the six enneads-第83章

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　not　passivity　but　power。　　　　　And；　once　it　is　admitted　that　sensations　are　not　impressions；　the　memory　of　a　sensation　cannot　consist　in　the　retention　of　an　impression　that　was　never　made。　　　　　Yes：　but　if　it　is　an　active　power　of　the　mind；　a　fitness　towards　its　particular　purpose；　why　does　it　not　come　at　once…　and　not　with　delay…　to　the　recollection　of　its　unchanging　objects？　　　　　Simply　because　the　power　needs　to　be　poised　and　prepared：　in　this　it　is　only　like　all　the　others；　which　have　to　be　readied　for　the　task　to　which　their　power　reaches；　some　operating　very　swiftly；　others　only　after　a　certain　self…concentration。　　　　　Quick　memory　does　not　in　general　go　with　quick　wit：　the　two　do　not　fall　under　the　same　mental　faculty；　runner　and　boxer　are　not　often　united　in　one　person；　the　dominant　idea　differs　from　man　to　man。　　　　　Yet　there　could　be　nothing　to　prevent　men　of　superior　faculty　from　reading　impressions　on　the　mind；　why　should　one　thus　gifted　be　incapable　of　what　would　be　no　more　than　a　passive　taking　and　holding？　　　　　That　memory　is　a　power　of　the　Soul　＇not　a　capacity　for　taking　imprint＇　is　established　at　a　stroke　by　the　consideration　that　the　soul　is　without　magnitude。　　　　　And…　one　general　reflection…　it　is　not　extraordinary　that　everything　concerning　soul　should　proceed　in　quite　other　ways　than　appears　to　people　who　either　have　never　enquired；　or　have　hastily　adopted　delusive　analogies　from　the　phenomena　of　sense；　and　persist　in　thinking　of　perception　and　remembrance　in　terms　of　characters　inscribed　on　plates　or　tablets；　the　impossibilities　that　beset　this　theory　escape　those　that　make　the　soul　incorporeal　equally　with　those　to　whom　it　is　corporeal。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SEVENTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　IMMORTALITY　OF　THE　SOUL。

　　　　1。　Whether　every　human　being　is　immortal　or　we　are　wholly　destroyed；　or　whether　something　of　us　passes　over　to　dissolution　and　destruction；　while　something　else；　that　which　is　the　true　man；　endures　for　ever…　this　question　will　be　answered　here　for　those　willing　to　investigate　our　nature。　　　　　We　know　that　man　is　not　a　thing　of　one　only　element；　he　has　a　soul　and　he　has；　whether　instrument　or　adjunct　in　some　other　mode；　a　body：　this　is　the　first　distinction；　it　remains　to　investigate　the　nature　and　essential　being　of　these　two　constituents。　　　　　Reason　tells　us　that　the　body　as；　itself　too；　a　composite；　cannot　for　ever　hold　together；　and　our　senses　show　us　it　breaking　up；　wearing　out；　the　victim　of　destructive　agents　of　many　kinds；　each　of　its　constituents　going　its　own　way；　one　part　working　against　another；　perverting；　wrecking；　and　this　especially　when　the　material　masses　are　no　longer　presided　over　by　the　reconciling　soul。　　　　　And　when　each　single　constituent　is　taken　as　a　thing　apart；　it　is　still　not　a　unity；　for　it　is　divisible　into　shape　and　matter；　the　duality　without　which　bodies　at　their　very　simplest　cannot　cohere。　　　　　The　mere　fact　that；　as　material　forms；　they　have　bulk　means　that　they　can　be　lopped　and　crushed　and　so　come　to　destruction。　　　　　If　this　body；　then；　is　really　a　part　of　us；　we　are　not　wholly　immortal；　if　it　is　an　instrument　of　ours；　then；　as　a　thing　put　at　our　service　for　a　certain　time；　it　must　be　in　its　nature　passing。　　　　　The　sovereign　principle；　the　authentic　man；　will　be　as　Form　to　this　Matter　or　as　agent　to　this　instrument；　and　thus；　whatever　that　relation　be；　the　soul　is　the　man。　　　　　2。　But　of　what　nature　is　this　sovereign　principle？　　　　　If　material；　then　definitely　it　must　fall　apart；　for　every　material　entity；　at　least；　is　something　put　together。　　　　　If　it　is　not　material　but　belongs　to　some　other　Kind；　that　new　substance　must　be　investigated　in　the　same　way　or　by　some　more　suitable　method。　　　　　But　our　first　need　is　to　discover　into　what　this　material　form；　since　such　the　soul　is　to　be；　can　dissolve。　　　　　Now：　of　necessity　life　is　inherent　to　soul：　this　material　entity；　then；　which　we　call　soul　must　have　life　ingrained　within　it；　but　＇being　a　composite　as　by　hypothesis；　material＇　it　must　be　made　up　of　two　or　more　bodies；　that　life；　then；　will　be　vested；　either　in　each　and　all　of　those　bodies　or　in　one　of　them　to　the　exclusion　of　the　other　or　others；　if　this　be　not　so；　then　there　is　no　life　present　anywhere。　　　　　If　any　one　of　them　contains　this　ingrained　life；　that　one　is　the　soul。　But　what　sort　of　an　entity　have　we　there；　what　is　this　body　which　of　its　own　nature　possesses　soul？　　　　　Fire；　air；　water；　earth；　are　in　themselves　soulless…　whenever　soul　is　in　any　of　them；　that　life　is　borrowed…　and　there　are　no　other　forms　of　body　than　these　four：　even　the　school　that　believes　there　are　has　always　held　them　to　be　bodies；　not　souls；　and　to　be　without　life。　　　　　None　of　these；　then；　having　life；　it　would　be　extraordinary　if　life　came　about　by　bringing　them　together；　it　is　impossible；　in　fact；　that　the　collocation　of　material　entities　should　produce　life；　or　mindless　entities　mind。　　　　　No　one；　moreover；　would　pretend　that　a　mere　chance　mixing　could　give　such　results：　some　regulating　principle　would　be　necessary；　some　Cause　directing　the　admixture：　that　guiding　principle　would　be…　soul。　　　　　Body…　not　merely　because　it　is　a　composite；　but　even　were　it　simplex…　could　not　exist　unless　there　were　soul　in　the　universe；　for　body　owes　its　being　to　the　entrance　of　a　Reason…Principle　into　Matter；　and　only　from　soul　can　a　Reason…Principle　come。　　　　　3。　Anyone　who　rejects　this　view；　and　holds　that　either　atoms　or　some　entities　void　of　part　coming　together　produce　soul；　is　refuted　by　the　very　unity　of　soul　and　by　the　prevailing　sympathy　as　much　as　by　the　very　coherence　of　the　constituents。　Bodily　materials；　in　nature　repugnant　to　unification　and　to　sensation；　could　never　produce　unity　or　self…sensitiveness；　and　soul　is　self…sensitive。　And；　again；　constituents　void　of　part　could　never　produce　body　or　bulk。　　　　　Perhaps　we　will　be　asked　to　consider　body　as　a　simple　entity　＇disregarding　the　question　of　any　constituent　elements＇：　they　will　tell　us；　then；　that　no　doubt；　as　purely　material；　it　cannot　have　a　self…springing　life…　since　matter　is　without　quality…　but　that　life　is　introduced　by　the　fact　that　the　Matter　is　brought　to　order　under　Forming…Idea。　But　if　by　this　Forming…Idea　they　mean　an　essential；　a　real　being；　then　it　is　not　the　conjoint　of　body　and　idea　that　constitutes　soul：　it　must　be　one　of　the　two　items　and　that　one；　being　＇by　hypothesis＇　outside　of　the　Matter；　cannot　be　body：　to　make　it　body　would　simply　force　us　to　repeat　our　former　analysis。　　　　　If　on　the　contrary　they　do　not　mean　by　this　Forming…Idea　a　real　being；　but　some　condition　or　modification　of　the　Matter；　they　must　tell　us　how　and　whence　this　modification；　with　resultant　life；　can　have　found　the　way　into　the　Matter：　for　very　certainly　Matter　does　not　mould　itself　to　pattern　or　bring　itself　to　life。　　　　　It　becomes　clear　that　since　neither　Matter　nor　body　in　any　mode　has　this　power；　life　must　be　brought　upon　the　stage　by　some　directing　principle　external　and　transcendent　to　all　that　is　corporeal。　　　　　In　fact；　body　itself　could　not　exist　in　any　form　if　soul…power　did　not：　body　passes；　dissolution　is　in　its　very　nature；　all　would　disappear　in　a　twinkling　if　all　were　body。　It　is　no　help　to　erect　some　one　mode　of　body　into　soul；　made　of　the　same　Matter　as　the　rest；　this　soul　body　would　fall　under　the　same　fate：　of　course　it　could　never　really　exist：　the　universe　of　things　would　halt　at　the　material；　failing　something　to　bring　Matter　to　shape。　　　　　Nay　more：　Matter　itself　could　not　exist：　the　totality　of　things　in　this　sphere　is　dissolved　if　it　be　made　to　depend　upon　the　coherence　of　a　body　which；　though　elevated　to　the　nominal　rank　of　〃soul；〃　remains　air；　fleeting　breath　＇the　Stoic　pneuma；　rarefied　matter；　〃spirit〃　in　the　lower　sense＇；　whose　very　unity　is　not　drawn　from　itself。　　　　　All　bodies　are　in　ceaseless　process　of　dissolution；　how　can　the　kosmos　be　made　over　to　any　one　of　them　without　being　turned　into　a　senseless　haphazard　drift？　This　pneuma…　orderless　except　under　soul…　how　can　it　contain　order；　reason；　intelligence？　But：　given　soul；　all　these　material　things　become　its　collaborators　towards　the　coherence　of　the　kosmos　and　of　every　living　being；　all　the　qualities　of　all　the　separate　objects　converging　to　the　purposes　of　the　universe：　failing　soul　in　the　things　of　the　universe；　they　could　not　even　exist；　much　less　play　their　ordered　parts。　　　　　4。　Our　opponents　themselves　are　driven　by　stress　of　fact　to　admit　the　necessity　of　a　prior　to　body；　a　higher　thing；　some　phase　or　form　of　soul；　their　〃pneuma〃　＇finer…body　or　spirit＇　is　intelligent；　and　they　speak　of　an　〃intellectual　fire〃；　this　〃fire〃　and　〃spirit〃　they　imagine　to　be　necessary　to　the　existence　of　the　higher　order　which　they　conceive　as　demanding　some　base；　though　the　real　difficulty；　under　their　theory；　is　to　find　a　base　for　material　things　whose　only　possible　base　is；　precisely；　the　powers　of　soul。　　　　　Besides；　if　they　make　life　and　soul　no　more　than　this　〃pneuma；〃　what　is　the　import　of　that　repeated　qualification　of　theirs　〃in　a　certain　state；〃　their　refuge　when　they　are　compelled　to　recognize　some　acting　principle　apart　from　body？　If　not　every　pneuma　is　a　soul；　but　thousands　of　them　soulless；　and　only　the　pneuma　in　this　〃certain　state〃　is　soul；　what　follows？　Either　this　〃certain　state；〃　this　shaping　or　configuration　of　things；　is　a　real　being　or　it　is　nothing。　　　　　If　it　is　nothing；　only　the　pneuma　exists；　the　〃certain　state〃　being　no　more　than　a　word；　this　leads　imperatively　to　the　assertion　that　Matter　alone　exists；　Soul　and　God　mere　words；　the　lowest　alone　is。　　　　　If　on　the　contrary　this　〃configuration〃　is　really　existent…　something　distinct　from　the　underlie　or　Matter；　something　residing　in　Matter　but　itself　immaterial　as　not　constructed　out　of　Matter；　then　it　must　be　a　Reason…Principle；　incorporeal；　a　separate　Nature。　　　　　There　are　other　equally　cogent　proofs　that　the　soul　cannot　be　any　form　of　body。　　　　　Body　is　either　warm　or　cold；　hard　or　soft；　liquid　or　solid；　black　or　white；　and　so　on　through　all　the　qualities　by　which　one　is　different　from　another；　and；　again；　if　a　body　is　warm　it　diffuses　only　warmth；　if　cold　it　can　only　chill；　if　light　its　presence　tells　against　the　total　weight　which　if　heavy　it　increases；　black；　it　darkens；　white；　it　lightens；　fire　has　not　the　property　of　chilling　or　a　cold　body　that　of　warming。　　　　　Soul；　on　the　contrary；　operates　diversely　in　different　living　beings；　and　has　quite　contrary　effects　in　any　one：　its　productions　contain　the　solid　and　the　soft；　the　dense　and　the　sparse；　bright　and　dark；　heavy　and　light。　If　it　were　material；　its　quality…　and　the　colour　it　must　have…　would　produce　one　invariable　effect　and　not　the　variety　actually　observed。　　　　　5。　Again；　there　is　movement：　all　bodily　movement　is　uniform；　failing　an　incorporeal　soul；　how　account　for　diversity　of　movement？　Predilections；　reasons；　they　will　say；　that　is　all　very　well；　but　these　already　contain　that　variety　and　therefore　cannot　belong　to　body　which　is　one　and　simplex；　and；　besides；　is　not　participant　in　reason…　that　is；　not　in　the　sense　here　meant；　but　only　as　it　is　influenced　by　some　principle　which　confers　upon　it　the　qualities　of；　for　instance；　being　warm　or　cold。　　　　　Then　there　is　growth　under　a　time…law；　and　within　a　definite　limit：　how　can　this　belong　stric