on sense and the sensible-第4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！




＇the　weakness　of　our＇　sense；　are　imperceptible　by　us；　but　a　mixture　by



which　they　＇i。e。　the　'matter'　of　which　they　consist＇　are　wholly



blent　together　by　interpenetration；　as　we　have　described　it　in　the



treatise　on　Mixture；　where　we　dealt　with　this　subject　generally　in　its



most　comprehensive　aspect。　For；　on　the　supposition　we　are　criticizing；



the　only　totals　capable　of　being　mixed　are　those　which　are　divisible



into　minimal　parts；　＇e。g。　genera　into　individuals＇　as　men；　horses；



or　the　＇various　kinds　of＇　seeds。　For　of　mankind　as　a　whole　the



individual　man　is　such　a　least　part；　of　horses　＇as　an　aggregate＇　the



individual　horse。　Hence　by　the　juxtaposition　of　these　we　obtain　a



mixed　total；　consisting　＇like　a　troop　of　cavalry＇　of　both　together；



but　we　do　not　say　that　by　such　a　process　any　individual　man　has　been



mixed　with　any　individual　horse。　Not　in　this　way；　but　by　complete



interpenetration　＇of　their　matter＇；　must　we　conceive　those　things　to



be　mixed　which　are　not　divisible　into　minima；　and　it　is　in　the　case　of



these　that　natural　mixture　exhibits　itself　in　its　most　perfect　form。



We　have　explained　already　in　our　discourse　'On　Mixture'　how　such



mixture　is　possible。　This　being　the　true　nature　of　mixture；　it　is



plain　that　when　bodies　are　mixed　their　colours　also　are　necessarily



mixed　at　the　same　time；　and　＇it　is　no　less　plain＇　that　this　is　the



real　cause　determining　the　existence　of　a　plurality　of　colours…　not



superposition　or　juxtaposition。　For　when　bodies　are　thus　mixed；



their　resultant　colour　presents　itself　as　one　and　the　same　at　all



distances　alike；　not　varying　as　it　is　seen　nearer　or　farther　away。



　　Colours　will　thus；　too　＇as　well　as　on　the　former　hypotheses＇；　be



many　in　number　on　account　of　the　fact　that　the　ingredients　may　be



combined　with　one　another　in　a　multitude　of　ratios；　some　will　be　based



on　determinate　numerical　ratios；　while　others　again　will　have　as　their



basis　a　relation　of　quantitative　excess　or　defect　not　expressible　in



integers。　And　all　else　that　was　said　in　reference　to　the　colours；



considered　as　juxtaposed　or　superposed；　may　be　said　of　them　likewise



when　regarded　as　mixed　in　the　way　just　described。



　　Why　colours；　as　well　as　savours　and　sounds；　consist　of　species



determinate　＇in　themselves＇　and　not　infinite　＇in　number＇　is　a　question



which　we　shall　discuss　hereafter。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　4







　　We　have　now　explained　what　colour　is；　and　the　reason　why　there　are



many　colours；　while　before；　in　our　work　On　the　Soul；　we　explained



the　nature　of　sound　and　voice。　We　have　next　to　speak　of　Odour　and



Savour；　both　of　which　are　almost　the　same　physical　affection；　although



they　each　have　their　being　in　different　things。　Savours；　as　a　class；



display　their　nature　more　clearly　to　us　than　Odours；　the　cause　of



which　is　that　the　olfactory　sense　of　man　is　inferior　in　acuteness　to



that　of　the　lower　animals；　and　is；　when　compared　with　our　other



senses；　the　least　perfect　of　Man's　sense　of　Touch；　on　the　contrary；



excels　that　of　all　other　animals　in　fineness；　and　Taste　is　a



modification　of　Touch。



　　Now　the　natural　substance　water　per　se　tends　to　be　tasteless。　But



＇since　without　water　tasting　is　impossible＇　either　（a）　we　must　suppose



that　water　contains　in　itself　＇uniformly　diffused　through　it＇　the



various　kinds　of　savour；　already　formed；　though　in　amounts　so　small　as



to　be　imperceptible；　which　is　the　doctrine　of　Empedocles；　or　（b）　the



water　must　be　a　sort　of　matter；　qualified；　as　it　were；　to　produce



germs　of　savours　of　all　kinds；　so　that　all　kinds　of　savour　are



generated　from　the　water；　though　different　kinds　from　its　different



parts；　or　else　（c）　the　water　is　in　itself　quite　undifferentiated　in



respect　of　savour　＇whether　developed　or　undeveloped＇；　but　some



agent；　such　for　example　as　one　might　conceive　Heat　or　the　Sun　to　be；



is　the　efficient　cause　of　savour。



　　（a）　Of　these　three　hypotheses；　the　falsity　of　that　held　by



Empedocles　is　only　too　evident。　For　we　see　that　when　pericarpal　fruits



are　plucked　＇from　the　tree＇　and　exposed　in　the　sun；　or　subjected　to



the　action　of　fire；　their　sapid　juices　are　changed　by　the　heat；



which　shows　that　their　qualities　are　not　due　to　their　drawing　anything



from　the　water　in　the　ground；　but　to　a　change　which　they　undergo



within　the　pericarp　itself；　and　we　see；　moreover；　that　these　juices；



when　extracted　and　allowed　to　lie；　instead　of　sweet　become　by　lapse　of



time　harsh　or　bitter；　or　acquire　savours　of　any　and　every　sort；　and



that；　again；　by　the　process　of　boiling　or　fermentation　they　are　made



to　assume　almost　all　kinds　of　new　savours。



　　（b）　It　is　likewise　impossible　that　water　should　be　a　material



qualified　to　generate　all　kinds　of　Savour　germs　＇so　that　different



savours　should　arise　out　of　different　parts　of　the　water＇；　for　we



see　different　kinds　of　taste　generated　from　the　same　water；　having



it　as　their　nutriment。



　　（C）　It　remains；　therefore；　to　suppose　that　the　water　is　changed　by



passively　receiving　some　affection　from　an　external　agent。　Now；　it



is　manifest　that　water　does　not　contract　the　quality　of　sapidity



from　the　agency　of　Heat　alone。　For　water　is　of　all　liquids　the



thinnest；　thinner　even　than　oil　itself；　though　oil；　owing　to　its



viscosity；　is　more　ductile　than　water；　the　latter　being　uncohesive



in　its　particles；　whence　water　is　more　difficult　than　oil　to　hold　in



the　hand　without　spilling。　But　since　perfectly　pure　water　does　not；



when　subjected　to　the　action　of　Heat；　show　any　tendency　to　acquire



consistency；　we　must　infer　that　some　other　agency　than　heat　is　the



cause　of　sapidity。　For　all　savours　＇i。e。　sapid　liquors＇　exhibit　a



comparative　consistency。　Heat　is；　however；　a　coagent　in　the　matter。



　　Now　the　sapid　juices　found　in　pericarpal　fruits　evidently　exist　also



in　the　earth。　Hence　many　of　the　old　natural　philosophers　assert　that



water　has　qualities　like　those　of　the　earth　through　which　it　flows；



a　fact　especially　manifest　in　the　case　of　saline　springs；　for　salt



is　a　form　of　earth。　Hence　also　when　liquids　are　filtered　through



ashes；　a　bitter　substance；　the　taste　they　yield　is　bitter。　There　are



many　wells；　too；　of　which　some　are　bitter；　others　acid；　while　others



exhibit　other　tastes　of　all　kinds。



　　As　was　to　be　anticipated；　therefore；　it　is　in　the　vegetable



kingdom　that　tastes　occur　in　richest　variety。　For；　like　all　things



else；　the　Moist；　by　nature's　law；　is　affected　only　by　its　contrary；



and　this　contrary　is　the　Dry。　Thus　we　see　why　the　Moist　is　affected　by



Fire；　which　as　a　natural　substance；　is　dry。　Heat　is；　however；　the



essential　property　of　Fire；　as　Dryness　is　of　Earth；　according　to



what　has　been　said　in　our　treatise　on　the　elements。　Fire　and　Earth；



therefore；　taken　absolutely　as　such；　have　no　natural　power　to



affect；　or　be　affected　by；　one　another；　nor　have　any　other　pair　of



substances。　Any　two　things　can　affect；　or　be　affected　by；　one



another　only　so　far　as　contrariety　to　the　other　resides　in　either　of



them。



　　As；　therefore；　persons　washing　Colours　or　Savours　in　a　liquid



cause　the　water　in　which　they　wash　to　acquire　such　a　quality　＇as



that　of　the　colour　or　savour＇；　so　nature；　too；　by　washing　the　Dry



and　Earthy　in　the　Moist；　and　by　filtering　the　latter；　that　is；



moving　it　on　by　the　agency　of　heat　through　the　dry　and　earthy；　imparts



to　it　a　certain　quality。　This　affection；　wrought　by　the　aforesaid



Dry　in　the　Moist；　capable　of　transforming　the　sense　of　Taste　from



potentiality　to　actuality；　is　Savour。　Savour　brings　into　actual



exercise　the　perceptive　faculty　which　pre…existed　only　in　potency。　The



activity　of　sense…perception　in　general　is　analogous；　not　to　the



process　of　acquiring　knowledge；　but　to　that　of　exercising　knowledge



already　acquired。



　　That　Savours；　either　as　a　quality　or　as　the　privation　of　a