the six enneads-第57章

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　possess　something　not　present　to　it。　　　　　Very　good：　but　is　it　not　different　before　and　after　acquiring　the　memory？　　　　　Be　it　so；　but　it　has　suffered　no　change…　unless　we　are　to　think　of　the　mere　progress　from　latency　to　actuality　as　change…　nothing　has　been　introduced　into　the　mind；　it　has　simply　achieved　the　Act　dictated　by　its　nature。　　　　　It　is　universally　true　that　the　characteristic　Act　of　immaterial　entities　is　performed　without　any　change　in　them…　otherwise　they　would　at　last　be　worn　away…　theirs　is　the　Act　of　the　unmoving；　where　act　means　suffering　change；　there　is　Matter：　an　immaterial　Being　would　have　no　ground　of　permanence　if　its　very　Act　changed　it。　　　　　Thus　in　the　case　of　Sight；　the　seeing　faculty　is　in　act　but　the　material　organ　alone　suffers　change：　judgements　are　similar　to　visual　experiences。　　　　　But　how　explain　the　alternation　of　timidity　and　daring　in　the　initiative　faculty？　　　　　Timidity　would　come　by　the　failure　to　look　towards　the　Reason…Principle　or　by　looking　towards　some　inferior　phase　of　it　or　by　some　defect　in　the　organs　of　action…　some　lack　or　flaw　in　the　bodily　equipment…　or　by　outside　prevention　of　the　natural　act　or　by　the　mere　absence　of　adequate　stimulus：　boldness　would　arise　from　the　reverse　conditions：　neither　implies　any　change；　or　even　any　experience；　in　the　Soul。　　　　　So　with　the　faculty　of　desire：　what　we　call　loose　living　is　caused　by　its　acting　unaccompanied；　it　has　done　all　of　itself；　the　other　faculties；　whose　business　it　is　to　make　their　presence　felt　in　control　and　to　point　the　right　way；　have　lain　in　abeyance；　the　Seer　in　the　Soul　was　occupied　elsewhere；　for；　though　not　always　at　least　sometimes；　it　has　leisure　for　a　certain　degree　of　contemplation　of　other　concerns。　　　　　Often；　moreover；　the　vice　of　the　desiring　faculty　will　be　merely　some　ill　condition　of　the　body；　and　its　virtue；　bodily　soundness；　thus　there　would　again　be　no　question　of　anything　imported　into　the　Soul。　　　　　3。　But　how　do　we　explain　likings　and　aversions？　Sorrow；　too；　and　anger　and　pleasure；　desire　and　fear…　are　these　not　changes；　affectings；　present　and　stirring　within　the　Soul？　　　　　This　question　cannot　be　ignored。　To　deny　that　changes　take　place　and　are　intensely　felt　is　in　sharp　contradiction　to　obvious　facts。　But；　while　we　recognize　this；　we　must　make　very　sure　what　it　is　that　changes。　To　represent　the　Soul　or　Mind　as　being　the　seat　of　these　emotions　is　not　far　removed　from　making　it　blush　or　turn　pale；　it　is　to　forget　that　while　the　Soul　or　Mind　is　the　means；　the　effect　takes　place　in　the　distinct　organism；　the　animated　body。　　　　　At　the　idea　of　disgrace；　the　shame　is　in　the　Soul；　but　the　body　is　occupied　by　the　Soul…　not　to　trouble　about　words…　is；　at　any　rate；　close　to　it　and　very　different　from　soulless　matter；　and　so；　is　affected　in　the　blood；　mobile　in　its　nature。　Fear　begins　in　the　mind；　the　pallor　is　simply　the　withdrawal　of　the　blood　inwards。　So　in　pleasure；　the　elation　is　mental；　but　makes　itself　felt　in　the　body；　the　purely　mental　phase　has　not　reached　the　point　of　sensation：　the　same　is　true　of　pain。　So　desire　is　ignored　in　the　Soul　where　the　impulse　takes　its　rise；　what　comes　outward　thence；　the　Sensibility　knows。　　　　　When　we　speak　of　the　Soul　or　Mind　being　moved…　as　in　desire；　reasoning；　judging…　we　do　not　mean　that　it　is　driven　into　its　act；　these　movements　are　its　own　acts。　　　　　In　the　same　way　when　we　call　Life　a　movement　we　have　no　idea　of　a　changing　substance；　the　naturally　appropriate　act　of　each　member　of　the　living　thing　makes　up　the　Life；　which　is；　therefore；　not　a　shifting　thing。　　　　　To　bring　the　matter　to　the　point：　put　it　that　life；　tendency；　are　no　changements；　that　memories　are　not　forms　stamped　upon　the　mind；　that　notions　are　not　of　the　nature　of　impressions　on　sealing…wax；　we　thence　draw　the　general　conclusion　that　in　all　such　states　and　movements　the　Soul；　or　Mind；　is　unchanged　in　substance　and　in　essence；　that　virtue　and　vice　are　not　something　imported　into　the　Soul…　as　heat　and　cold；　blackness　or　whiteness　are　importations　into　body…　but　that；　in　all　this　relation；　matter　and　spirit　are　exactly　and　comprehensively　contraries。　　　　　4。　We　have；　however；　still　to　examine　what　is　called　the　affective　phase　of　the　Soul。　This　has；　no　doubt；　been　touched　upon　above　where　we　dealt　with　the　passions　in　general　as　grouped　about　the　initiative　phase　of　the　Soul　and　the　desiring　faculty　in　its　effort　to　shape　things　to　its　choice：　but　more　is　required；　we　must　begin　by　forming　a　clear　idea　of　what　is　meant　by　this　affective　faculty　of　the　Soul。　　　　　In　general　terms　it　means　the　centre　about　which　we　recognize　the　affections　to　be　grouped；　and　by　affections　we　mean　those　states　upon　which　follow　pleasure　and　pain。　　　　　Now　among　these　affections　we　must　distinguish。　Some　are　pivoted　upon　judgements；　thus；　a　Man　judging　his　death　to　be　at　hand　may　feel　fear；　foreseeing　some　fortunate　turn　of　events；　he　is　happy：　the　opinion　lies　in　one　sphere；　the　affection　is　stirred　in　another。　Sometimes　the　affections　take　the　lead　and　automatically　bring　in　the　notion　which　thus　becomes　present　to　the　appropriate　faculty：　but　as　we　have　explained；　an　act　of　opinion　does　not　introduce　any　change　into　the　Soul　or　Mind：　what　happens　is　that　from　the　notion　of　some　impending　evil　is　produced　the　quite　separate　thing；　fear；　and　this　fear；　in　turn；　becomes　known　in　that　part　of　the　Mind　which　is　said　under　such　circumstances　to　harbour　fear。　　　　　But　what　is　the　action　of　this　fear　upon　the　Mind？　　　　　The　general　answer　is　that　it　sets　up　trouble　and　confusion　before　an　evil　anticipated。　It　should；　however；　be　quite　clear　that　the　Soul　or　Mind　is　the　seat　of　all　imaginative　representation…　both　the　higher　representation　known　as　opinion　or　judgement　and　the　lower　representation　which　is　not　so　much　a　judgement　as　a　vague　notion　unattended　by　discrimination；　something　resembling　the　action　by　which；　as　is　believed；　the　〃Nature〃　of　common　speech　produces；　unconsciously；　the　objects　of　the　partial　sphere。　It　is　equally　certain　that　in　all　that　follows　upon　the　mental　act　or　state；　the　disturbance；　confined　to　the　body；　belongs　to　the　sense…order；　trembling；　pallor；　inability　to　speak；　have　obviously　nothing　to　do　with　the　spiritual　portion　of　the　being。　The　Soul；　in　fact；　would　have　to　be　described　as　corporeal　if　it　were　the　seat　of　such　symptoms：　besides；　in　that　case　the　trouble　would　not　even　reach　the　body　since　the　only　transmitting　principle；　oppressed　by　sensation；　jarred　out　of　itself；　would　be　inhibited。　　　　　None　the　less；　there　is　an　affective　phase　of　the　Soul　or　Mind　and　this　is　not　corporeal；　it　can　be；　only；　some　kind　of　Ideal…form。　　　　　Now　Matter　is　the　one　field　of　the　desiring　faculty；　as　of　the　principles　of　nutrition　growth　and　engendering；　which　are　root　and　spring　to　desire　and　to　every　other　affection　known　to　this　Ideal…form。　No　Ideal…form　can　be　the　victim　of　disturbance　or　be　in　any　way　affected：　it　remains　in　tranquillity；　only　the　Matter　associated　with　it　can　be　affected　by　any　state　or　experience　induced　by　the　movement　which　its　mere　presence　suffices　to　set　up。　Thus　the　vegetal　Principle　induces　vegetal　life　but　it　does　not；　itself；　pass　through　the　processes　of　vegetation；　it　gives　growth　but　it　does　not　grow；　in　no　movement　which　it　originates　is　it　moved　with　the　motion　it　induces；　it　is　in　perfect　repose；　or；　at　least；　its　movement；　really　its　act；　is　utterly　different　from　what　it　causes　elsewhere。　　　　　The　nature　of　an　Ideal…form　is　to　be；　of　itself；　an　activity；　it　operates　by　its　mere　presence：　it　is　as　if　Melody　itself　plucked　the　strings。　The　affective　phase　of　the　Soul　or　Mind　will　be　the　operative　cause　of　all　affection；　it　originates　the　movement　either　under　the　stimulus　of　some　sense…presentment　or　independently…　and　it　is　a　question　to　be　examined　whether　the　judgement　leading　to　the　movement　operates　from　above　or　not…　but　the　affective　phase　itself　remains　unmoved　like　Melody　dictating　music。　The　causes　originating　the　movement　may　be　likened　to　the　musician；　what　is　moved　is　like　the　strings　of　his　instrument；　and　once　more；　the　Melodic　Principle　itself　is　not　affected；　but　only　the　strings；　though；　however　much　the　musician　desired　it；　he　could　not　pluck　the　strings　except　under　dictation　from　the　principle　of　Melody。　　　　　5。　But　why　have　we　to　call　in　Philosophy　to　make　the　Soul　immune　if　it　is　thus　immune　from　the　beginning？　　　　　Because　representations　attack　it　at　what　we　call　the　affective　phase　and　cause　a　resulting　experience；　a　disturbance；　to　which　disturbance　is　joined　the　image　of　threatened　evil：　this　amounts　to　an　affection　and　Reason　seeks　to　extinguish　it；　to　ban　it　as　destructive　to　the　well…being　of　the　Soul　which　by　the　mere　absence　of　such　a　condition　is　immune；　the　one　possible　cause　of　affection　not　being　present。　　　　　Take　it　that　some　such　affections　have　engendered　appearances　presented　before　the　Soul　or　Mind　from　without　but　taken　＇for　practical　purposes＇　to　be　actual　experiences　within　it…　then　Philosophy's　task　is　like　that　of　a　man　who　wishes　to　throw　off　the　shapes　presented　in　dreams；　and　to　this　end　recalls　to　waking　condition　the　mind　that　is　breeding　them。　　　　　But　what　can　be　meant　by　the　purification　of　a　Soul　that　has　never　been　stained　and　by　the　s