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ts next； all making a self…continuous whole under a law of discrimination by which the various forms of things arise with no effacement of any prior in its secondary。 But does this Soul…phase in the vegetal order； produce nothing？ It engenders precisely the Kind in which it is thus present： how； is a question to be handled from another starting…point。 THIRD TRACTATE。
THE KNOWING HYPOSTASES AND THE TRANSCENDENT。
1。 Are we to think that a being knowing itself must contain diversity； that self…knowledge can be affirmed only when some one phase of the self perceives other phases； and that therefore an absolutely simplex entity would be equally incapable of introversion and of self…awareness？ No： a being that has no parts or phases may have this consciousness； in fact there would be no real self…knowing in an entity presented as knowing itself in virtue of being a compound… some single element in it perceiving other elements… as we may know our own form and entire bodily organism by sense…perception： such knowing does not cover the whole field； the knowing element has not had the required cognisance at once of its associates and of itself； this is not the self…knower asked for； it is merely something that knows something else。 Either we must exhibit the self…knowing of an uncompounded being… and show how that is possible… or abandon the belief that any being can possess veritable self…cognition。 To abandon the belief is not possible in view of the many absurdities thus entailed。 It would be already absurd enough to deny this power to the soul or mind； but the very height of absurdity to deny it to the nature of the Intellectual…Principle； presented thus as knowing the rest of things but not attaining to knowledge； or even awareness； of itself。 It is the province of sense and in some degree of understanding and judgement； but not of the Intellectual…Principle； to handle the external； though whether the Intellectual…Principle holds the knowledge of these things is a question to be examined； but it is obvious that the Intellectual…Principle must have knowledge of the Intellectual objects。 Now； can it know those objects alone or must it not simultaneously know itself； the being whose function it is to know just those things？ Can it have self…knowledge in the sense ＇dismissed above as inadequate＇ of knowing its content while it ignores itself？ Can it be aware of knowing its members and yet remain in ignorance of its own knowing self？ Self and content must be simultaneously present： the method and degree of this knowledge we must now consider。 2。 We begin with the soul； asking whether it is to be allowed self…knowledge and what the knowing principle in it would be and how operating。 The sense…principle in it we may at once decide； takes cognisance only of the external； even in any awareness of events within the body it occupies； this is still the perception of something external to a principle dealing with those bodily conditions not as within but as beneath itself。 The reasoning…principle in the Soul acts upon the representations standing before it as the result of sense…perception； these it judges； combining； distinguishing： or it may also observe the impressions； so to speak； rising from the Intellectual…Principle； and has the same power of handling these； and reasoning will develop to wisdom where it recognizes the new and late…coming impressions ＇those of sense＇ and adapts them； so to speak； to those it holds from long before… the act which may be described as the soul's Reminiscence。 So far as this； the efficacy of the Intellectual…Principle in the Soul certainly reaches； but is there also introversion and self…cognition or is that power to be reserved strictly for the Divine Mind？ If we accord self…knowing to this phase of the soul we make it an Intellectual…Principle and will have to show what distinguishes it from its prior； if we refuse it self…knowing； all our thought brings us step by step to some principle which has this power； and we must discover what such self…knowing consists in。 If； again； we do allow self…knowledge in the lower we must examine the question of degree； for if there is no difference of degree； then the reasoning principle in soul is the Intellectual…Principle unalloyed。 We ask； then； whether the understanding principle in the soul has equally the power of turning inwards upon itself or whether it has no more than that of comprehending the impressions； superior and inferior； which it receives。 The first stage is to discover what this comprehension is。 3。 Sense sees a man and transmits the impression to the understanding。 What does the understanding say？ It has nothing to say as yet； it accepts and waits； unless； rather； it questions within itself 〃Who is this？〃… someone it has met before… and then； drawing on memory； says； 〃Socrates。〃 If it should go on to develop the impression received； it distinguishes various elements in what the representative faculty has set before it； supposing it to say 〃Socrates； if the man is good；〃 then； while it has spoken upon information from the senses； its total pronouncement is its own； it contains within itself a standard of good。 But how does it thus contain the good within itself？ It is； itself； of the nature of the good and it has been strengthened still towards the perception of all that is good by the irradiation of the Intellectual…Principle upon it； for this pure phase of the soul welcomes to itself the images implanted from its prior。 But why may we not distinguish this understanding phase as Intellectual…Principle and take soul to consist of the later phases from the sensitive downwards？ Because all the activities mentioned are within the scope of a reasoning faculty； and reasoning is characteristically the function of soul。 Why not； however； absolve the question by assigning self…cognisance to this phase？ Because we have allotted to soul the function of dealing… in thought and in multiform action… with the external； and we hold that observation of self and of the content of self must belong to Intellectual…Principle。 If any one says； 〃Still； what precludes the reasoning soul from observing its own content by some special faculty？〃 he is no longer posting a principle of understanding or of reasoning but； simply； bringing in the Intellectual…Principle unalloyed。 But what precludes the Intellectual…Principle from being present； unalloyed； within the soul？ Nothing； we admit； but are we entitled therefore to think of it as a phase of soul？ We cannot describe it as belonging to the soul though we do describe it as our Intellectual…Principle； something distinct from the understanding； advanced above it； and yet ours even though we cannot include it among soul…phases： it is ours and not ours； and therefore we use it sometimes and sometimes not； whereas we always have use of the understanding； the Intellectual…Principle is ours when we act by it； not ours when we neglect it。 But what is this acting by it？ Does it mean that we become the Intellectual…Principle so that our utterance is the utterance