finally suggest that in Plotinus "human" providence, expressed in the soul's care of the body, is a case of "natural" providence.