the six enneads-第197章

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y　serve　as　base　to　the　Form　of　the　Firsts；　the　Formless　Form。　And　it　takes　position　towards　the　soul；　becoming　a　light　to　the　soul　as　itself　finds　its　light　in　the　First；　whenever　Intellectual…Principle　becomes　the　determinant　of　soul　it　shapes　it　into　Reasoning　Soul；　by　communicating　a　trace　of　what　itself　has　come　to　possess。　　　　　Thus　Intellectual…Principle　is　a　vestige　of　the　Supreme；　but　since　the　vestige　is　a　Form　going　out　into　extension；　into　plurality；　that　Prior；　as　the　source　of　Form；　must　be　itself　without　shape　and　Form：　if　the　Prior　were　a　Form；　the　Intellectual…Principle　itself　could　be　only　a　Reason…Principle。　It　was　necessary　that　The　First　be　utterly　without　multiplicity；　for　otherwise　it　must　be　again　referred　to　a　prior。　　　　　18。　But　in　what　way　is　the　content　of　Intellectual…Principle　participant　in　good？　Is　it　because　each　member　of　it　is　an　Idea　or　because　of　their　beauty　or　how？　　　　　Anything　coming　from　The　Good　carries　the　image　and　type　belonging　to　that　original　or　deriving　from　it；　as　anything　going　back　to　warmth　or　sweetness　carries　the　memory　of　those　originals：　Life　entered　into　Intellectual…Principle　from　The　Supreme；　for　its　origin　is　in　the　Activity　streaming　Thence；　Intellectual…Principle　springs　from　the　Supreme；　and　with　it　the　beauty　of　the　Ideas；　at　once　all　these；　Life；　Intellectual…Principle；　Idea；　must　inevitably　have　goodness。　　　　　But　what　is　the　common　element　in　them？　Derivation　from　the　First　is　not　enough　to　procure　identical　quality；　there　must　be　some　element　held　in　common　by　the　things　derived：　one　source　may　produce　many　differing　things　as　also　one　outgoing　thing　may　take　difference　in　various　recipients：　what　enters　into　the　First　Act　is　different　from　what　that　Act　transmits　and　there　is　difference；　again；　in　the　effect　here。　Nonetheless　every　item　may　be　good　in　a　degree　of　its　own。　To　what；　then；　is　the　highest　degree　due？　　　　　But　first　we　must　ask　whether　Life　is　a　good；　bare　Life；　or　only　the　Life　streaming　Thence；　very　different　from　the　Life　known　here？　Once　more；　then；　what　constitutes　the　goodness　of　Life？　　　　　The　Life　of　The　Good；　or　rather　not　its　Life　but　that　given　forth　from　it。　　　　　But　if　in　that　higher　Life　there　must　be　something　from　That；　something　which　is　the　Authentic　Life；　we　must　admit　that　since　nothing　worthless　can　come　Thence　Life　in　itself　is　good；　so　too　we　must　admit；　in　the　case　of　Authentic　Intellectual…Principle；　that　its　Life　because　good　derives　from　that　First；　thus　it　becomes　clear　that　every　Idea　is　good　and　informed　by　the　Good。　The　Ideas　must　have　something　of　good；　whether　as　a　common　property　or　as　a　distinct　attribution　or　as　held　in　some　distinct　measure。　　　　　Thus　it　is　established　that　the　particular　Idea　contains　in　its　essence　something　of　good　and　thereby　becomes　a　good　thing；　for　Life　we　found　to　be　good　not　in　the　bare　being　but　in　its　derivation　from　the　Authentic；　the　Supreme　whence　it　sprung：　and　the　same　is　true　of　Intellectual…Principle：　we　are　forced　therefore　admit　a　certain　identity。　　　　　When；　with　all　their　differences；　things　may　be　affirmed　to　have　a　measure　of　identity；　the　matter　of　the　identity　may　very　well　be　established　in　their　very　essence　and　yet　be　mentally　abstracted；　thus　life　in　man　or　horse　yields　the　notion　of　animal；　from　water　or　fire　we　may　get　that　of　warmth；　the　first　case　is　a　definition　of　Kind；　the　other　two　cite　qualities；　primary　and　secondary　respectively。　Both　or　one　part　of　Intellect；　then；　would　be　called　by　the　one　term　good。　　　　　Is　The　Good；　then；　inherent　in　the　Ideas　essentially？　Each　of　them　is　good　but　the　goodness　is　not　that　of　the　Unity…Good。　How；　then；　is　it　present？　　　　　By　the　mode　of　parts。　　　　　But　The　Good　is　without　parts？　　　　　No　doubt　The　Good　is　a　unity；　but　here　it　has　become　particularized。　The　First　Activity　is　good　and　anything　determined　in　accord　with　it　is　good　as　also　is　any　resultant。　There　is　the　good　that　is　good　by　origin　in　The　First；　the　good　that　is　in　an　ordered　system　derived　from　that　earlier；　and　the　good　that　is　in　the　actualization　＇in　the　thing　participant＇。　Derived；　then；　not　identical…　like　the　speech　and　walk　and　other　characteristics　of　one　man；　each　playing　its　due　part。　　　　　Here；　it　is　obvious；　goodness　depends　upon　order；　rhythm；　but　what　equivalent　exists　There？　　　　　We　might　answer　that　in　the　case　of　the　sense…order；　too；　the　good　is　imposed　since　the　ordering　is　of　things　different　from　the　Orderer　but　that　There　the　very　things　are　good。　　　　　But　why　are　they　thus　good　in　themselves？　We　cannot　be　content　with　the　conviction　of　their　goodness　on　the　ground　of　their　origin　in　that　realm：　we　do　not　deny　that　things　deriving　Thence　are　good；　but　our　subject　demands　that　we　discover　the　mode　by　which　they　come　to　possess　that　goodness。　　　　　19。　Are　we　to　rest　all　on　pursuit　and　on　the　soul？　Is　it　enough　to　put　faith　in　the　soul's　choice　and　call　that　good　which　the　soul　pursues；　never　asking　ourselves　the　motive　of　its　choice？　We　marshal　demonstration　as　to　the　nature　of　everything　else；　is　the　good　to　be　dismissed　as　choice？　　　　　Several　absurdities　would　be　entailed。　The　good　becomes　a　mere　attribute　of　things；　objects　of　pursuit　are　many　and　different　so　that　mere　choice　gives　no　assurance　that　the　thing　chosen　is　the　best；　in　fact；　we　cannot　know　the　best　until　we　know　the　good。　　　　　Are　we　to　determine　the　good　by　the　respective　values　of　things？　　　　　This　is　to　make　Idea　and　Reason…Principle　the　test：　all　very　well；　but　arrived　at　these；　what　explanation　have　we　to　give　as　to　why　Idea　and　Reason…Principle　themselves　are　good？　In　the　lower；　we　recognise　goodness…　in　its　less　perfect　form…　by　comparison　with　what　is　poorer　still；　we　are　without　a　standard　There　where　no　evil　exists；　the　Bests　holding　the　field　alone。　Reason　demands　to　know　what　constitutes　goodness；　those　principles　are　good　in　their　own　nature　and　we　are　left　in　perplexity　because　cause　and　fact　are　identical：　and　even　though　we　should　state　a　cause；　the　doubt　still　remains　until　our　reason　claims　its　rights　There。　But　we　need　not　abandon　the　search；　another　path　may　lead　to　the　light。　　　　　20。　Since　we　are　not　entitled　to　make　desire　the　test　by　which　to　decide　on　the　nature　and　quality　of　the　good；　we　may　perhaps　have　recourse　to　judgement。　　　　　We　would　apply　the　opposition　of　things…　order；　disorder；　symmetry；　irregularity；　health；　illness；　form；　shapelessness；　real…being；　decay：　in　a　word　continuity　against　dissolution。　The　first　in　each　pair；　no　one　could　doubt；　belong　to　the　concept　of　good　and　therefore　whatever　tends　to　produce　them　must　be　ranged　on　the　good　side。　　　　　Thus　virtue　and　Intellectual…Principle　and　life　and　soul…　reasoning　soul；　at　least…　belong　to　the　idea　of　good　and　so　therefore　does　all　that　a　reasoned　life　aims　at。　　　　　Why　not　halt；　then…　it　will　be　asked…　at　Intellectual…Principle　and　make　that　The　Good？　Soul　and　life　are　traces　of　Intellectual…Principle；　that　principle　is　the　Term　of　Soul　which　on　judgement　sets　itself　towards　Intellectual…Principle；　pronouncing　right　preferable　to　wrong　and　virtue　in　every　form　to　vice；　and　thus　ranking　by　its　choosing。　　　　　The　soul　aiming　only　at　that　Principle　would　need　a　further　lessoning；　it　must　be　taught　that　Intellectual…Principle　is　not　the　ultimate；　that　not　all　things　look　to　that　while　all　do　look　to　the　good。　Not　all　that　is　outside　of　Intellectual…Principle　seeks　to　attain　it；　what　has　attained　it　does　not　halt　there　but　looks　still　towards　good。　Besides；　Intellectual…Principle　is　sought　upon　motives　of　reasoning；　the　good　before　all　reason。　And　in　any　striving　towards　life　and　continuity　of　existence　and　activity；　the　object　is　aimed　at　not　as　Intellectual…Principle　but　as　good；　as　rising　from　good　and　leading　to　it：　life　itself　is　desirable　only　in　view　of　good。　　　　　21。　Now　what　in　all　these　objects　of　desire　is　the　fundamental　making　them　good？　　　　　We　must　be　bold：　　　　　Intellectual…Principle　and　that　life　are　of　the　order　of　good　and　hold　their　desirability；　even　they；　in　virtue　of　belonging　to　that　order；　they　have　their　goodness；　I　mean；　because　Life　is　an　Activity　in　The　Good；…　Or　rather；　streaming　from　The　Good…　while　Intellectual…Principle　is　an　Activity　already　defined　Therein；　both　are　of　radiant　be