The philosopher Plotinus took philosophy of Plato a stage further with the concept of the One made more clearly defined. Plotinus thinking suggested that the soul or spirit returned to the One whilst other schools of thought such as that of Phaedo suggested alternative afterlifes in which people could be re-incarnated and exist in a rewarding or punishment arena dependent on whether they followed the correct life course as directed by the One. Neoplatonists were opposed to the dualistic interpretations of Plato's concepts and developed Neoplatonistic teachings as a consequence. Dualism is a concept that suggests two contrasting areas of reality exist for example the mind could be viewed as non-physical because thoughts are non-physical while the body comprised flesh and bone and existed solely in the physical plain.

Neoplatonist teachings suggest the existence of an all powerful and transcendant One - the One, which equated to the centre of the universe, with everything else being of lesser significance. In addition Neoplatonist teachings went further with the space between the One and humanity practically littered with an assortment of lesser gods, angels and demons. However Neoplatonist teachings did believe that human happiness could be attained in this world rather than just being a reserve of the afterlife. How to achieve happiness in this world rested on the individual and their ability to contemplate the philosophical aspects of existence.

Somewhat surprisingly Neoplatonist teachings did not subscribe to the existence of an independent evil. Neoplatonists believed that evil reflected a lack of something, such as when the Sun goes down so the darkness takes over, but not for any reason other than a lack of sunshine. Therefore when an individual could be said to have behaved in an evil manner it is through their lack, generally of appreciation of what they are doing rather than because they recognize good from bad and opt to do what is bad.

In regard to the One, Neoplatonist teachings suggest that this entity is where everyone eventually returns because it is the source of life and therefore possesses an eternal link to each of us. The Source also provides our sub-conscious with thoughts that maintain an obscure appreciation of our future and our eventual return to the source. In addition upon our return to the source all conscious memory is washed away in order that no recollection of events that occurred during a single lifetime is stored.

The Neoplatonist teachings attempted to identify the interaction that occurs between the physical and spiritual dimensions, recognizing that one did exist. Insofar as recognition of an afterlife is a first step towards the development of a concept that encapsulates some of the numerous activities occurring in the universe that are ultimately reflected on Planet Earth, the Neoplatonists were successful. However their notion that evil was simply a lacking of some other element suggests that evil itself is lacking in something. Yet this suggestion appears to ignore the power of evil whilst recognizing the power of good which equates to an imbalance between the two.