the ethics(part ii)-第7章
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has ordered the images of things in his body。 For a soldier;
for instance; when he sees the tracks of a horse in sand; will
at once pass from the thought of a horse to the thought of a
horseman; and thence to the thought of war; &c。; while a
countryman will proceed from the thought of a horse to the
thought of a plough; a field; &c。 Thus every man will follow
this or that train of thought; according as he has been in the
habit of conjoining and associating the mental images of things
in this or that manner。
XIX。 The human mind has no knowledge of the body; and does not
know it to exist; save through the ideas of the modifications
whereby the body is affected。
》》》》》ProofThe human mind is the very idea or knowledge of the
human body (II。 xiii。); which (II。 ix。) is in God; in so far as
he is regarded as affected by another idea of a particular thing
actually existing: or; inasmuch as (Post。 iv。) the human body
stands in need of very many bodies whereby it is; as it were;
continually regenerated; and the order and connection of ideas
is the same as the order and connection of causes (II。 vii。);
this idea will therefore be in God; in so far as he is regarded
as affected by the ideas of very many particular things。 Thus
God has the idea of the human body; or knows the human body; in
so far as he is affected by very many other ideas; and not in so
far as he constitutes the nature of the human mind; that is (by
II。 xi。 Cor。); the human mind does not know the human body。 But
the ideas of the modifications of body are in God; in so far as
he constitutes the nature of the human mind; or the human mind
perceives those modifications (II。 xii。); and consequently (II。
xvi。) the human body itself; and as actually existing; therefore
the mind perceives thus far only the human body。 Q。E。D。
XX。 The idea or knowledge of the human mind is also in God;
following in God in the same manner; and being referred to God
in the same manner; as the idea or knowledge of the human body。
》》》》》ProofThought is an attribute of God (II。 i。); therefore
(II。 iii。) there must necessarily be in God the idea both of
thought itself and of all its modifications; consequently also
of the human mind (II。 xi。)。 Further; this idea or knowledge of
the mind does not follow from God; in so far as he is infinite;
but in so far as he is affected by another idea of an individual
thing (II。 ix。)。 But (II。 vii。) the order and connection of
ideas is the same as the order and connection of causes;
therefore this idea or knowledge of the mind is in God and is
referred to God; in the same manner as the idea or knowledge of
the body。 Q。E。D。
XXI。 This idea of the mind is united to the mind in the same way
as the mind is united to the body。
》》》》》ProofThat the mind is united to the body we have shown
from the fact; that the body is the object of the mind (II。 xii。
and xiii。); and so for the same reason the idea of the mind must
be united with its object; that is; with the mind in the same
manner as the mind is united to the body。 Q。E。D。
*****NoteThis proposition is comprehended much more clearly
from what we have said in the note to II。 vii。 We there showed
that the idea of body and body; that is; mind and body (II。
xiii。); are one and the same individual conceived now under the
attribute of thought; now under the attribute of extension;
wherefore the idea of the mind and the mind itself are one and
the same thing; which is conceived under one and the same
attribute; namely; thought。 The idea of the mind; I repeat; and
the mind itself are in God by the same necessity and follow from
him from the same power of thinking。 Strictly speaking; the
idea of the mind; that is; the idea of an idea; is nothing but
the distinctive quality (forma) of the idea in so far as it is
conceived as a mode of thought without reference to the object;
if a man knows anything; he; by that very fact; knows that he
knows it; and at the same time knows that he knows that he knows
it; and so on to infinity。 But I will treat of this hereafter。
XXII。 The human mind perceives not only the modifications of the
body; but also the ideas of such modifications。
》》》》》ProofThe ideas of the ideas of modifications follow in God
in the same manner; and are referred to God in the same manner;
as the ideas of the said modifications。 This is proved in the
same way as II。 xx。 But the ideas of the modifications of the
body are in the human mind (II。 xii。); that is; in God; in so
far as he constitutes the essence of the human mind; therefore
the ideas of these ideas will be in God; in so far as he has the
knowledge or idea of the human mind; that is (II。 xxi。); they
will be in the human mind itself; which therefore perceives not
only the modifications of the body; but also the ideas of such
modifications。 Q。E。D。
XXIII。 The mind does not know itself; except in so far as it
perceives the ideas of the modifications of the body。
》》》》》ProofThe idea or knowledge of the mind (II。 xx。) follows
in God in the same manner; and is referred to God in the same
manner; as the idea or knowledge of the body。 But since (II。
xix。) the human mind does not know the human body itself; that is
(II。 xi。 Cor。); since the knowledge of the human body is not
referred to God; in so far as he constitutes the nature of the
human mind; therefore; neither is the knowledge of the mind
referred to God; in so far as he constitutes the essence of the
human mind; therefore (by the same Cor。 II。 xi。); the human mind
thus far has no knowledge of itself。 Further the ideas of the
modifications; whereby the body is affected; involve the nature
of the human body itself (II。 xvi。); that is (II。 xiii。); they
agree with the nature of the mind; wherefore the knowledge of
these ideas necessarily involves knowledge of the mind; but (by
the last Prop。) the knowledge of these ideas is in the human
mind itself; wherefore the human mind thus far only has
knowledge of itself。 Q。E。D。
XXIV。 The human mind does not involve an adequate knowledge of
the parts composing the human body。
》》》》》ProofThe parts composing the human body do not belong to
the essence of that body; except in so far as they communicate
their motions to one another in a certain fixed relation (Def。
after Lemma iii。); not in so far as they can be regarded as
individuals without relation to the human body。 The parts of
the human body are highly complex individuals (Post。 i。); whose
parts (Lemma iv。) can be separated from the human body without in
any way destroying the nature and distinctive quality of the
latter; and they can communicate their motions (Ax。 i。; after
Lemma iii。) to other bodies in another relation; therefore (II。
iii。) the idea or knowledge of each part will be in God;
inasmuch (II。 ix。) as he is regarded as affected by another idea
of a particular thing; which particular thing is prior in the
order of nature to the aforesaid part (II。 vii。)。 We may affirm
the same thing of each part of each individual composing the
human body; therefore; the knowledge of each part composing the
human body is in God; in so far as he is affected by very many
ideas of things; and not in so far as he has the idea of the
human body only; in other words; the idea which constitutes the
nature of the human mind