the six enneads-第63章

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ifest　in　it　with　the　images　of　whatever　is　lovely…　Soul　which；　taken　as　one　all；　is　Aphrodite；　while　in　it　may　be　distinguished　the　Reason…Principles　summed　under　the　names　of　Plenty　and　Possession；　produced　by　the　downflow　of　the　Nectar　of　the　over　realm。　The　splendours　contained　in　Soul　are　thought　of　as　the　garden　of　Zeus　with　reference　to　their　existing　within　Life；　and　Poros　sleeps　in　this　garden　in　the　sense　of　being　sated　and　heavy　with　its　produce。　Life　is　eternally　manifest；　an　eternal　existent　among　the　existences；　and　the　banqueting　of　the　gods　means　no　more　than　that　they　have　their　Being　in　that　vital　blessedness。　And　Love…　〃born　at　the　banquet　of　the　gods〃…　has　of　necessity　been　eternally　in　existence；　for　it　springs　from　the　intention　of　the　Soul　towards　its　Best；　towards　the　Good；　as　long　as　Soul　has　been；　Love　has　been。　　　　　Still　this　Love　is　of　mixed　quality。　On　the　one　hand　there　is　in　it　the　lack　which　keeps　it　craving：　on　the　other；　it　is　not　entirely　destitute；　the　deficient　seeks　more　of　what　it　has；　and　certainly　nothing　absolutely　void　of　good　would　ever　go　seeking　the　good。　　　　　It　is　said　then　to　spring　from　Poverty　and　Possession　in　the　sense　that　Lack　and　Aspiration　and　the　Memory　of　the　Ideal　Principles；　all　present　together　in　the　Soul；　produce　that　Act　towards　The　Good　which　is　Love。　Its　Mother　is　Poverty；　since　striving　is　for　the　needy；　and　this　Poverty　is　Matter；　for　Matter　is　the　wholly　poor：　the　very　ambition　towards　the　good　is　a　sign　of　existing　indetermination；　there　is　a　lack　of　shape　and　of　Reason　in　that　which　must　aspire　towards　the　Good；　and　the　greater　degree　of　effort　implies　the　lower　depth　of　materiality。　A　thing　aspiring　towards　the　Good　is　an　Ideal…principle　only　when　the　striving　＇with　attainment＇　will　leave　it　still　unchanged　in　Kind：　when　it　must　take　in　something　other　than　itself；　its　aspiration　is　the　presentment　of　Matter　to　the　incoming　power。　　　　　Thus　Love　is　at　once；　in　some　degree　a　thing　of　Matter　and　at　the　same　time　a　Celestial；　sprung　of　the　Soul；　for　Love　lacks　its　Good　but；　from　its　very　birth；　strives　towards　It。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SIXTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　IMPASSIVITY　OF　THE　UNEMBODIED。

　　　　1。　In　our　theory；　feelings　are　not　states；　they　are　action　upon　experience；　action　accompanied　by　judgement：　the　states；　we　hold；　are　seated　elsewhere；　they　may　be　referred　to　the　vitalized　body；　the　judgement　resides　in　the　Soul；　and　is　distinct　from　the　state…　for；　if　it　is　not　distinct；　another　judgement　is　demanded；　one　that　is　distinct；　and；　so；　we　may　be　sent　back　for　ever。　　　　　Still；　this　leaves　it　undecided　whether　in　the　act　of　judgement　the　judging　faculty　does　or　does　not　take　to　itself　something　of　its　object。　　　　　If　the　judging　faculty　does　actually　receive　an　imprint；　then　it　partakes　of　the　state…　though　what　are　called　the　Impressions　may　be　of　quite　another　nature　than　is　supposed；　they　may　be　like　Thought；　that　is　to　say　they　may　be　acts　rather　than　states；　there　may　be；　here　too；　awareness　without　participation。　　　　　For　ourselves；　it　could　never　be　in　our　system…　or　in　our　liking…　to　bring　the　Soul　down　to　participation　in　such　modes　and　modifications　as　the　warmth　and　cold　of　material　frames。　　　　　What　is　known　as　the　Impressionable　faculty　of　the　soul…　to　pathetikon…　would　need　to　be　identified：　we　must　satisfy　ourselves　as　to　whether　this　too；　like　the　Soul　as　a　unity；　is　to　be　classed　as　immune　or；　on　the　contrary；　as　precisely　the　only　part　susceptible　of　being　affected；　this　question；　however；　may　be　held　over；　we　proceed　to　examine　its　preliminaries。　　　　　Even　in　the　superior　phase　of　the　Soul…　that　which　precedes　the　impressionable　faculty　and　any　sensation…　how　can　we　reconcile　immunity　with　the　indwelling　of　vice；　false　notions；　ignorance？　Inviolability；　and　yet　likings　and　dislikings；　the　Soul　enjoying；　grieving；　angry；　grudging；　envying；　desiring；　never　at　peace　but　stirring　and　shifting　with　everything　that　confronts　it！　　　　　If　the　Soul　were　material　and　had　magnitude；　it　would　be　difficult；　indeed　quite　impossible；　to　make　it　appear　to　be　immune；　unchangeable；　when　any　of　such　emotions　lodge　in　it。　And　even　considering　it　as　an　Authentic　Being；　devoid　of　magnitude　and　necessarily　indestructible；　we　must　be　very　careful　how　we　attribute　any　such　experiences　to　it　or　we　will　find　ourselves　unconsciously　making　it　subject　to　dissolution。　If　its　essence　is　a　Number　or　as　we　hold　a　Reason…Principle；　under　neither　head　could　it　be　susceptible　of　feeling。　We　can　think；　only；　that　it　entertains　unreasoned　reasons　and　experiences　unexperienced；　all　transmuted　from　the　material　frames；　foreign　and　recognized　only　by　parallel；　so　that　it　possesses　in　a　kind　of　non…possession　and　knows　affection　without　being　affected。　How　this　can　be　demands　enquiry。　　　　　2。　Let　us　begin　with　virtue　and　vice　in　the　Soul。　What　has　really　occurred　when；　as　we　say；　vice　is　present？　In　speaking　of　extirpating　evil　and　implanting　goodness；　of　introducing　order　and　beauty　to　replace　a　former　ugliness；　we　talk　in　terms　of　real　things　in　the　Soul。　　　　　Now　when　we　make　virtue　a　harmony；　and　vice　a　breach　of　harmony；　we　accept　an　opinion　approved　by　the　ancients；　and　the　theory　helps　us　decidedly　to　our　solution。　For　if　virtue　is　simply　a　natural　concordance　among　the　phases　of　the　Soul；　and　vice　simply　a　discord；　then　there　is　no　further　question　of　any　foreign　presence；　harmony　would　be　the　result　of　every　distinct　phase　or　faculty　joining　in；　true　to　itself；　discord　would　mean　that　not　all　chimed　in　at　their　best　and　truest。　Consider；　for　example；　the　performers　in　a　choral　dance；　they　sing　together　though　each　one　has　his　particular　part；　and　sometimes　one　voice　is　heard　while　the　others　are　silent；　and　each　brings　to　the　chorus　something　of　his　own；　it　is　not　enough　that　all　lift　their　voices　together；　each　must　sing；　choicely；　his　own　part　to　the　music　set　for　him。　Exactly　so　in　the　case　of　the　Soul；　there　will　be　harmony　when　each　faculty　performs　its　appropriate　part。　　　　　Yes：　but　this　very　harmony　constituting　the　virtue　of　the　Soul　must　depend　upon　a　previous　virtue；　that　of　each　several　faculty　within　itself；　and　before　there　can　be　the　vice　of　discord　there　must　be　the　vice　of　the　single　parts；　and　these　can　be　bad　only　by　the　actual　presence　of　vice　as　they　can　be　good　only　by　the　presence　of　virtue。　It　is　true　that　no　presence　is　affirmed　when　vice　is　identified　with　ignorance　in　the　reasoning　faculty　of　the　Soul；　ignorance　is　not　a　positive　thing；　but　in　the　presence　of　false　judgements…　the　main　cause　of　vice…　must　it　not　be　admitted　that　something　positive　has　entered　into　the　Soul；　something　perverting　the　reasoning　faculty？　So；　the　initiative　faculty；　is　it　not；　itself；　altered　as　one　varies　between　timidity　and　boldness？　And　the　desiring　faculty；　similarly；　as　it　runs　wild　or　accepts　control？　　　　　Our　teaching　is　that　when　the　particular　faculty　is　sound　it　performs　the　reasonable　act　of　its　essential　nature；　obeying　the　reasoning　faculty　in　it　which　derives　from　the　Intellectual　Principle　and　communicates　to　the　rest。　And　this　following　of　reason　is　not　the　acceptance　of　an　imposed　shape；　it　is　like　using　the　eyes；　the　Soul　sees　by　its　act；　that　of　looking　towards　reason。　The　faculty　of　sight　in　the　performance　of　its　act　is　essentially　what　it　was　when　it　lay　latent；　its　act　is　not　a　change　in　it；　but　simply　its　entering　into　the　relation　that　belongs　to　its　essential　character；　it　knows…　that　is；　sees…　without　suffering　any　change：　so；　precisely；　the　reasoning　phase　of　the　Soul　stands　towards　the　Intellectual　Principle；　this　it　sees　by　its　very　essence；　this　vision　is　its　knowing　faculty；　it　takes　in　no　stamp；　no　impression；　all　that　enters　it　is　the　object　of　vision…　possessed；　once　more；　without　possession；　it　possesses　by　the　fact　of　knowing　but　〃without　possession〃　in　the　sense　that　there　is　no　incorporation　of　anything　left　behind　by　the　object　of　vision；　like　the　impression　of　the　seal　on　sealing…wax。　　　　　And　note　that　we　do　not　appeal　to　stored…up　impressions　to　account　for　memory：　we　think　of　the　mind　awakening　its　powers　in　such　a　way　as　to　possess　something　not　present　to　it。　　　　　Very　good：　but　is　it　not　different　before　and　after　acquir