the six enneads-第191章

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hen　be　Being；　so　that　Parmenides　was　right　when　he　taught　the　identity　of　Being　and　Unity。　Being　is　thus　beyond　contact　not　because　it　stands　alone　but　because　it　is　Being。　For　Being　alone　has　Being　in　its　own　right。　　　　　How　then　can　we　deny　to　it　either　Being　or　anything　at　all　that　may　exist　effectively；　anything　that　may　derive　from　it？　　　　　As　long　as　it　exists　it　produces：　but　it　exists　for　ever；　so；　therefore；　do　its　products。　And　so　great　is　it　in　power　and　beauty　that　it　remains　the　allurer；　all　things　of　the　universe　depending　from　it　and　rejoicing　to　hold　their　trace　of　it　and　through　that　to　seek　their　good。　To　us；　existence　is　before　the　good；　all　this　world　desires　life　and　wisdom　in　order　to　Being；　every　soul　and　every　intellect　seeks　to　be　its　Being；　but　Being　is　sufficient　to　itself。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SEVENTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　HOW　THE　MULTIPLICITY　OF　THE　IDEAL…FORMS　CAME　INTO　BEING：　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　AND　UPON　THE　GOOD。

　　　　1。　God；　or　some　one　of　the　gods；　in　sending　the　souls　to　their　birth；　placed　eyes　in　the　face　to　catch　the　light　and　allotted　to　each　sense　the　appropriate　organ；　providing　thus　for　the　safety　which　comes　by　seeing　and　hearing　in　time　and；　seeking　or　avoiding　under　guidance　of　touch。　　　　　But　what　led　to　this　provision？　　　　　It　cannot　be　that　other　forms　of　being　were　produced　first　and　that；　these　perishing　in　the　absence　of　the　senses；　the　maker　at　last　supplied　the　means　by　which　men　and　other　living　beings　might　avert　disaster。　　　　　We　may　be　told　that　it　lay　within　the　divine　knowledge　that　animal　life　would　be　exposed　to　heat　and　cold　and　other　such　experiences　incident　to　body　and　that　in　this　knowledge　he　provided　the　senses　and　the　organs　apt　to　their　activity　in　order　that　the　living　total　might　not　fall　an　easy　prey。　　　　　Now；　either　he　gave　these　organs　to　souls　already　possessing　the　sensitive　powers　or　he　gave　senses　and　organs　alike。　　　　　But　if　the　souls　were　given　the　powers　as　well　as　the　organs；　then；　souls　though　they　were；　they　had　no　sensation　before　that　giving。　If　they　possessed　these　powers　from　the　moment　of　being　souls　and　became　souls　in　order　to　their　entry　into　process；　then　it　is　of　their　very　nature　to　belong　to　process；　unnatural　to　them　to　be　outside　of　process　and　within　the　Intellectual：　they　were　made　in　the　intent　that　they　should　belong　to　the　alien　and　have　their　being　amid　evil；　the　divine　provision　would　consist　in　holding　them　to　their　disaster；　this　is　God's　reasoned　purpose；　this　the　plan　entire。　　　　　Now　what　is　the　foundation　of　reasoned　plan？　　　　　Precedent　planning；　it　may　be；　but　still　we　are　forced　back　to　some　thing　or　things　determining　it。　What　would　these　be　here？　　　　　Either　sense…perception　or　intellect。　But　sense…perception　it　cannot　in　this　case　be：　intellect　is　left；　yet；　starting　from　intellect；　the　conclusion　will　be　knowledge；　not　therefore　the　handling　of　the　sensible；　what　begins　with　the　intellectual　and　proceeds　to　the　intellectual　can　certainly　not　end　in　dealings　with　the　sensible。　Providence；　then；　whether　over　living　beings　or　over　any　part　of　the　universe　was　never　the　outcome　of　plan。　　　　　There　is　in　fact　no　planning　There；　we　speak　of　reasoned　purpose　in　the　world　of　things　only　to　convey　that　the　universe　is　of　the　character　which　in　the　later　order　would　point　to　a　wise　purposing；　Providence　implies　that　things　are　as；　in　the　later　order；　a　competent　foreplanning　would　produce　them。　Reasoning　serves；　in　beings　not　of　the　order　above　that　need；　to　supply　for　the　higher　power；　foresight　is　necessary　in　the　lack　of　power　which　could　dispense　with　it；　it　labours　towards　some　one　occurrence　in　preference　to　another　and　it　goes　in　a　sort　of　dread　of　the　unfitting；　where　only　the　fitting　can　occur；　there　is　no　foreseeing。　So　with　planning；　where　one　only　of　two　things　can　be；　what　place　is　there　for　plan？　The　alone　and　one　and　utterly　simplex　cannot　involve　a　〃this　to　avert　that〃：　if　the　〃this〃　could　not　be；　the　〃that〃　must；　the　serviceable　thing　appeared　and　at　once　approved　itself　so。　　　　　But　surely　this　is　foreseeing；　deliberating：　are　we　not　back　at　what　was　said　at　the　beginning；　that　God　did　to　this　end　give　both　the　senses　and　the　powers；　however　perplexing　that　giving　be？　　　　　No：　all　turns　on　the　necessary　completeness　of　Act；　we　cannot　think　anything　belonging　to　God　to　be　other　than　a　whole　and　all　and　therefore　in　anything　of　God's　that　all　must　be　contained；　God　therefore　must　take　in　the　future；　present　beforehand。　Certainly　there　is　no　later　in　the　divine；　what　is　There　as　present　is　future　for　elsewhere。　If　then　the　future　is　present；　it　must　be　present　as　having　been　foreconceived　for　later　coming　to　be；　at　that　divine　stage　therefore　it　lacks　nothing　and　therefore　can　never　lack；　all　existed；　eternally　and　in　such　a　way　that　at　the　later　stage　any　particular　thing　may　be　said　to　exist　for　this　or　that　purpose；　the　All；　in　its　extension　and　so　to　speak　unfolding；　is　able　to　present　succession　while　yet　it　is　simultaneous；　this　is　because　it　contains　the　cause　of　all　as　inherent　to　itself。　　　　　2。　Thus　we　have　even　here　the　means　of　knowing　the　nature　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　though；　seeing　it　more　closely　than　anything　else；　we　still　see　it　at　less　than　its　worth。　We　know　that　it　exists　but　its　cause　we　do　not　see；　or；　if　we　do；　we　see　that　cause　as　something　apart。　We　see　a　man…　or　an　eye；　if　you　like…　but　this　is　an　image　or　part　of　an　image；　what　is　in　that　Principle　is　at　once　Man　and　the　reason　of　his　being；　for　There　man…　or　eye…　must　be；　itself；　an　intellective　thing　and　a　cause　of　its　being；　it　could　not　exist　at　all　unless　it　were　that　cause；　whereas　here；　everything　partial　is　separate　and　so　is　the　cause　of　each。　In　the　Intellectual；　all　is　at　one　so　that　the　thing　is　identical　with　the　cause。　　　　　Even　here　the　thing　and　its　cause　are　often　identical…　an　eclipse　furnishes　an　example…　what　then　is　there　to　prevent　other　things　too　being　identical　with　their　cause　and　this　cause　being　the　essence　of　the　thing？　It　must　be　so；　and　by　this　search　after　the　cause　the　thing's　essence　is　reached；　for　the　essence　of　a　thing　is　its　cause。　I　am　not　here　saying　that　the　informing　Idea　is　the　cause　of　the　thing…　though　this　is　true…　but　that　the　Idea　itself；　unfolded；　reveals　the　cause　inherent　in　it。　　　　　A　thing　of　inactivity；　even　though　alive；　cannot　include　its　own　cause；　but　where　could　a　Forming…Idea；　a　member　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　turn　in　quest　of　its　cause？　We　may　be　answered　〃In　the　Intellectual…Principle〃；　but　the　two　are　not　distinct；　the　Idea　is　the　Intellectual…Principle；　and　if　that　Principle　must　contain　the　Ideas　complete；　their　cause　must　be　contained　in　them。　The　Intellectual…Principle　itself　contains　every　cause　of　the　things　of　its　content；　but　these　of　its　content　are　identically　Intellectual…Principle；　each　of　them　Intellectual…Principle；　none　of　them；　thus；　can　lack　its　own　cause；　each　springs　into　being　carrying　with　it　the　reason　of　its　being。　No　result　of　chance；　each　must　rise　complete　with　its　cause；　it　is　an　integral　and　so　includes　the　excellence　bound　up　with　the　cause。　This　is　how　all　participants　in　the　Idea　are　put　into　possession　of　their　cause。　　　　　In　our　universe；　a　coherent　total　of　multiplicity；　the　several　items　are　linked　each　to　the　other；　and　by　the　fact　that　it　is　an　all　every　cause　is　included　in　it：　even　in　the　particular　thing　the　part　is　discernibly　related　to　the　whole；　for　the　parts　do　not　come　into　being　separately　and　successively　but　are　mutually　cause　and　caused　at　one　and　the　same　moment。　Much　more　in　the　higher　realm　must　all　the　singles　exist　for　the　whole　and　each　for　itself：　if　then　that　world　is　the　conjoint　reality　of　all；　of　an　all　not　chance…ruled　and　not　sectional；　the　cause　There　must　include　the　causes：　every　item　must　hold；　in　its　very　nature；　the　uncaused　possession　of　its　cause；　uncaused；　independent　and　standing　apart　from　cause；　they　must　be　self…contained；　cause　and　all。　　　　　Further；　since　nothing　There　is　chance…sprung；　and　the　multiplicity　in　each　comprehends　the　entire　content；　then　the　cause　of　every　member　can　be　named；　the　cause　was　present　from　the　beginning；　inherent；　not　a　cause　but　a　fact　of　the　being；　or；　rather；