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on sense and the sensible-第2章

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as to be imperceptible to us; we should have expected that in the



daytime the light of the sun should be quenched when rain falls; and



that darkness should prevail in frosty weather。 Flame; for example;



and ignited bodies are subject to such extinction; but experience



shows that nothing of this sort happens to the sunlight。



  Empedocles at times seems to hold that vision is to be explained



as above stated by light issuing forth from the eye; e。g。 in the



following passage:…







        As when one who purposes going abroad prepares a lantern;



        A gleam of fire blazing through the stormy night;



        Adjusting thereto; to screen it from all sorts of winds;



                transparent sides;



        Which scatter the breath of the winds as they blow;



        While; out through them leaping; the fire;



                i。e。 all the more subtile part of this;



        Shines along his threshold old incessant beams:



        So 'Divine love' embedded the round 〃lens〃; 'viz。'



                the primaeval fire fenced within the membranes;



        In 'its own' delicate tissues;



        And these fended off the deep surrounding flood;



        While leaping forth the fire; i。e。 all its more subtile part…。







  Sometimes he accounts for vision thus; but at other times he



explains it by emanations from the visible objects。



  Democritus; on the other hand; is right in his opinion that the



eye is of water; not; however; when he goes on to explain seeing as



mere mirroring。 The mirroring that takes place in an eye is due to the



fact that the eye is smooth; and it really has its seat not in the eye



which is seen; but in that which sees。 For the case is merely one of



reflexion。 But it would seem that even in his time there was no



scientific knowledge of the general subject of the formation of images



and the phenomena of reflexion。 It is strange too; that it never



occurred to him to ask why; if his theory be true; the eye alone sees;



while none of the other things in which images are reflected do so。



  True; then; the visual organ proper is composed of water; yet vision



appertains to it not because it is so composed; but because it is



translucent… a property common alike to water and to air。 But water



is more easily confined and more easily condensed than air;



wherefore it is that the pupil; i。e。 the eye proper; consists of



water。 That it does so is proved by facts of actual experience。 The



substance which flows from eyes when decomposing is seen to be



water; and this in undeveloped embryos is remarkably cold and



glistening。 In sanguineous animals the white of the eye is fat and



oily; in order that the moisture of the eye may be proof against



freezing。 Wherefore the eye is of all parts of the body the least



sensitive to cold: no one ever feels cold in the part sheltered by the



eyelids。 The eyes of bloodless animals are covered with a hard scale



which gives them similar protection。



  It is; to state the matter generally; an irrational notion that



the eye should see in virtue of something issuing from it; that the



visual ray should extend itself all the way to the stars; or else go



out merely to a certain point; and there coalesce; as some say; with



rays which proceed from the object。 It would be better to suppose this



coalescence to take place in the fundament of the eye itself。 But even



this would be mere trifling。 For what is meant by the 'coalescence' of



light with light? Or how is it possible? Coalescence does not occur



between any two things taken at random。 And how could the light within



the eye coalesce with that outside it? For the environing membrane



comes between them。



  That without light vision is impossible has been stated elsewhere;



but; whether the medium between the eye and its objects is air or



light; vision is caused by a process through this medium。



  Accordingly; that the inner part of the eye consists of water is



easily intelligible; water being translucent。



  Now; as vision outwardly is impossible without 'extra…organic'



light; so also it is impossible inwardly 'without light within the



organ'。 There must; therefore; be some translucent medium within the



eye; and; as this is not air; it must be water。 The soul or its



perceptive part is not situated at the external surface of the eye;



but obviously somewhere within: whence the necessity of the interior



of the eye being translucent; i。e。 capable of admitting light。 And



that it is so is plain from actual occurrences。 It is matter of



experience that soldiers wounded in battle by a sword slash on the



temple; so inflicted as to sever the passages of 'i。e。 inward from'



the eye; feel a sudden onset of darkness; as if a lamp had gone out;



because what is called the pupil; i。e。 the translucent; which is a



sort of inner lamp; is then cut off 'from its connexion with the



soul'。



  Hence; if the facts be at all as here stated; it is clear that… if



one should explain the nature of the sensory organs in this way;



i。e。 by correlating each of them with one of the four elements;… we



must conceive that the part of the eye immediately concerned in vision



consists of water; that the part immediately concerned in the



perception of sound consists of air; and that the sense of smell



consists of fire。 (I say the sense of smell; not the organ。) For the



organ of smell is only potentially that which the sense of smell; as



realized; is actually; since the object of sense is what causes the



actualization of each sense; so that it (the sense) must (at the



instant of actualization) be (actually) that which before (the



moment of actualization) it was potentially。 Now; odour is a



smoke…like evaporation; and smoke…like evaporation arises from fire。



This also helps us to understand why the olfactory organ has its



proper seat in the environment of the brain; for cold matter is



potentially hot。 In the same way must the genesis of the eye be



explained。 Its structure is an offshoot from the brain; because the



latter is the moistest and coldest of all the bodily parts。



  The organ of touch proper consists of earth; and the faculty of



taste is a particular form of touch。 This explains why the sensory



organ of both touch and taste is closely related to the heart。 For the



heart as being the hottest of all the bodily parts; is the



counterpoise of the brain。



  This then is the way in which the characteristics of the bodily



organs of sense must be determined。



                                 3







  Of the sensibles corresponding to each sensory organ; viz。 colour;



sound; odour; savour; touch; we have treated in On the Soul in general



terms; having there determined what their function is; and what is



implied in their becoming actualized in relation to their respective



organs。 We must next consider what account we are to give of any one



of them; what; for example; we should say colour is; or sound; or



odour; or savour; and so also respecting 'the object of' touch。 We



begin with colour。



  Now; each of them may be spoken of from two points of view; i。e。



either as actual or as potential。 We have in On the Soul explained



in what sense the colour; or sound; regarded as actualized 'for



sensation' is the same as; and in what sense it is different from; the



correlative sensation; the actual seeing or hearing。 The point of



our present discussion is; therefore; to determine what each



sensible object must be in itself; in order to be perceived as it is



in actual consciousness。



  We have already in On the Soul stated of Light that it is the colour



of the Translucent; 'being so related to it' incidentally; for



whenever a fiery element is in a translucent medium presence there



is Light; while the privation of it is Darkness。 But the

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