the six enneads-第19章

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l　this；　they　can　be　compelled　to　admit　that　Matter　is　the　Evil。　　　　　For；　the　quality　＇form＇　that　has　entered　into　Matter　does　not　act　as　an　entity　apart　from　the　Matter；　any　more　than　axe…shape　will　cut　apart　from　iron。　Further；　Forms　lodged　in　Matter　are　not　the　same　as　they　would　be　if　they　remained　within　themselves；　they　are　Reason…Principles　Materialized；　they　are　corrupted　in　the　Matter；　they　have　absorbed　its　nature：　essential　fire　does　not　burn；　nor　do　any　of　the　essential　entities　effect；　of　themselves　alone；　the　operation　which；　once　they　have　entered　into　Matter；　is　traced　to　their　action。　　　　　Matter　becomes　mistress　of　what　is　manifested　through　it：　it　corrupts　and　destroys　the　incomer；　it　substitutes　its　own　opposite　character　and　kind；　not　in　the　sense　of　opposing；　for　example；　concrete　cold　to　concrete　warmth；　but　by　setting　its　own　formlessness　against　the　Form　of　heat；　shapelessness　to　shape；　excess　and　defect　to　the　duly　ordered。　Thus；　in　sum；　what　enters　into　Matter　ceases　to　belong　to　itself；　comes　to　belong　to　Matter；　just　as；　in　the　nourishment　of　living　beings；　what　is　taken　in　does　not　remain　as　it　came；　but　is　turned　into；　say；　dog's　blood　and　all　that　goes　to　make　a　dog；　becomes；　in　fact；　any　of　the　humours　of　any　recipient。　　　　　No；　if　body　is　the　cause　of　Evil；　then　there　is　no　escape；　the　cause　of　Evil　is　Matter。　　　　　Still；　it　will　be　urged；　the　incoming　Idea　should　have　been　able　to　conquer　the　Matter。　　　　　The　difficulty　is　that　Matter's　master　cannot　remain　pure　itself　except　by　avoidance　of　Matter。　　　　　Besides；　the　constitution　determines　both　the　desires　and　their　violence　so　that　there　are　bodies　in　which　the　incoming　idea　cannot　hold　sway：　there　is　a　vicious　constitution　which　chills　and　clogs　the　activity　and　inhibits　choice；　a　contrary　bodily　habit　produces　frivolity；　lack　of　balance。　The　same　fact　is　indicated　by　our　successive　variations　of　mood：　in　times　of　stress；　we　are　not　the　same　either　in　desires　or　in　ideas…　as　when　we　are　at　peace；　and　we　differ　again　with　every　several　object　that　brings　us　satisfaction。　　　　　To　resume：　the　Measureless　is　evil　primarily；　whatever；　either　by　resemblance　or　participation；　exists　in　the　state　of　unmeasure；　is　evil　secondarily；　by　force　of　its　dealing　with　the　Primal…　primarily；　the　darkness；　secondarily；　the　darkened。　Now；　Vice；　being　an　ignorance　and　a　lack　of　measure　in　the　Soul；　is　secondarily　evil；　not　the　Essential　Evil；　just　as　Virtue　is　not　the　Primal　Good　but　is　Likeness　to　The　Good；　or　participation　in　it。　　　　　9。　But　what　approach　have　we　to　the　knowing　of　Good　and　Evil？　　　　　And　first　of　the　Evil　of　soul：　Virtue；　we　may　know　by　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　by　means　of　the　philosophic　habit；　but　Vice？　　　　　A　a　ruler　marks　off　straight　from　crooked；　so　Vice　is　known　by　its　divergence　from　the　line　of　Virtue。　　　　　But　are　we　able　to　affirm　Vice　by　any　vision　we　can　have　of　it；　or　is　there　some　other　way　of　knowing　it？　　　　　Utter　viciousness；　certainly　not　by　any　vision；　for　it　is　utterly　outside　of　bound　and　measure；　this　thing　which　is　nowhere　can　be　seized　only　by　abstraction；　but　any　degree　of　evil　falling　short　of　The　Absolute　is　knowable　by　the　extent　of　that　falling　short。　　　　　We　see　partial　wrong；　from　what　is　before　us　we　divine　that　which　is　lacking　to　the　entire　form　＇or　Kind＇　thus　indicated；　we　see　that　the　completed　Kind　would　be　the　Indeterminate；　by　this　process　we　are　able　to　identify　and　affirm　Evil。　In　the　same　way　when　we　observe　what　we　feel　to　be　an　ugly　appearance　in　Matter…　left　there　because　the　Reason…Principle　has　not　become　so　completely　the　master　as　to　cover　over　the　unseemliness…　we　　recognise　Ugliness　by　the　falling…short　from　Ideal…Form。　　　　　But　how　can　we　identify　what　has　never　had　any　touch　of　Form？　　　　　We　utterly　eliminate　every　kind　of　Form；　and　the　object　in　which　there　is　none　whatever　we　call　Matter：　if　we　are　to　see　Matter　we　must　so　completely　abolish　Form　that　we　take　shapelessness　into　our　very　selves。　　　　　In　fact　it　is　another　Intellectual…Principle；　not　the　true；　this　which　ventures　a　vision　so　uncongenial。　　　　　To　see　darkness　the　eye　withdraws　from　the　light；　it　is　striving　to　cease　from　seeing；　therefore　it　abandons　the　light　which　would　make　the　darkness　invisible；　away　from　the　light　its　power　is　rather　that　of　not…seeing　than　of　seeing　and　this　not…seeing　is　its　nearest　approach　to　seeing　Darkness。　So　the　Intellectual…Principle；　in　order　to　see　its　contrary　＇Matter＇；　must　leave　its　own　light　locked　up　within　itself；　and　as　it　were　go　forth　from　itself　into　an　outside　realm；　it　must　ignore　its　native　brightness　and　submit　itself　to　the　very　contradition　of　its　being。　　　　　10。　But　if　Matter　is　devoid　of　quality　how　can　it　be　evil？　　　　　It　is　described　as　being　devoid　of　quality　in　the　sense　only　that　it　does　not　essentially　possess　any　of　the　qualities　which　it　admits　and　which　enter　into　it　as　into　a　substratum。　No　one　says　that　it　has　no　nature；　and　if　it　has　any　nature　at　all；　why　may　not　that　nature　be　evil　though　not　in　the　sense　of　quality？　　　　　Quality　qualifies　something　not　itself：　it　is　therefore　an　accidental；　it　resides　in　some　other　object。　Matter　does　not　exist　in　some　other　object　but　is　the　substratum　in　which　the　accidental　resides。　Matter；　then；　is　said　to　be　devoid　of　Quality　in　that　it　does　not　in　itself　possess　this　thing　which　is　by　nature　an　accidental。　If；　moreover；　Quality　itself　be　devoid　of　Quality；　how　can　Matter；　which　is　the　unqualified；　be　said　to　have　it？　　　　　Thus；　it　is　quite　correct　to　say　at　once　that　Matter　is　without　Quality　and　that　it　is　evil：　it　is　Evil　not　in　the　sense　of　having　Quality　but；　precisely；　in　not　having　it；　give　it　Quality　and　in　its　very　Evil　it　would　almost　be　a　Form；　whereas　in　Truth　it　is　a　Kind　contrary　to　Form。　　　　　〃But；〃　it　may　be　said；　〃the　Kind　opposed　to　all　Form　is　Privation　or　Negation；　and　this　necessarily　refers　to　something　other　than　itself；　it　is　no　Substantial…Existence：　therefore　if　Evil　is　Privation　or　Negation　it　must　be　lodged　in　some　Negation　of　Form：　there　will　be　no　Self…Existent　Evil。〃　　　　　This　objection　may　be　answered　by　applying　the　principle　to　the　case　of　Evil　in　the　Soul；　the　Evil；　the　Vice；　will　be　a　Negation　and　not　anything　having　a　separate　existence；　we　come　to　the　doctrine　which　denies　Matter　or；　admitting　it；　denies　its　Evil；　we　need　not　seek　elsewhere；　we　may　at　once　place　Evil　in　the　Soul；　recognising　it　as　the　mere　absence　of　Good。　But　if　the　negation　is　the　negation　of　something　that　ought　to　become　present；　if　it　is　a　denial　of　the　Good　by　the　Soul；　then　the　Soul　produces　vice　within　itself　by　the　operation　of　its　own　Nature；　and　is　devoid　of　good　and；　therefore；　Soul　though　it　be；　devoid　of　life：　the　Soul；　if　it　has　no　life；　is　soulless；　the　Soul　is　no　Soul。　　　　　No；　the　Soul　has　life　by　its　own　nature　and　therefore　does　not；　of　its　own　nature；　contain　this　negation　of　The　Good：　it　has　much　good　in　it；　it　carries　a　happy　trace　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　is　not　essentially　evil：　neither　is　it　　primally　evil　nor　is　that　Primal　Evil　present　in　it　even　as　an　accidental；　for　the　Soul　is　not　wholly　apart　from　the　Good。　　　　　Perhaps　Vice　and　Evil　as　in　the　Soul　should　be　described　not　as　an　entire；　but　as　a　partial；　negation　of　good。　　　　　But　if　this　were　so；　part　of　the　Soul　must　possess　The　Good；　part　be　without　it；　the　Soul　will　have　a　mingled　nature　and　the　Evil　within　it　will　not　be　unblended：　we　have　not　yet　lighted　on　the　Primal；　Unmingled　Evil。　The　Soul　would　possess　the　Good　as　its　Essence；　the　Evil　as　an　Accidental。　　　　　Perhaps　Evil　is　merely　an　impediment　to　the　Soul　like　something　affecting　the　eye　and　so　hindering　sight。　　　　　But　such　an　evil　in　the　eyes　is　no　more　than　an　occasion　of　evil；　the　Absolute　Evil　is　something　quite　different。　If　then　Vice　is　an　impediment　to　the　Soul；　Vice　is　an　occasion　of　evil　but　not　Evil…Absolute。　Virtue　is　not　the　Absolute　Good；　but　a　co…operator　with　it；　and　if　Virtue　is　not　the　Absolute　Good　neither　is　Vice　the　Absolute　Evil。　Virtue　is　not　the　Absolute　Beauty　or　the　Absolute　Good；　neither；　therefore；　is　Vice　the　Essential　Ugliness　or　the　Essential　Evil。　　　　　We　teach　that　Virtue　is　not　the　Absolute　Good　and　Beauty；　because　we　know　that　These　are　earlier　than　Virtue　and