the six enneads-第31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！


　object；　where　there　is　decay　there　is　a　distinction　between　Matter　and　Form。　　　　　And　the　reasoning　which　shows　the　destructible　to　be　a　compound　is　borne　out　by　practical　examples　of　reduction：　a　drinking　vessel　is　reduced　to　its　gold；　the　gold　to　liquid；　analogy　forces　us　to　believe　that　the　liquid　too　is　reducible。　　　　　The　basic…constituents　of　things　must　be　either　their　Form…Idea　or　that　Primal　Matter　＇of　the　Intelligible＇　or　a　compound　of　the　Form　and　Matter。　　　　　Form…Idea；　pure　and　simple；　they　cannot　be：　for　without　Matter　how　could　things　stand　in　their　mass　and　magnitude？　　　　　Neither　can　they　be　that　Primal　Matter；　for　they　are　not　indestructible。　　　　　They　must；　therefore；　consist　of　Matter　and　Form…Idea…　Form　for　quality　and　shape；　Matter　for　the　base；　indeterminate　as　being　other　than　Idea。　　　　　7。　Empedokles　in　identifying　his　〃elements〃　with　Matter　is　refuted　by　their　decay。　　　　　Anaxagoras；　in　identifying　his　〃primal…combination〃　with　Matter…　to　which　he　allots　no　mere　aptness　to　any　and　every　nature　or　quality　but　the　effective　possession　of　all…　withdraws　in　this　way　the　very　Intellectual…Principle　he　had　introduced；　for　this　Mind　is　not　to　him　the　bestower　of　shape；　of　Forming　Idea；　and　it　is　co…aeval　with　Matter；　not　its　prior。　But　this　simultaneous　existence　is　impossible：　for　if　the　combination　derives　Being　by　participation；　Being　is　the　prior；　if　both　are　Authentic　Existents；　then　an　additional　Principle；　a　third；　is　imperative　＇a　ground　of　unification＇。　And　if　this　Creator；　Mind；　must　pre…exist；　why　need　Matter　contain　the　Forming…Ideas　parcel…wise　for　the　Mind；　with　unending　labour；　to　assort　and　allot？　Surely　the　undetermined　could　be　brought　to　quality　and　pattern　in　the　one　comprehensive　act？　　　　　As　for　the　notion　that　all　is　in　all；　this　clearly　is　impossible。　　　　　Those　who　make　the　base　to　be　〃the　infinite〃　must　define　the　term。　　　　　If　this　〃infinite〃　means　〃of　endless　extension〃　there　is　no　infinite　among　beings；　there　is　neither　an　infinity…in…itself　＇Infinity　Abstract＇　nor　an　infinity　as　an　attribute　to　some　body；　for　in　the　first　case　every　part　of　that　infinity　would　be　infinite　and　in　the　second　an　object　in　which　the　infinity　was　present　as　an　attribute　could　not　be　infinite　apart　from　that　attribute；　could　not　be　simplex；　could　not　therefore　be　Matter。　　　　　Atoms　again　cannot　meet　the　need　of　a　base。　　　　　There　are　no　atoms；　all　body　is　divisible　endlessly：　besides　neither　the　continuity　nor　the　ductility　of　corporeal　things　is　explicable　apart　from　Mind；　or　apart　from　the　Soul　which　cannot　be　made　up　of　atoms；　and；　again；　out　of　atoms　creation　could　produce　nothing　but　atoms：　a　creative　power　could　produce　nothing　from　a　material　devoid　of　continuity。　Any　number　of　reasons　might　be　brought；　and　have　been　brought；　against　this　hypothesis　and　it　need　detain　us　no　longer。　　　　　8。　What；　then；　is　this　Kind；　this　Matter；　described　as　one　stuff；　continuous　and　without　quality？　　　　　Clearly　since　it　is　without　quality　it　is　incorporeal；　bodiliness　would　be　quality。　　　　　It　must　be　the　basic　stuff　of　all　the　entities　of　the　sense…world　and　not　merely　base　to　some　while　being　to　others　achieved　form。　　　　　Clay；　for　example；　is　matter　to　the　potter　but　is　not　Matter　pure　and　simple。　Nothing　of　this　sort　is　our　object：　we　are　seeking　the　stuff　which　underlies　all　alike。　We　must　therefore　refuse　to　it　all　that　we　find　in　things　of　sense…　not　merely　such　attributes　as　colour；　heat　or　cold；　but　weight　or　weightlessness；　thickness　or　thinness；　shape　and　therefore　magnitude；　though　notice　that　to　be　present　within　magnitude　and　shape　is　very　different　from　possessing　these　qualities。　　　　　It　cannot　be　a　compound；　it　must　be　a　simplex；　one　distinct　thing　in　its　nature；　only　so　can　it　be　void　of　all　quality。　The　Principle　which　gives　it　form　gives　this　as　something　alien：　so　with　magnitude　and　all　really…existent　things　bestowed　upon　it。　If；　for　example；　it　possessed　a　magnitude　of　its　own；　the　Principle　giving　it　form　would　be　at　the　mercy　of　that　magnitude　and　must　produce　not　at　will；　but　only　within　the　limit　of　the　Matter's　capacity：　to　imagine　that　Will　keeping　step　with　its　material　is　fantastic。　　　　　The　Matter　must　be　of　later　origin　than　the　forming…power；　and　therefore　must　be　at　its　disposition　throughout；　ready　to　become　anything；　ready　therefore　to　any　bulk；　besides；　if　it　possessed　magnitude；　it　would　necessarily　possess　shape　also：　it　would　be　doubly　inductile。　　　　　No：　all　that　ever　appears　upon　it　is　brought　in　by　the　Idea：　the　Idea　alone　possesses：　to　it　belongs　the　magnitude　and　all　else　that　goes　with　the　Reason…Principle　or　follows　upon　it。　Quantity　is　given　with　the　Ideal…Form　in　all　the　particular　species…　man；　bird；　and　particular　kind　of　bird。　　　　　The　imaging　of　Quantity　upon　Matter　by　an　outside　power　is　not　more　surprising　than　the　imaging　of　Quality；　Quality　is　no　doubt　a　Reason…Principle；　but　Quantity　also…　being　measure；　number…　is　equally　so。　　　　　9。　But　how　can　we　conceive　a　thing　having　existence　without　having　magnitude？　　　　　We　have　only　to　think　of　things　whose　identity　does　not　depend　on　their　quantity…　for　certainly　magnitude　can　be　distinguished　from　existence　as　can　many　other　forms　and　attributes。　　　　　In　a　word；　every　unembodied　Kind　must　be　classed　as　without　quantity；　and　Matter　is　unembodied。　　　　　Besides　quantitativeness　itself　＇the　Absolute…Principle＇　does　not　possess　quantity；　which　belongs　only　to　things　participating　in　it；　a　consideration　which　shows　that　Quantitativeness　is　an　Idea…Principle。　A　white　object　becomes　white　by　the　presence　of　whiteness；　what　makes　an　organism　white　or　of　any　other　variety　of　colour　is　not　itself　a　specific　colour　but；　so　to　speak；　a　specific　Reason…Principle：　in　the　same　way　what　gives　an　organism　a　certain　bulk　is　not　itself　a　thing　of　magnitude　but　is　Magnitude　itself；　the　abstract　Absolute；　or　the　Reason…Principle。　　　　　This　Magnitude…Absolute；　then；　enters　and　beats　the　Matter　out　into　Magnitude？　　　　　Not　at　all：　the　Matter　was　not　previously　shrunken　small：　there　was　no　littleness　or　bigness：　the　Idea　gives　Magnitude　exactly　as　it　gives　every　quality　not　previously　present。　　　　　10。　But　how　can　I　form　the　conception　of　the　sizelessness　of　Matter？　　　　　How　do　you　form　the　concept　of　any　absence　of　quality？　What　is　the　Act　of　the　Intellect；　what　is　the　mental　approach；　in　such　a　case？　　　　　The　secret　is　Indetermination。　　　　　Likeness　knows　its　like：　the　indeterminate　knows　the　indeterminate。　Around　this　indefinite　a　definite　conception　will　be　realized；　but　the　way　lies　through　indefiniteness。　　　　　All　knowledge　comes　by　Reason　and　the　Intellectual　Act；　in　this　case　Reason　conveys　information　in　any　account　it　gives；　but　the　act　which　aims　at　being　intellectual　is；　here；　not　intellection　but　rather　its　failure：　therefore　the　representation　of　Matter　must　be　spurious；　unreal；　something　sprung　of　the　Alien；　of　the　unreal；　and　bound　up　with　the　alien　reason。　　　　　This　is　Plato's　meaning　where　he　says　that　Matter　is　apprehended　by　a　sort　of　spurious　reasoning。　　　　　What；　then；　is　this　indetermination　in　the　Soul？　Does　it　amount　to　an　utter　absence　of　Knowledge；　as　if　the　Soul　or　Mind　had　withdrawn？　　　　　No：　the　indeterminate　has　some　footing　in　the　sphere　of　affirmation。　The　eye　is　aware　of　darkness　as　a　base　capable　of　receiving　any　colour　not　yet　seen　against　it：　so　the　Mind；　putting　aside　all　attributes　perceptible　to　sense…　all　that　corresponds　to　light…　comes　upon　a　residuum　which　it　cannot　bring　under　determination：　it　is　thus　in　the　state　of　the　eye　which；　when　directed　towards　darkness；　has　become　in　some　way　identical　with　the　object　of　its　spurious　vision。　　　　　There　is　vision；　then；　in　this　approach　of　the　Mind　towards　Matter？　　　　　Some　vision；　yes；　of　shapelessness；　of　colourlessness；　of　the　unlit；　and　therefore　of　the　sizeless。　More　than　this　would　mean　that　the　Soul　is　already　bestowing　Form。　　　　　But　is　not　such　a　void　precisely　what　the　Soul　experiences　when　it　has　no　intellection　whatever？　　　　　No：　in　that　case　it　affirms　nothing；　or　rather　has　no　experience：　but　in　knowing　Matter；　it　has　an　experience；　what　may　be　described　as　the　impact　of　the　shapeless；　for　in　its　very　consciousness　of　objects　that　have　taken　shape　and　size　it　knows　them　as　c