Plotinus on the Matter of Evil in Dialogue with the Gnostics

The purpose of the work "Plotinus on the Matter of Evil in Dialogue with the Gnostics” is to examine how the doctrine of Plotinus on matter and the origin of evil is revealed in a dialogue with the Gnostics. During the study, the historical and philosophical context of Plotinus’ work, the genesis of the problem of evil in ancient philosophy, is examined in detail. The main attention is paid to the search for a source of evil in Plato and Middle Platonists. The next part of the work is a detailed analysis of the Doctrine of Plotinus on the evil matter. In the final part we analyze Plotinus' objections to the Gnostics that are expressed in his treatise II.9 and compare his analysis with the aim of revealing the points of contact and differences between Neoplatonism and Gnosticism within the framework of our subject on the basis of the preceding analysis. Methodology of work is the analysis of philosophical texts and comparative analysis. The expected result is to clarify the genesis of evil as a philosophical concept in the philosophy of Plato and the Platonists, reconstruct the doctrine of matter and evil in Plotinus, establish moments of similarity and difference in the origin of evil among the Gnostics and Plotinus.