Metaxy (, also used as ''metaxú'', 'between') is a concept originating in Platonic philosophy, developed by Neoplatonic philosophers such as

Plotinus Plotinus (; , ''Plōtînos''; – 270 CE) was a Greek Platonist philosopher, born and raised in Roman Egypt. Plotinus is regarded by modern scholarship as the founder of Neoplatonism. His teacher was the self-taught philosopher Ammonius ...

. Several philosophers in the twentieth-century repurposed the concept, such as

Eric Voegelin Eric Voegelin (born Erich Hermann Wilhelm Vögelin, ; January 3, 1901 – January 19, 1985) was a German-American political philosopher. He was born in Cologne, and educated in political science at the University of Vienna, where he became an ass ...

Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( ; ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic and political activist. Despite her short life, her ideas concerning religion, spirituality, and politics have remained widely influential in cont ...

, and William Desmond.

Neoplatonists Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common i ...

used the concept to express an

ontological Ontology is the philosophical study of being. It is traditionally understood as the subdiscipline of metaphysics focused on the most general features of reality. As one of the most fundamental concepts, being encompasses all of reality and every ...

placement of Man between the Gods and animals. Metaxy as used by Voegelin refers to the permanent place where man is in-between two poles of

existence Existence is the state of having being or reality in contrast to nonexistence and nonbeing. Existence is often contrasted with essence: the essence of an entity is its essential features or qualities, which can be understood even if one does ...

. One example is the infinite ''(

apeiron ''Apeiron'' (; ) is a Greek word meaning '(that which is) unlimited; boundless; infinite; indefinite' from ''a-'' 'without' and ''peirar'' 'end, limit; boundary', the Ionic Greek form of ''peras'' 'end, limit, boundary'. Origin of everything ...

'') and the finite (the divine mind or ''

nous ''Nous'' (, ), from , is a concept from classical philosophy, sometimes equated to intellect or intelligence, for the cognitive skill, faculty of the human mind necessary for understanding what is truth, true or reality, real. Alternative Eng ...

'') reality of existence. Another example is between the beginning of existence (''apeiron'') and the beyond existence ('' epekeina''). Voegelin defined metaxy as the connection of the mind or ''nous'' to the material world and the reverse of the material world's connection to the mind as "consciousness of being". Under Voegelin's definition it can also mean a form of perception in contrast to

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

; a template of the mind (or ''nous'') in contrast to the dynamic and unordered flow of experiential consciousness; or as a form of reflectiveness in-between two poles of experience (the finite and the infinite, or

immanent The doctrine or theory of immanence holds that the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. It is held by some philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, pantheist ...

and transcendent). Metaxy is man's connection to the material world as the ground of being. The concept is also used by

, who argued that

compassion Compassion is a social feeling that motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the physical, mental, or emotional pains of others and themselves. Compassion is sensitivity to the emotional aspects of the suffering of others. When based ...

must act in the area of metaxy. Athanasios Moulakis, ''Simone Weil and the Politics of Self-denial'', University of Missouri Press, 1998, p. 141. Metaxy is also a central concept in the thought of the contemporary Irish philosopher William Desmond. Desmond's trilogy of books on 'the between' in relation to ontology, ethics, and philosophy of religion develops what he calls 'metaxological' thought which places the in-between state of the human subject at the heart of metaphysical thinking.

References

Bibliography

*Navia, Luis E., Socrates, the man and his philosophy, pp. 30, 171. University Press of America . *Cooper, John M. & Hutchinson, D. S. (Eds.) (1997). Plato: Complete Works, Hackett Publishing Co., Inc. . *Micael P. Federici, Eric Voegelin The Restoration of Order (2002) ISI Books *Steel, Sean. (2014). The Pursuit of Wisdom and Happiness in Education: Historical Sources and Contemplative Practices. New York: SUNY Press. {{ISBN, 978-1-4384-5213-5

External links

Online text of SymposiumVoegelin, Dostoevsky and the Metaxy
Existentialist concepts