the six enneads-第26章

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　actualizations；　simply　because　eternally　and　of　themselves　they　possess　all　that　is　necessary　to　their　completion。　　　　　This　applies　equally　to　the　Soul；　not　to　that　in　Matter　but　to　that　in　the　Intellectual　Sphere；　and　even　that　in　Matter；　the　Soul　of　Growth；　is　an　actualization　in　its　difference；　it　possesses　actually　＇and　not；　like　material　things；　merely　in　image＇　the　Being　that　belongs　to　it。　　　　　Then；　everything；　in　the　intellectual　is　in　actualization　and　so　all　There　is　Actuality？　　　　　Why　not？　If　that　Nature　is　rightly　said　to　be　〃Sleepless；〃　and　to　be　Life　and　the　noblest　mode　of　Life；　the　noblest　Activities　must　be　there；　all　then　is　actualization　there；　everything　is　an　Actuality；　for　everything　is　a　Life；　and　all　Place　there　is　the　Place　of　Life；　in　the　true　sense　the　ground　and　spring　of　Soul　and　of　the　Intellectual　Principle。　　　　　4。　Now；　in　general　anything　that　has　a　potentiality　is　actually　something　else；　and　this　potentiality　of　the　future　mode　of　being　is　an　existing　mode。　　　　　But　what　we　think　of　as　Matter；　what　we　assert　to　be　the　potentiality　of　all　things；　cannot　be　said　to　be　actually　any　one　being　among　beings：　if　it　were　of　itself　any　definite　being；　it　could　not　be　potentially　all。　　　　　If；　then；　it　is　not　among　existences；　it　must　necessarily　be　without　existence。　　　　　How；　therefore；　can　it　be　actually　anything？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　while　Matter　can　not　be　any　of　the　things　which　are　founded　upon　it；　it　may　quite　well　be　something　else；　admitting　that　all　existences　are　not　rooted　in　Matter。　　　　　But　once　more；　if　it　is　excluded　from　the　entities　founded　upon　it　and　all　these　are　Beings；　it　must　itself　be　a　Non…Being。　　　　　It　is；　further；　by　definition；　formless　and　therefore　not　an　Idea：　it　cannot　then　be　classed　among　things　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　and　so　is；　once　more；　a　Non…Being。　Falling；　as　regards　both　worlds；　under　Non…Being；　it　is　all　the　more　decidedly　the　Non…Being。　　　　　It　has　eluded　the　Nature　of　the　Authentic　Existences；　it　has　even　failed　to　come　up　with　the　things　to　which　a　spurious　existence　can　be　attributed…　for　it　is　not　even　a　phantasm　of　Reason　as　these　are…　how　is　it　possible　to　include　it　under　any　mode　of　Being？　　　　　And　if　it　falls　under　no　mode　of　Being；　what　can　it　actually　be？　　　　　5。　How　can　we　talk　of　it？　How　can　it　be　the　Matter　of　real　things？　　　　　It　is　talked　of；　and　it　serves；　precisely；　as　a　Potentiality。　　　　　And；　as　being　a　Potentiality；　it　is　not　of　the　order　of　the　thing　it　is　to　become：　its　existence　is　no　more　than　an　announcement　of　a　future；　as　it　were　a　thrust　forward　to　what　is　to　come　into　existence。　　　　　As　Potentiality　then；　it　is　not　any　definite　thing　but　the　potentiality　of　everything：　being　nothing　in　itself…　beyond　what　being　Matter　amounts　to…　it　is　not　in　actualization。　For　if　it　were　actually　something；　that　actualized　something　would　not　be　Matter；　or　at　least　not　Matter　out　and　out；　but　merely　Matter　in　the　limited　sense　in　which　bronze　is　the　matter　of　the　statue。　　　　　And　its　Non…Being　must　be　no　mere　difference　from　Being。　　　　　Motion；　for　example；　is　different　from　Being；　but　plays　about　it；　springing　from　it　and　living　within　it：　Matter　is；　so　to　speak；　the　outcast　of　Being；　it　is　utterly　removed；　irredeemably　what　it　was　from　the　beginning：　in　origin　it　was　Non…Being　and　so　it　remains。　　　　　Nor　are　we　to　imagine　that；　standing　away　at　the　very　beginning　from　the　universal　circle　of　Beings；　it　was　thus　necessarily　an　active　Something　or　that　it　became　a　Something。　It　has　never　been　able　to　annex　for　itself　even　a　visible　outline　from　all　the　forms　under　which　it　has　sought　to　creep：　it　has　always　pursued　something　other　than　itself；　it　was　never　more　than　a　Potentiality　towards　its　next：　where　all　the　circle　of　Being　ends；　there　only　is　it　manifest；　discerned　underneath　things　produced　after　it；　it　is　remoter　＇from　Real…Being＇　even　than　they。　　　　　Grasped；　then；　as　an　underlie　in　each　order　of　Being；　it　can　be　no　actualization　of　either：　all　that　is　allowed　to　it　is　to　be　a　Potentiality；　a　weak　and　blurred　phantasm；　a　thing　incapable　of　a　Shape　of　its　own。　　　　　Its　actuality　is　that　of　being　a　phantasm；　the　actuality　of　being　a　falsity；　and　the　false　in　actualization　is　the　veritably　false；　which　again　is　Authentic　Non…Existence。　　　　　So　that　Matter；　as　the　Actualization　of　Non…Being；　is　all　the　more　decidedly　Non…Being；　is　Authentic　Non…Existence。　　　　　Thus；　since　the　very　reality　of　its　Nature　is　situated　in　Non…Being；　it　is　in　no　degree　the　Actualization　of　any　definite　Being。　　　　　If　it　is　to　be　present　at　all；　it　cannot　be　an　Actualization；　for　then　it　would　not　be　the　stray　from　Authentic　Being　which　it　is；　the　thing　having　its　Being　in　Non…Beingness：　for；　note；　in　the　case　of　things　whose　Being　is　a　falsity；　to　take　away　the　falsity　is　to　take　away　what　Being　they　have；　and　if　we　introduce　actualization　into　things　whose　Being　and　Essence　is　Potentiality；　we　destroy　the　foundation　of　their　nature　since　their　Being　is　Potentiality。　　　　　If　Matter　is　to　be　kept　as　the　unchanging　substratum；　we　must　keep　it　as　Matter：　that　means…　does　it　not？…　that　we　must　define　it　as　a　Potentiality　and　nothing　more…　or　refute　these　considerations。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SIXTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　QUALITY　AND　FORM…IDEA。

　　　　1。　Are　not　Being　and　Reality　（to　on　and　he　ousia）　distinct；　must　we　not　envisage　Being　as　the　substance　stripped　of　all　else；　while　Reality　is　this　same　thing；　Being；　accompanied　by　the　others…　Movement；　Rest；　Identity；　Difference…　so　that　these　are　the　specific　constituents　of　Reality？　　　　　The　universal　fabric；　then；　is　Reality　in　which　Being；　Movement；　and　so　on　are　separate　constituents。　　　　　Now　Movement　has　Being　as　an　accident　and　therefore　should　have　Reality　as　an　accident；　or　is　it　something　serving　to　the　completion　of　Reality？　　　　　No：　Movement　is　a　Reality；　everything　in　the　Supreme　is　a　Reality。　　　　　Why；　then；　does　not　Reality　reside；　equally；　in　this　sphere？　　　　　In　the　Supreme　there　is　Reality　because　all　things　are　one；　ours　is　the　sphere　of　images　whose　separation　produces　grades　of　difference。　Thus　in　the　spermatic　unity　all　the　human　members　are　present　undistinguishably；　there　is　no　separation　of　head　and　hand：　their　distinct　existence　begins　in　the　life　here；　whose　content　is　image；　not　Authentic　Existence。　　　　　And　are　the　distinct　Qualities　in　the　Authentic　Realm　to　be　explained　in　the　same　way？　Are　they　differing　Realities　centred　in　one　Reality　or　gathered　round　Being…　differences　which　constitute　Realities　distinct　from　each　other　within　the　common　fact　of　Reality？　　　　　This　is　sound　enough；　but　it　does　not　apply　to　all　the　qualities　of　this　sphere；　some　of　which；　no　doubt；　are　differentiations　of　Reality…　such　as　the　quality　of　two…footedness　or　four…footedness…　but　others　are　not　such　differentiations　of　Reality　and；　because　they　are　not　so；　must　be　called　qualities　and　nothing　more。　　　　　On　the　other　hand；　one　and　the　same　thing　may　be　sometimes　a　differentiation　of　Reality　and　sometimes　not…　a　differentiation　when　it　is　a　constitutive　element；　and　no　differentiation　in　some　other　thing；　where　it　is　not　a　constitutive　element　but　an　accidental。　The　distinction　may　be　seen　in　the　＇constitutive＇　whiteness　of　a　swan　or　of　ceruse　and　the　whiteness　which　in　a　man　is　an　accidental。　　　　　Where　whiteness　belongs　to　the　very　Reason…Form　of　the　thing　it　is　a　constitutive　element　and　not　a　quality；　where　it　is　a　superficial　appearance　it　is　a　quality。　　　　　In　other　words；　qualification　may　be　distinguished。　We　may　think　of　a　qualification　that　is　of　the　very　substance　of　the　thing；　something　exclusively　belonging　to　it。　And　there　is　a　qualifying　that　is　nothing　more；　＇not　constituting　but　simply＇　giving　some　particular　character　to　the　real　thing；　in　this　second　case　the　qualification　does　not　produce　any　alteration　towards　Reality　or　away　from　it；　the　Reality　has　existed　fully　constituted　before　the　incoming　of　the　qualification　which…　whether　in　soul　or　body…　merely　introduces　some　state　from　outside；　and　by　this　addition　elaborates　the　Reality　into　the　particular　thing。　　　　　But　what　if　＇the　superficial　appearance　such　as＇　the　visible　whiteness　in　ceruse　is　constitutive？　In　the　swan　the　whiteness　is　not　constitutive　since　a　swan　need　not　be　white：　it　is　constitutive　in　ceruse；　just　as　warmth　is　constitutive　of　the　Reality；　fire。　　　　　No　doubt　we　may　be　told　that　the　Reality　in　fire　is　＇not　warmth　but＇　fieriness　and　in　ceruse　an　analogous　abstraction：　yet　the　fact　remains　that　in　visible　fire　warmth　or　fieriness　is　constitutive　and　in　the　ceruse　whiteness。　　　　　Thus　the　same　entities　are　represented　at　once　as　being　not　qualities　but　constituents　of　Reality　and　not　constituents　but　qualities。　　　　　Now　it　is　absurd　to　talk　as　if　one　identical　thing　changed　its　own　nature　according　to　whether　it　is　present　as　a　constituent　or　as　an　accidental。　　　　　The　truth　is　that　while　the　Reason…Principles　producing　these　entities　contain　nothing　but　what　is　of　the　nature　of　Reality；　yet　only　in　the　Intellectual　Realm　do　the　produced　things　possess　real　existence：　here　they　are　not　real；　they　are　qualified。　　　　　And　this　is　the　starting…point　of　an　error　we　constantly　make：　in　our　enquiries　into　things　we　let　realities　escape　us　and　fasten　on　what　is　mere　quality。　Thus　fire　is　not　the　thing　we　so　name　from　the　observation　of　certain　qualities　present；　fire　is　a　Reality　＇not　a　combination　of　material　phenomena＇；　the　phenomena　observed　here　and　leading　us　to　name　fire　call　us　away　from　the　authentic　thing；　a　quality　is　erected　into　the　very　matter　of　definition…　a　procedure；　however；　reasonable　enough　in　regard　to　things　of　the　realm　of　sense　which　are　in　no　case　realities　but　accidents　of　Reality。　　　　　And　this　raises　the　question　how　Reality　can　ever　spring　from　what　are　not　Realities。　　　　　It　has　been　shown　that　a　thing　coming　into　being　cannot　be　identical　with　its　origins：　it　must　here　be　added　that　nothing　thus　coming　into　being　＇no　〃thing　of　process〃＇　can　be　a　Reality。　　　　　Then　how　do　we　assert　the　rising　in　the　Supreme　of　what　we　have　called　Reality　from　what　is　not　Reality　＇i。e。；　from　the　pure　Being　which　is　above　Reality＇？　　　　　The　Reality　there…　possessing　Authentic　Being　in　the　strictest　sense；　with　the　least　admixture…　is　Reality　by　existing　among　the　differentiations　of　the　Authentic　Being；　or；　better；　Reality　is　affirmed　in　the　sense　that　with　the　existence　of　the　Supreme　is　included　its　Act　so　that　Reality　seems　to　be　a　perfectionment　of　the　Authentic　Being；　though　in　the　truth　it　is　a　diminution；　the　produced　thing　is　deficient　by　the　very　addition；　by　being　less　simplex；　by　standing　one　step　away　from　the　Authentic。　　　　　2。　But　we　must　enquire　into　Quality　in　itself：　to　know　its　nature　is　certainly　the　way　to　settle　our　general　question。　　　　　The　first　point　is　to　assure　ourselves　whether　or　not　one　and　the　same　thing　may　be　held　to　be　sometimes　a　mere　qualification　and　sometimes　a　constituent　of　Reality…　not　staying　on　the　point　that　qualification　could　not　be　constitutive　of　a　Reality　but　of　a　qualified　Reality　only。　　　　　Now　in　a　Reality　possessing　a　determined　quality；　the　Reality　and　the　fact　of　existence　precede　the　qualified　Reality。　　　　　What；　then；　in　the　case　of　fire　is　the　Reality　which　precedes　the　qualified　Reality？　　　　　Its　mere