“The One Before the One” in Plato, Dionysius the Areopagite, and Damascius: The Journey to the Ineffable One

The reason I chose this particular theme is because I considered that Plotinus’ One cannot fully satisfy the demand for an ultimate principle. This becomes evident when we study the Areopagite and even more so Damascius, whose notion of the ultimate principle refers to a metaphysical source that precedes the Neoplatonic One. The selection of these three philosophers was based on the following rationale: Firstly, Plato is the founder of the concept of the One. Then comes Dionysius, who speaks of the supra-essential One and connects it with God. Finally, I turn to Damascius, who almost explicitly states that there exists an ineffable reality that precedes the One and is the ineffable One. This endeavor unfolds through a reasoning process developed in three escalating stages, as follows: Initially, in Plato, we encounter the “One that is not one”, which corresponds to light. Next, in Dionysius the Areopagite, we encounter the “supra-essential One”, which corresponds to the invisible light (the place where we can only stand, but cannot see). Finally, in Damascius, we encounter the “ineffable, inexpressible One”, which is not even invisible. In Damascius, what makes this “One before the One” unique is not that we do not know it because, by nature, it is, e.g., invisible, but because it does not allow us to know the reason why we do not know it. Through the connection of these three philosophers, I will aim to demonstrate that this “one” possesses a self-referential existence, establishing its superiority in relation to the One of Plotinus. In the final analysis, the article aims to connect the concept of the supreme principle as God, in relation to this highly apophatic One. Therefore, I will develop the reasoning according to which this “One before the One” can exist.