on sleep and sleeplessness-第1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！





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　SLEEP　AND　SLEEPLESSNESS



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　by　Aristotle



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　translated　by　J。　I。　Beare



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　1







　　WITH　regard　to　sleep　and　waking；　we　must　consider　what　they　are：



whether　they　are　peculiar　to　soul　or　to　body；　or　common　to　both；　and



if　common；　to　what　part　of　soul　or　body　they　appertain：　further；



from　what　cause　it　arises　that　they　are　attributes　of　animals；　and



whether　all　animals　share　in　them　both；　or　some　partake　of　the　one



only；　others　of　the　other　only；　or　some　partake　of　neither　and　some　of



both。



　　Further；　in　addition　to　these　questions；　we　must　also　inquire　what



the　dream　is；　and　from　what　cause　sleepers　sometimes　dream；　and



sometimes　do　not；　or　whether　the　truth　is　that　sleepers　always　dream



but　do　not　always　remember　（their　dream）；　and　if　this　occurs；　what　its



explanation　is。



　　Again；　＇we　must　inquire＇　whether　it　is　possible　or　not　to　foresee



the　future　（in　dreams）；　and　if　it　be　possible；　in　what　manner；



further；　whether；　supposing　it　possible；　it　extends　only　to　things



to　be　accomplished　by　the　agency　of　Man；　or　to　those　also　of　which　the



cause　lies　in　supra…human　agency；　and　which　result　from　the　workings



of　Nature；　or　of　Spontaneity。



　　First；　then；　this　much　is　clear；　that　waking　and　sleep　appertain



to　the　same　part　of　an　animal；　inasmuch　as　they　are　opposites；　and



sleep　is　evidently　a　privation　of　waking。　For　contraries；　in　natural



as　well　as　in　all　other　matters；　are　seen　always　to　present　themselves



in　the　same　subject；　and　to　be　affections　of　the　same：　examples



are…health　and　sickness；　beauty　and　ugliness；　strength　and　weakness；



sight　and　blindness；　hearing　and　deafness。　This　is　also　clear　from　the



following　considerations。　The　criterion　by　which　we　know　the　waking



person　to　be　awake　is　identical　with　that　by　which　we　know　the　sleeper



to　be　asleep；　for　we　assume　that　one　who　is　exercising



sense…perception　is　awake；　and　that　every　one　who　is　awake　perceives



either　some　external　movement　or　else　some　movement　in　his　own



consciousness。　If　waking；　then；　consists　in　nothing　else　than　the



exercise　of　sense…perception；　the　inference　is　clear；　that　the



organ；　in　virtue　of　which　animals　perceive；　is　that　by　which　they



wake；　when　they　are　awake；　or　sleep；　when　they　are　awake；　or　sleep；



when　they　are　asleep。



　　But　since　the　exercise　of　sense…perception　does　not　belong　to　soul



or　body　exclusively；　then　（since　the　subject　of　actuality　is　in



every　case　identical　with　that　of　potentiality；　and　what　is　called



sense…perception；　as　actuality；　is　a　movement　of　the　soul　through



the　body）　it　is　clear　that　its　affection　is　not　an　affection　of　soul



exclusively；　and　that　a　soulless　body　has　not　the　potentiality　of



perception。　＇Thus　sleep　and　waking　are　not　attributes　of　pure



intelligence；　on　the　one　hand；　or　of　inanimate　bodies；　on　the　other。＇



　　Now；　whereas　we　have　already　elsewhere　distinguished　what　are　called



the　parts　of　the　soul；　and　whereas　the　nutrient　is；　in　all　living



bodies；　capable　of　existing　without　the　other　parts；　while　none　of　the



others　can　exist　without　the　nutrient；　it　is　clear　that　sleep　and



waking　are　not　affections　of　such　living　things　as　partake　only　of



growth　and　decay；　e。g。　not　of　plants；　because　these　have　not　the



faculty　of　sense…perception；　whether　or　not　this　be　capable　of



separate　existence；　in　its　potentiality；　indeed；　and　in　its



relationships；　it　is　separable。



　　Likewise　it　is　clear　that　＇of　those　which　either　sleep　or　wake＇



there　is　no　animal　which　is　always　awake　or　always　asleep；　but　that



both　these　affections　belong　＇alternately＇　to　the　same　animals。　For　if



there　be　an　animal　not　endued　with　sense…perception；　it　is



impossible　that　this　should　either　sleep　or　wake；　since　both　these　are



affections　of　the　activity　of　the　primary　faculty　of　sense…perception。



But　it　is　equally　impossible　also　that　either　of　these　two



affections　should　perpetually　attach　itself　to　the　same　animal；　e。g。



that　some　species　of　animal　should　be　always　asleep　or　always　awake；



without　intermission；　for　all　organs　which　have　a　natural　function



must　lose　power　when　they　work　beyond　the　natural　time…limit　of



their　working　period；　for　instance；　the　eyes　＇must　lose　power＇　from



＇too　long　continued＇　seeing；　and　must　give　it　up；　and　so　it　is　with



the　hand　and　every　other　member　which　has　a　function。　Now；　if



sense…perception　is　the　function　of　a　special　organ；　this　also；　if



it　continues　perceiving　beyond　the　appointed　time…limit　of　its



continuous　working　period；　will　lose　its　power；　and　will　do　its　work



no　longer。　Accordingly；　if　the　waking　period　is　determined　by　this



fact；　that　in　it　sense…perception　is　free；　if　in　the　case　of　some



contraries　one　of　the　two　must　be　present；　while　in　the　case　of　others



this　is　not　necessary；　if　waking　is　the　contrary　of　sleeping；　and



one　of　these　two　must　be　present　to　every　animal：　it　must　follow



that　the　state　of　sleeping　is　necessary。　Finally；　if　such　affection　is



Sleep；　and　this　is　a　state　of　powerlessness　arising　from　excess　of



waking；　and　excess　of　waking　is　in　its　origin　sometimes　morbid；



sometimes　not；　so　that　the　powerlessness　or　dissolution　of　activity



will　be　so　or　not；　it　is　inevitable　that　every　creature　which　wakes



must　also　be　capable　of　sleeping；　since　it　is　impossible　that　it



should　continue　actualizing　its　powers　perpetually。



　　So；　also；　it　is　impossible　for　any　animal　to　continue　always



sleeping。　For　sleep　is　an　affection　of　the　organ　of



sense…perceptiona　sort　of　tie　or　inhibition　of　function　imposed　on



it；　so　that　every　creature　that　sleeps　must　needs　have　the　organ　of



sense…perception。　Now；　that　alone　which　is　capable　of　sense…perception



in　actuality　has　the　faculty　of　sense…perception；　but　to　realize



this　faculty；　in　the　proper　and　unqualified　sense；　is　impossible　while



one　is　asleep。　All　sleep；　therefore；　must　be　susceptible　of　awakening。



Accordingly；　almost　all　other　animals　are　clearly　observed　to



partake　in　sleep；　whether　they　are　aquatic；　aerial；　or　terrestrial；



since　fishes　of　all　kinds；　and　molluscs；　as　well　as　all　others　which



have　eyes；　have　been　seen　sleeping。　'Hard…eyed'　creatures　and



insects　manifestly　assume　the　posture　of　sleep；　but　the　sleep　of　all



such　creatures　is　of　brief　duration；　so　that　often　it　might　well



baffle　one's　observation　to　decide　whether　they　sleep　or　not。　Of



testaceous　animals；　on　the　contrary；　no　direct　sensible　evidence　is　as



yet　forthcoming　to　determine　whether　they　sleep；　but　if　the　above



reasoning　be　convincing　to　any　one；　he　who　follows　it　will　admit



this　＇viz。　that　they　do　so。＇



　　That；　therefore；　all　animals　sleep　may　be　gathered　from　these



considerations。　For　an　animal　is　defined　as　such　by　its　possessing



sense…perception；　and　we　assert　that　sleep　is；　in　a　certain　way；　an



inhibition　of　function；　or；　as　it　were；　a　tie；　imposed　on



sense…perception；　while　its　loosening　or　remission　constitutes　the



being　awake。　But　no　plant　can　partake　in　either　of　these　affections；



for　without　sense…perception　there　is　neither　sleeping　nor　waking。　But



creatures　which　have　sense…perception　have　likewise　the　feeling　of



pain　and　pleasure；　while　those　which　have　these　have　appetite　as　well；



but　plants　have　none　of　these　affections。　A　mark　of　this　is　that　the



nutrient　part　does　its　own　work　better　when　（the　animal）　is　asleep



than　when　it　is　awake。　Nutrition　and　growth　are　then　especially



promoted；　a　fact　which　implies　that　creatures　do　not　need



sense…perception　t