the six enneads-第50章

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　and　grows；　and　even　all　in　me　that　you　may　judge　inanimate。

　　　　But　there　are　degrees　of　participation：　here　no　more　than　Existence；　elsewhere　Life；　and；　in　Life；　sometimes　mainly　that　of　Sensation；　higher　again　that　of　Reason；　finally　Life　in　all　its　fullness。　We　have　no　right　to　demand　equal　powers　in　the　unequal：　the　finger　is　not　to　be　asked　to　see；　there　is　the　eye　for　that；　a　finger　has　its　own　business…　to　be　finger　and　have　finger　power。　　　　　4。　That　water　extinguishes　fire　and　fire　consumes　other　things　should　not　astonish　us。　The　thing　destroyed　derived　its　being　from　outside　itself：　this　is　no　case　of　a　self…originating　substance　being　annihilated　by　an　external；　it　rose　on　the　ruin　of　something　else；　and　thus　in　its　own　ruin　it　suffers　nothing　strange；　and　for　every　fire　quenched；　another　is　kindled。　　　　　In　the　immaterial　heaven　every　member　is　unchangeably　itself　for　ever；　in　the　heavens　of　our　universe；　while　the　whole　has　life　eternally　and　so　too　all　the　nobler　and　lordlier　components；　the　Souls　pass　from　body　to　body　entering　into　varied　forms…　and；　when　it　may；　a　Soul　will　rise　outside　of　the　realm　of　birth　and　dwell　with　the　one　Soul　of　all。　For　the　embodied　lives　by　virtue　of　a　Form　or　Idea：　individual　or　partial　things　exist　by　virtue　of　Universals；　from　these　priors　they　derive　their　life　and　maintenance；　for　life　here　is　a　thing　of　change；　only　in　that　prior　realm　is　it　unmoving。　From　that　unchangingness；　change　had　to　emerge；　and　from　that　self…cloistered　Life　its　derivative；　this　which　breathes　and　stirs；　the　respiration　of　the　still　life　of　the　divine。　　　　　The　conflict　and　destruction　that　reign　among　living　beings　are　inevitable；　since　things　here　are　derived；　brought　into　existence　because　the　Divine　Reason　which　contains　all　of　them　in　the　upper　Heavens…　how　could　they　come　here　unless　they　were　There？…　must　outflow　over　the　whole　extent　of　Matter。　　　　　Similarly；　the　very　wronging　of　man　by　man　may　be　derived　from　an　effort　towards　the　Good；　foiled；　in　their　weakness；　of　their　true　desire；　they　turn　against　each　other：　still；　when　they　do　wrong；　they　pay　the　penalty…　that　of　having　hurt　their　Souls　by　their　evil　conduct　and　of　degradation　to　a　lower　place…　for　nothing　can　ever　escape　what　stands　decreed　in　the　law　of　the　Universe。　　　　　This　is　not　to　accept　the　idea；　sometimes　urged；　that　order　is　an　outcome　of　disorder　and　law　of　lawlessness；　as　if　evil　were　a　necessary　preliminary　to　their　existence　or　their　manifestation：　on　the　contrary　order　is　the　original　and　enters　this　sphere　as　imposed　from　without：　it　is　because　order；　law　and　reason　exist　that　there　can　be　disorder；　breach　of　law　and　unreason　exist　because　Reason　exists…　not　that　these　better　things　are　directly　the　causes　of　the　bad　but　simply　that　what　ought　to　absorb　the　Best　is　prevented　by　its　own　nature；　or　by　some　accident；　or　by　foreign　interference。　An　entity　which　must　look　outside　itself　for　a　law；　may　be　foiled　of　its　purpose　by　either　an　internal　or　an　external　cause；　there　will　be　some　flaw　in　its　own　nature；　or　it　will　be　hurt　by　some　alien　influence；　for　often　harm　follows；　unintended；　upon　the　action　of　others　in　the　pursuit　of　quite　unrelated　aims。　Such　living　beings；　on　the　other　hand；　as　have　freedom　of　motion　under　their　own　will　sometimes　take　the　right　turn；　sometimes　the　wrong。　　　　　Why　the　wrong　course　is　followed　is　scarcely　worth　enquiring：　a　slight　deviation　at　the　beginning　develops　with　every　advance　into　a　continuously　wider　and　graver　error…　especially　since　there　is　the　attached　body　with　its　inevitable　concomitant　of　desire…　and　the　first　step；　the　hasty　movement　not　previously　considered　and　not　immediately　corrected；　ends　by　establishing　a　set　habit　where　there　was　at　first　only　a　fall。　　　　　Punishment　naturally　follows：　there　is　no　injustice　in　a　man　suffering　what　belongs　to　the　condition　in　which　he　is；　nor　can　we　ask　to　be　happy　when　our　actions　have　not　earned　us　happiness；　the　good；　only；　are　happy；　divine　beings　are　happy　only　because　they　are　good。　　　　　5。　Now；　once　Happiness　is　possible　at　all　to　Souls　in　this　Universe；　if　some　fail　of　it；　the　blame　must　fall　not　upon　the　place　but　upon　the　feebleness　insufficient　to　the　staunch　combat　in　the　one　arena　where　the　rewards　of　excellence　are　offered。　Men　are　not　born　divine；　what　wonder　that　they　do　not　enjoy　a　divine　life。　And　poverty　and　sickness　mean　nothing　to　the　good…　only　to　the　evil　are　they　disastrous…　and　where　there　is　body　there　must　be　ill　health。　　　　　Besides；　these　accidents　are　not　without　their　service　in　the　co…ordination　and　completion　of　the　Universal　system。　　　　　One　thing　perishes；　and　the　Kosmic　Reason…　whose　control　nothing　anywhere　eludes…　employs　that　ending　to　the　beginning　of　something　new；　and；　so；　when　the　body　suffers　and　the　Soul；　under　the　affliction；　loses　power；　all　that　has　been　bound　under　illness　and　evil　is　brought　into　a　new　set　of　relations；　into　another　class　or　order。　Some　of　these　troubles　are　helpful　to　the　very　sufferers…　poverty　and　sickness；　for　example…　and　as　for　vice；　even　this　brings　something　to　the　general　service：　it　acts　as　a　lesson　in　right　doing；　and；　in　many　ways　even；　produces　good；　thus；　by　setting　men　face　to　face　with　the　ways　and　consequences　of　iniquity；　it　calls　them　from　lethargy；　stirs　the　deeper　mind　and　sets　the　understanding　to　work；　by　the　contrast　of　the　evil　under　which　wrong…doers　labour　it　displays　the　worth　of　the　right。　Not　that　evil　exists　for　this　purpose；　but；　as　we　have　indicated；　once　the　wrong　has　come　to　be；　the　Reason　of　the　Kosmos　employs　it　to　good　ends；　and；　precisely；　the　proof　of　the　mightiest　power　is　to　be　able　to　use　the　ignoble　nobly　and；　given　formlessness；　to　make　it　the　material　of　unknown　forms。　　　　　The　principle　is　that　evil　by　definition　is　a　falling　short　in　good；　and　good　cannot　be　at　full　strength　in　this　Sphere　where　it　is　lodged　in　the　alien：　the　good　here　is　in　something　else；　in　something　distinct　from　the　Good；　and　this　something　else　constitutes　the　falling　short　for　it　is　not　good。　And　this　is　why　evil　is　ineradicable：　there　is；　first；　the　fact　that　in　relation　to　this　principle　of　Good；　thing　will　always　stand　less　than　thing；　and；　besides；　all　things　come　into　being　through　it　and　are　what　they　are　by　standing　away　from　it。　　　　　6。　As　for　the　disregard　of　desert…　the　good　afflicted；　the　unworthy　thriving…　it　is　a　sound　explanation　no　doubt　that　to　the　good　nothing　is　evil　and　to　the　evil　nothing　can　be　good：　still　the　question　remains　why　should　what　essentially　offends　our　nature　fall　to　the　good　while　the　wicked　enjoy　all　it　demands？　How　can　such　an　allotment　be　approved？　　　　　No　doubt　since　pleasant　conditions　add　nothing　to　true　happiness　and　the　unpleasant　do　not　lessen　the　evil　in　the　wicked；　the　conditions　matter　little：　as　well　complain　that　a　good　man　happens　to　be　ugly　and　a　bad　man　handsome。　　　　　Still；　under　such　a　dispensation；　there　would　surely　be　a　propriety；　a　reasonableness；　a　regard　to　merit　which；　as　things　are；　do　not　appear；　though　this　would　certainly　be　in　keeping　with　the　noblest　Providence：　even　though　external　conditions　do　not　affect　a　man's　hold　upon　good　or　evil；　none　the　less　it　would　seem　utterly　unfitting　that　the　bad　should　be　the　masters；　be　sovereign　in　the　state；　while　honourable　men　are　slaves：　a　wicked　ruler　may　commit　the　most　lawless　acts；　and　in　war　the　worst　men　have　a　free　hand　and　perpetrate　every　kind　of　crime　against　their　prisoners。　　　　　We　are　forced　to　ask　how　such　things　can　be；　under　a　Providence。　Certainly　a　maker　must　consider　his　work　as　a　whole；　but　none　the　less　he　should　see　to　the　due　ordering　of　all　the　parts；　especially　when　these　parts　have　Soul；　that　is；　are　Living　and　Reasoning　Beings：　the　Providence　must　reach　to　all　the　details；　its　functioning　must　consist　in　neglecting　no　point。　　　　　Holding；　therefore；　as　we　do；　despite　all；　that　the　Universe　lies　under　an　Intellectual　Principle　whose　power　has　touched　every　existent；　we　cannot　be　absolved　from　the　attempt　to　show　in　what　way　the　detail　of　this　sphere　is　just。　　　　　7。　A　preliminary　observation：　in　looking　for　excellence　in　this　thing　of　mixture；　the　Kosmos；　we　cannot　require　all　that　is　implied　in　the　excellence　of　the　unmingled；　it　i