Augustine and Plotinus on the Matter of the corporeal World

This paper focuses on the question of Plotinus’ influence on Augustine’s conception of the matter of the corporeal world, in order to highlight not only the undeniable tangency points, but also the relevant theoretical differences between the two thinkers. The following topics will be covered: (1) the relationship between the concept of matter and the notions of form, privation, mass, and non-being; (2) the epistemological and ontological status of formless matter; and (3) its ethical and metaphysical implications