the six enneads-第5章

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he　first　degree　is　the　conversion　from　the　lower　life；　the　second…　held　by　those　that　have　already　made　their　way　to　the　sphere　of　the　Intelligibles；　have　set　as　it　were　a　footprint　there　but　must　still　advance　within　the　realm…　lasts　until　they　reach　the　extreme　hold　of　the　place；　the　Term　attained　when　the　topmost　peak　of　the　Intellectual　realm　is　won。　　　　　But　this　highest　degree　must　bide　its　time：　let　us　first　try　to　speak　of　the　initial　process　of　conversion。　　　　　We　must　begin　by　distinguishing　the　three　types。　Let　us　take　the　musician　first　and　indicate　his　temperamental　equipment　for　the　task。　　　　　The　musician　we　may　think　of　as　being　exceedingly　quick　to　beauty；　drawn　in　a　very　rapture　to　it：　somewhat　slow　to　stir　of　his　own　impulse；　he　answers　at　once　to　the　outer　stimulus：　as　the　timid　are　sensitive　to　noise　so　he　to　tones　and　the　beauty　they　convey；　all　that　offends　against　unison　or　harmony　in　melodies　and　rhythms　repels　him；　he　longs　for　measure　and　shapely　pattern。　　　　　This　natural　tendency　must　be　made　the　starting…point　to　such　a　man；　he　must　be　drawn　by　the　tone；　rhythm　and　design　in　things　of　sense：　he　must　learn　to　distinguish　the　material　forms　from　the　Authentic…Existent　which　is　the　source　of　all　these　correspondences　and　of　the　entire　reasoned　scheme　in　the　work　of　art：　he　must　be　led　to　the　Beauty　that　manifests　itself　through　these　forms；　he　must　be　shown　that　what　ravished　him　was　no　other　than　the　Harmony　of　the　Intellectual　world　and　the　Beauty　in　that　sphere；　not　some　one　shape　of　beauty　but　the　All…Beauty；　the　Absolute　Beauty；　and　the　truths　of　philosophy　must　be　implanted　in　him　to　lead　him　to　faith　in　that　which；　unknowing　it；　he　possesses　within　himself。　What　these　truths　are　we　will　show　later。　　　　　2。　The　born　lover；　to　whose　degree　the　musician　also　may　attain…　and　then　either　come　to　a　stand　or　pass　beyond…　has　a　certain　memory　of　beauty　but；　severed　from　it　now；　he　no　longer　comprehends　it：　spellbound　by　visible　loveliness　he　clings　amazed　about　that。　His　lesson　must　be　to　fall　down　no　longer　in　bewildered　delight　before　some；　one　embodied　form；　he　must　be　led；　under　a　system　of　mental　discipline；　to　beauty　everywhere　and　made　to　discern　the　One　Principle　underlying　all；　a　Principle　apart　from　the　material　forms；　springing　from　another　source；　and　elsewhere　more　truly　present。　The　beauty；　for　example；　in　a　noble　course　of　life　and　in　an　admirably　organized　social　system　may　be　pointed　out　to　him…　a　first　training　this　in　the　loveliness　of　the　immaterial…　he　must　learn　to　recognise　the　beauty　in　the　arts；　sciences；　virtues；　then　these　severed　and　particular　forms　must　be　brought　under　the　one　principle　by　the　explanation　of　their　origin。　From　the　virtues　he　is　to　be　led　to　the　Intellectual…Principle；　to　the　Authentic…Existent；　thence　onward；　he　treads　the　upward　way。　　　　　3。　The　metaphysician；　equipped　by　that　very　character；　winged　already　and　not　like　those　others；　in　need　of　disengagement；　stirring　of　himself　towards　the　supernal　but　doubting　of　the　way；　needs　only　a　guide。　He　must　be　shown；　then；　and　instructed；　a　willing　wayfarer　by　his　very　temperament；　all　but　self…directed。　　　　　Mathematics；　which　as　a　student　by　nature　he　will　take　very　easily；　will　be　prescribed　to　train　him　to　abstract　thought　and　to　faith　in　the　unembodied；　a　moral　being　by　native　disposition；　he　must　be　led　to　make　his　virtue　perfect；　after　the　Mathematics　he　must　be　put　through　a　course　in　Dialectic　and　made　an　adept　in　the　science。　　　　　4。　But　this　science；　this　Dialectic　essential　to　all　the　three　classes　alike；　what；　in　sum；　is　it？　　　　　It　is　the　Method；　or　Discipline；　that　brings　with　it　the　power　of　pronouncing　with　final　truth　upon　the　nature　and　relation　of　things…　what　each　is；　how　it　differs　from　others；　what　common　quality　all　have；　to　what　Kind　each　belongs　and　in　what　rank　each　stands　in　its　Kind　and　whether　its　Being　is　Real…Being；　and　how　many　Beings　there　are；　and　how　many　non…Beings　to　be　distinguished　from　Beings。　　　　　Dialectic　treats　also　of　the　Good　and　the　not…Good；　and　of　the　particulars　that　fall　under　each；　and　of　what　is　the　Eternal　and　what　the　not　Eternal…　and　of　these；　it　must　be　understood；　not　by　seeming…knowledge　＇〃sense…knowledge〃＇　but　with　authentic　science。　　　　　All　this　accomplished；　it　gives　up　its　touring　of　the　realm　of　sense　and　settles　down　in　the　Intellectual　Kosmos　and　there　plies　its　own　peculiar　Act：　it　has　abandoned　all　the　realm　of　deceit　and　falsity；　and　pastures　the　Soul　in　the　〃Meadows　of　Truth〃：　it　employs　the　Platonic　division　to　the　discernment　of　the　Ideal…Forms；　of　the　Authentic…Existence　and　of　the　First…Kinds　＇or　Categories　of　Being＇：　it　establishes；　in　the　light　of　Intellection；　the　unity　there　is　in　all　that　issues　from　these　Firsts；　until　it　has　traversed　the　entire　Intellectual　Realm：　then；　resolving　the　unity　into　the　particulars　once　more；　it　returns　to　the　point　from　which　it　starts。　　　　　Now　rests：　instructed　and　satisfied　as　to　the　Being　in　that　sphere；　it　is　no　longer　busy　about　many　things：　it　has　arrived　at　Unity　and　it　contemplates：　it　leaves　to　another　science　all　that　coil　of　premisses　and　conclusions　called　the　art　of　reasoning；　much　as　it　leaves　the　art　of　writing：　some　of　the　matter　of　logic；　no　doubt；　it　considers　necessary…　to　clear　the　ground…　but　it　makes　itself　the　judge；　here　as　in　everything　else；　where　it　sees　use；　it　uses；　anything　it　finds　superfluous；　it　leaves　to　whatever　department　of　learning　or　practice　may　turn　that　matter　to　account。　　　　　5。　But　whence　does　this　science　derive　its　own　initial　laws？　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　furnishes　standards；　the　most　certain　for　any　soul　that　is　able　to　apply　them。　What　else　is　necessary；　Dialectic　puts　together　for　itself；　combining　and　dividing；　until　it　has　reached　perfect　Intellection。　〃For；〃　we　read；　〃it　is　the　purest　＇perfection＇　of　Intellection　and　Contemplative…Wisdom。〃　And；　being　the　noblest　method　and　science　that　exists　it　must　needs　deal　with　Authentic…Existence；　The　Highest　there　is：　as　Contemplative…Wisdom　＇or　true…knowing＇　it　deals　with　Being；　as　Intellection　with　what　transcends　Being。　　　　　What；　then；　is　Philosophy？　　　　　Philosophy　is　the　supremely　precious。　　　　　Is　Dialectic；　then；　the　same　as　Philosophy？　　　　　It　is　the　precious　part　of　Philosophy。　We　must　not　think　of　it　as　the　mere　tool　of　the　metaphysician：　Dialectic　does　not　consist　of　bare　theories　and　rules：　it　deals　with　verities；　Existences　are；　as　it　were；　Matter　to　it；　or　at　least　it　proceeds　methodically　towards　Existences；　and　possesses　itself；　at　the　one　step；　of　the　notions　and　of　the　realities。　　　　　Untruth　and　sophism　it　knows；　not　directly；　not　of　its　own　nature；　but　merely　as　something　produced　outside　itself；　something　which　it　recognises　to　be　foreign　to　the　verities　laid　up　in　itself；　in　the　falsity　presented　to　it；　it　perceives　a　clash　with　its　own　canon　of　truth。　Dialectic；　that　is　to　say；　has　no　knowledge　of　propositions…　collections　of　words…　but　it　knows　the　truth；　and；　in　that　knowledge；　knows　what　the　schools　call　their　propositions：　it　knows　above　all；　the　operation　of　the　soul；　and；　by　virtue　of　this　knowing；　it　knows；　too；　what　is　affirmed　and　what　is　denied；　whether　the　denial　is　of　what　was　asserted　or　of　something　else；　and　whether　propositions　agree　or　differ；　all　that　is　submitted　to　it；　it　attacks　with　the　directness　of　sense…perception　and　it　leaves　petty　precisions　of　process　to　what　other　science　may　care　for　such　exercises。　　　　　6。　Philosophy　has　other　provinces；　but　Dialectic　is　its　precious　part：　in　its　study　of　the　laws　of　the　universe；　Philosophy　draws　on　Dialectic　much　as　other　studies　and　crafts　use　Arithmetic；　though；　of　course；　the　alliance　between　Philosophy　and　Dialectic　is　closer。　　　　　And　in　Morals；　too；　Philosophy　uses　Dialectic：　by　Dialectic　it　comes　to　contemplation；　though　it　originates　of　itself　the　moral　state　or　rather　the　discipline　from　which　the　moral　state　develops。　　　　　Our　reasoning　faculties　employ　the　data　of　Dialectic　almost　as　their　proper　possession　for　they　are　mainly　concerned　about　Matter　＇whose　place　and　worth　Dialectic　establishes＇。　　　　　And　while　the　other　virtues　bring　the　reason　to　bear　upon　particular　experiences　and　acts；　the　virtue　of　Wisdom　＇i。e。；　the　virtue　peculiarly　induced　by　Dialectic＇　is　a　certain　super…reasoning　much　closer　to　the　Universal；　for　it　deals　with　correspondence　and　sequence；　the　choice　of　time　for　action　and　inaction；　the　adoption　of　this　course；　the　rejection　of　that　other：　Wisdom　and　Dialectic　have　the　task　of　presenting　all　things　as　Universals　and　stripped　of　matter　for　treatment　by　the　Understanding。　　　　　But　can　these　inferior　kinds　of　virtue　exist　without　Dialectic　and　philosophy？　　　　　Yes…　but　imperfectly；　inadequately。　　　　　And　is　it　possible　to　be　a　Sage；　Master　in　Dialectic；　without　these　lower　virtues？　　　　　It　would　not　happen：　the　lower　will　spring　either　before　or　together　with　the　higher。　And　it　is　likely　that　everyone　normally　possesses　the　natural　virtues　from　which；　when　Wisdom　steps　in；　the　perfected　virtue　develops。　After　the　natural　virtues；　then；　Wisdom　and；　so　the　perfecting　of　the　moral　nature。　Once　the　natural　virtues　exist；　both　orders；　the　natural　and　the　higher；　ripen　side　by　side　to　their　final　excellence：　or　as　the　one　advances　it　carries　forward　the　other　towards　perfection。　　　　　But；　ever；　the　natural　virtue　is　imperfect　in　vision　and　in　strength…　and　to　both　orders　of　virtue　the　essential　matter　is　from　what　principles　we　derive　them。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FOURTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　TRUE　HAPPINESS。

　　　　1。　Are　we　to　make　True　Happiness　one　and　the　same　thing　with　Welfare　or　Prosperity　and　therefore　within　the　reach　of　the　other　living　beings　as　well　as　ourselves？　　　　　There　is　certainly　no　reason　to　deny　well…being　to　any　of　them　as　long　as　their　lot　allows　them　to　flourish　unhindered　after　their　kind。　　　　　Whether　we　make　Welfare　consist　in　pleasant　conditions　of　life；　or　in　the　accomplishment　of　some　appropriate　task；　by　either　account　it　may　fall　to　them　as　to　us。　For　certainly　they　may　at　once　be　pleasantly　placed　and　engaged　about　some　function　that　lies　in　their　nature：　take　for　an　instance　such　living　beings　as　have　the　gift　of　music；　finding　themselves　well…off　in　other　ways；　they　sing；　too；　as　their　nature　is；　and　so　their　day　is　pleasant　to　them。　　　　　And　if；　even；　we　set　Happiness　in　some　ultimate　Term　pursued　by　inborn　tendency；　then　on　this　head；　too；　we　must　allow　it　to　animals　from　the　moment　of　their　attaining　this　Ultimate：　the　nature　in　them　comes　to　a　halt；　having　fulfilled　its　vital　course　from　a　beginning　to　an　end。　　　　　It　may　be　a　distasteful　notion；　this　bringing…down　of　happiness　so　low　as　to　the　animal　world…　making　it　over；　as　then　we　must；　even　to　the　vilest　of　them　and　not　withholding　it　even　from　the　plants；　living　they　too　and　having　a　life　unfolding　to　a　Term。　　　　　But；　to　begin　with；　it　is　surely　unsound　to　deny　that　good　of　life　to　animals　only　because　they　do　not　appear　to　man　to　be　of　great　account。　And　as　for　plants；　we　need　not　necessarily　allow　to　them　what　we　accord　to　the　other　forms　of　life；　since　they　have　no　feeling。　It　is　true　people　might　be　found　to　declare　prosperity　possible　to　the　very　plants：　they　have　life；　and　life　may　bring　good　or　evil；　the　plants　m