the six enneads-第12章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


her；　its　act　be　directed　towards　the　Best；　the　achievement　is　not　merely　the　〃Soul's　good〃　but　〃The　Good〃　without　qualification。　　　　　Now；　given　an　Existent　which…　as　being　itself　the　best　of　existences　and　even　transcending　the　existences…　directs　its　Act　towards　no　other；　but　is　the　object　to　which　the　Act　of　all　else　is　directed；　it　is　clear　that　this　must　be　at　once　the　Good　and　the　means　through　which　all　else　may　participate　in　Good。　　　　　This　Absolute　Good　other　entities　may　possess　in　two　ways…　by　becoming　like　to　It　and　by　directing　the　Act　of　their　being　towards　It。　　　　　Now；　if　all　aspiration　and　Act　whatsoever　are　directed　towards　the　Good；　it　follows　that　the　Essential…Good　neither　need　nor　can　look　outside　itself　or　aspire　to　anything　other　than　itself：　it　can　but　remain　unmoved；　as　being；　in　the　constitution　of　things；　the　wellspring　and　firstcause　of　all　Act：　whatsoever　in　other　entities　is　of　the　nature　of　Good　cannot　be　due　to　any　Act　of　the　Essential…Good　upon　them；　it　is　for　them　on　the　contrary　to　act　towards　their　source　and　cause。　The　Good　must；　then；　be　the　Good　not　by　any　Act；　not　even　by　virtue　of　its　Intellection；　but　by　its　very　rest　within　Itself。　　　　　Existing　beyond　and　above　Being；　it　must　be　beyond　and　above　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　all　Intellection。　　　　　For；　again；　that　only　can　be　named　the　Good　to　which　all　is　bound　and　itself　to　none：　for　only　thus　is　it　veritably　the　object　of　all　aspiration。　It　must　be　unmoved；　while　all　circles　around　it；　as　a　circumference　around　a　centre　from　which　all　the　radii　proceed。　Another　example　would　be　the　sun；　central　to　the　light　which　streams　from　it　and　is　yet　linked　to　it；　or　at　least　is　always　about　it；　irremoveably；　try　all　you　will　to　separate　the　light　from　the　sun；　or　the　sun　from　its　light；　for　ever　the　light　is　in　the　sun。　　　　　2。　But　the　Universe　outside；　how　is　it　aligned　towards　the　Good？　　　　　The　soulless　by　direction　toward　Soul：　Soul　towards　the　Good　itself；　through　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　Everything　has　something　of　the　Good；　by　virtue　of　possessing　a　certain　degree　of　unity　and　a　certain　degree　of　Existence　and　by　participation　in　Ideal…Form：　to　the　extent　of　the　Unity；　Being；　and　Form　which　are　present；　there　is　a　sharing　in　an　image；　for　the　Unity　and　Existence　in　which　there　is　participation　are　no　more　than　images　of　the　Ideal…Form。　　　　　With　Soul　it　is　different；　the　First…Soul；　that　which　follows　upon　the　Intellectual…Principle；　possesses　a　life　nearer　to　the　Verity　and　through　that　Principle　is　of　the　nature　of　good；　it　will　actually　possess　the　Good　if　it　orientate　itself　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　since　this　follows　immediately　upon　the　Good。　　　　　In　sum；　then；　life　is　the　Good　to　the　living；　and　the　Intellectual…Principle　to　what　is　intellective；　so　that　where　there　is　life　with　intellection　there　is　a　double　contact　with　the　Good。　　　　　3。　But　if　life　is　a　good；　is　there　good　for　all　that　lives？　　　　　No：　in　the　vile；　life　limps：　it　is　like　the　eye　to　the　dim…sighted；　it　fails　of　its　task。　　　　　But　if　the　mingled　strand　of　life　is　to　us；　though　entwined　with　evil；　still　in　the　total　a　good；　must　not　death　be　an　evil？　　　　　Evil　to　What？　There　must　be　a　subject　for　the　evil：　but　if　the　possible　subject　is　no　longer　among　beings；　or；　still　among　beings；　is　devoid　of　life。。。　why；　a　stone　is　not　more　immune。　　　　　If；　on　the　contrary；　after　death　life　and　soul　continue；　then　death　will　be　no　evil　but　a　good；　Soul；　disembodied；　is　the　freer　to　ply　its　own　Act。　　　　　If　it　be　taken　into　the　All…Soul…　what　evil　can　reach　it　There？　And　as　the　Gods　are　possessed　of　Good　and　untouched　by　evil…　so；　certainly　is　the　Soul　that　has　preserved　its　essential　character。　And　if　it　should　lose　its　purity；　the　evil　it　experiences　is　not　in　its　death　but　in　its　life。　Suppose　it　to　be　under　punishment　in　the　lower　world；　even　there　the　evil　thing　is　its　life　and　not　its　death；　the　misfortune　is　still　life；　a　life　of　a　definite　character。　　　　　Life　is　a　partnership　of　a　Soul　and　body；　death　is　the　dissolution；　in　either　life　or　death；　then；　the　Soul　will　feel　itself　at　home。　　　　　But；　again；　if　life　is　good；　how　can　death　be　anything　but　evil？　　　　　Remember　that　the　good　of　life；　where　it　has　any　good　at　all；　is　not　due　to　anything　in　the　partnership　but　to　the　repelling　of　evil　by　virtue；　death；　then；　must　be　the　greater　good。　　　　　In　a　word；　life　in　the　body　is　of　itself　an　evil　but　the　Soul　enters　its　Good　through　Virtue；　not　living　the　life　of　the　Couplement　but　holding　itself　apart；　even　here。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　EIGHTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　THE　NATURE　AND　SOURCE　OF　EVIL。

　　　　1。　Those　enquiring　whence　Evil　enters　into　beings；　or　rather　into　a　certain　order　of　beings；　would　be　making　the　best　beginning　if　they　established；　first　of　all；　what　precisely　Evil　is；　what　constitutes　its　Nature。　At　once　we　should　know　whence　it　comes；　where　it　has　its　native　seat　and　where　it　is　present　merely　as　an　accident；　and　there　would　be　no　further　question　as　to　whether　it　has　Authentic…Existence。　　　　　But　a　difficulty　arises。　By　what　faculty　in　us　could　we　possibly　know　Evil？　　　　　All　knowing　comes　by　likeness。　The　Intellectual…Principle　and　the　Soul；　being　Ideal…Forms；　would　know　Ideal…Forms　and　would　have　a　natural　tendency　towards　them；　but　who　could　imagine　Evil　to　be　an　Ideal…Form；　seeing　that　it　manifests　itself　as　the　very　absence　of　Good？　　　　　If　the　solution　is　that　the　one　act　of　knowing　covers　contraries；　and　that　as　Evil　is　the　contrary　to　Good　the　one　act　would　grasp　Good　and　Evil　together；　then　to　know　Evil　there　must　be　first　a　clear　perception　and　understanding　of　Good；　since　the　nobler　existences　precede　the　baser　and　are　Ideal…Forms　while　the　less　good　hold　no　such　standing；　are　nearer　to　Non…Being。　　　　　No　doubt　there　is　a　question　in　what　precise　way　Good　is　contrary　to　Evil…　whether　it　is　as　First…Principle　to　last　of　things　or　as　Ideal…Form　to　utter　Lack：　but　this　subject　we　postpone。　　　　　2。　For　the　moment　let　us　define　the　nature　of　the　Good　as　far　as　the　immediate　purpose　demands。　　　　　The　Good　is　that　on　which　all　else　depends；　towards　which　all　Existences　aspire　as　to　their　source　and　their　need；　while　Itself　is　without　need；　sufficient　to　Itself；　aspiring　to　no　other；　the　measure　and　Term　of　all；　giving　out　from　itself　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　Existence　and　Soul　and　Life　and　all　Intellective…Act。　　　　　All　until　The　Good　is　reached　is　beautiful；　The　Good　is　beyond…beautiful；　beyond　the　Highest；　holding　kingly　state　in　the　Intellectual…Kosmos；　that　sphere　constituted　by　a　Principle　wholly　unlike　what　is　known　as　Intelligence　in　us。　Our　intelligence　is　nourished　on　the　propositions　of　logic；　is　skilled　in　following　discussions；　works　by　reasonings；　examines　links　of　demonstration；　and　comes　to　know　the　world　of　Being　also　by　the　steps　of　logical　process；　having　no　prior　grasp　of　Reality　but　remaining　empty；　all　Intelligence　though　it　be；　until　it　has　put　itself　to　school。　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　we　are　discussing　is　not　of　such　a　kind：　It　possesses　all：　It　is　all：　It　is　present　to　all　by　Its　self…presence：　It　has　all　by　other　means　than　having；　for　what　It　possesses　is　still　Itself；　nor　does　any　particular　of　all　within　It　stand　apart；　for　every　such　particular　is　the　whole　and　in　all　respects　all；　while　yet　not　confused　in　the　mass　but　still　distinct；　apart　to　the　extent　that　any　participant　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　participates　not　in　the　entire　as　one　thing　but　in　whatsoever　lies　within　its　own　reach。　　　　　And　the　First　Act　is　the　Act　of　The　Good　stationary　within　Itself；　and　the　First　Existence　is　the　self…contained　Existence　of　The　Good；　but　there　is　also　an　Act　upon　It；　that　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　which；　as　it　were；　lives　about　It。　　　　　And　the　Soul；　outside；　circles　around　the　Intellectual…Principle；　and　by　gazing　upon　it；　seeing　into　the　depths　of　It；　through　It　sees　God。　　　　　Such　is　the　untroubled；　the　blissful；　life　of　divine　beings；　and　Evil　has　no　place　in　it；　if　this　were　all；　there　would　be　no　Evil　but　Good　only；　the　first；　the　second　and　the　third　Good。　All；　thus　far；　is　with　the　King　of　All；　unfailing　Cause　of　Good　and　Beauty　and　controller　of　all；　and　what　is　Good　in　the　second　degree　depends　upon　the　Second…Principle　and　tertiary　Good　upon　the　Third。　　　　　3。　If　such　be　the　Nature　of　Beings　and　of　That　which　transcends　all　the　realm　of　Being；　Evil　cannot　have　place　among　Beings　or　in　the　Beyond…Being；　these　are　good。　　　　　There　remains；　only；　if　Evil　exist　at　all；　that　it　be　situate　in　the　realm　of　Non…Being；　that　it　be　some　mode；　as　it　were；　of　the　Non…Being；　that　it　have　its　seat　in　something　in　touch　with　Non…Being　or　to　a　certain　degree　communicate　in　Non…Being。　　　　　By　this　Non…Being；　of　course；　we　are　not　to　understand　something　that　simply　does　not　exist；　but　only　something　of　an　utterly　different　order　from　Authentic…Being：　there　is　no　question　here　of　movement　or　position　with　regard　to　Being；　the　Non…Being　we　are　thinking　of　is；　rather；　an　image　of　Being　or　perhaps　something　still　further　removed　than　even　an　image。　　　　　Now　this　＇the　required　faint　image　of　Being＇　might　be　the　sensible　universe　with　all　the　impressions　it　engenders；　or　it　might　be　something　of　even　later　derivation；　accidental　to　the　realm　of　sense；　or　again；　it　might　be　the　source　of　the　sense…world　or　something　of　the　same　order　entering　into　it　to　complete　it。　　　　　Some　conception　of　it　would　be　reached　by　thinking　of　measurelessness　as　opposed　to　measure；　of　the　unbounded　against　bound；　the　unshaped　against　a　principle　of　shape；　the　ever…needy　against　the　self…sufficing：　think　of　the　ever…undefined；　the　never　at　rest；　the　all…accepting　but　never　sated；　utter　dearth；　and　make　all　this　character　not　mere　accident　in　it　but　its　equivalent　for　essential…being；　so　that；　whatsoever　fragment　of　it　be　taken；　that　part　is　all　lawless　void；　while　whatever　participates　in　it　and　resembles　it　becomes　evil；　though　not　of　course　to　the　point　of　being；　as　itself　is；　Evil…Absolute。　　　　　In　what　substantial…form　＇hypostasis＇　then　is　all　this　to　be　found…　not　as　accident　but　as　the　very　substance　itself？　　　　　For　if　Evil　can　enter　into　other　things；　it　must　have　in　a　certain　sense　a　prior　existence；　even　though　it　may　not　be　an　essence。　As　there　is　Good；　the　Absolute；　as　well　as　Good；　the　quality；　so；　together　with　the　derived　evil　entering　into　something　not　itself；　there　must　be　the　Absolute　Evil。　　　　　But　how？　Can　there　be　Unmeasure　apart　from　an　unmeasured　object？　　　　　Does　not　Measure　exist　apart　from　unmeasured　things？　Precisely　as　there　is　Measure　apart　from　anything　measured；　so　there　is　Unmeasure　apart　from　the　unmeasured。　If　Unmeasure　could　not　exist　independently；　it　must　exist　either　in　an　unmeasured　object　or　in　something　measured；　but　the　unmeasured　could　not　need　Unmeasure　and　the　measured　could　not　contain　it。　　　　　There　must；　then；　be　some　Undetermination…Absolute；　some　Absolute　Formlessness；　all　the　qualities　cited　as　characterizing　the　Nature　of　Evil　must　be　summed　under　an　Absolute　Evil；　and　every　evil　thing　outside　of　this　must　either　contain　this　Absolute　by　saturation　or　have　taken　the　character　of　evil　and　become　a　cause　of　evil　by　consecration　to　this　Absolute。　　　　　What　will　this　be？　　　　　That　Kind　whose　place　is　below　all　the　pat