the six enneads-第20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！


rvice　the　unreasoning　phase　of　the　Soul　accepts　evil…　unmeasure；　excess　and　shortcoming；　which　bring　forth　licentiousness；　cowardice　and　all　other　flaws　of　the　Soul；　all　the　states；　foreign　to　the　true　nature；　which　set　up　false　judgements；　so　that　the　Soul　comes　to　name　things　good　or　evil　not　by　their　true　value　but　by　the　mere　test　of　like　and　dislike。　　　　　But　what　is　the　root　of　this　evil　state？　how　can　it　be　brought　under　the　causing　principle　indicated？　　　　　Firstly；　such　a　Soul　is　not　apart　from　Matter；　is　not　purely　itself。　That　is　to　say；　it　is　touched　with　Unmeasure；　it　is　shut　out　from　the　Forming…Idea　that　orders　and　brings　to　measure；　and　this　because　it　is　merged　into　a　body　made　of　Matter。　　　　　Then　if　the　Reasoning…Faculty　too　has　taken　hurt；　the　Soul's　seeing　is　baulked　by　the　passions　and　by　the　darkening　that　Matter　brings　to　it；　by　its　decline　into　Matter；　by　its　very　attention　no　longer　to　Essence　but　to　Process…　whose　principle　or　source　is；　again；　Matter；　the　Kind　so　evil　as　to　saturate　with　its　own　　pravity　even　that　which　is　not　in　it　but　merely　looks　towards　it。　　　　　For；　wholly　without　part　in　Good；　the　negation　of　Good；　unmingled　Lack；　this　Matter…Kind　makes　over　to　its　own　likeness　whatsoever　comes　in　touch　with　it。　　　　　The　Soul　wrought　to　perfection；　addressed　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　is　steadfastly　pure：　it　has　turned　away　from　Matter；　all　that　is　undetermined；　that　is　outside　of　measure；　that　is　evil；　it　neither　sees　nor　draws　near；　it　endures　in　its　purity；　only；　and　wholly；　determined　by　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　The　Soul　that　breaks　away　from　this　source　of　its　reality　to　the　non…perfect　and　non…primal　is；　as　it　were；　a　secondary；　an　image；　to　the　loyal　Soul。　By　its　falling…away…　and　to　the　extent　of　the　fall…　it　is　stripped　of　Determination；　becomes　wholly　indeterminate；　sees　darkness。　Looking　to　what　repels　vision；　as　we　look　when　we　are　said　to　see　darkness；　it　has　taken　Matter　into　itself。　　　　　5。　But；　it　will　be　objected；　if　this　seeing　and　frequenting　of　the　darkness　is　due　to　the　lack　of　good；　the　Soul's　evil　has　its　source　in　that　very　lack；　the　darkness　will　be　merely　a　secondary　cause…　and　at　once　the　Principle　of　Evil　is　removed　from　Matter；　is　made　anterior　to　Matter。　　　　　No：　Evil　is　not　in　any　and　every　lack；　it　is　in　absolute　lack。　What　falls　in　some　degree　short　of　the　Good　is　not　Evil；　considered　in　its　own　kind　it　might　even　be　perfect；　but　where　there　is　utter　dearth；　there　we　have　Essential　Evil；　void　of　all　share　in　Good；　this　is　the　case　with　Matter。　　　　　Matter　has　not　even　existence　whereby　to　have　some　part　in　Good：　Being　is　attributed　to　it　by　an　accident　of　words：　the　truth　would　be　that　it　has　Non…Being。　　　　　Mere　lack　brings　merely　Not…Goodness：　Evil　demands　the　absolute　lack…　though；　of　course；　any　very　considerable　shortcoming　makes　the　ultimate　fall　possible　and　is　already；　in　itself；　an　evil。　　　　　In　fine　we　are　not　to　think　of　Evil　as　some　particular　bad　thing…　injustice；　for　example；　or　any　other　ugly　trait…　but　as　a　principle　distinct　from　any　of　the　particular　forms　in　which；　by　the　addition　of　certain　elements；　it　becomes　manifest。　Thus　there　may　be　wickedness　in　the　Soul；　the　forms　this　general　wickedness　is　to　take　will　be　determined　by　the　environing　Matter；　by　the　faculties　of　the　Soul　that　operate　and　by　the　nature　of　their　operation；　whether　seeing；　acting；　or　merely　admitting　impression。　　　　　But　supposing　things　external　to　the　Soul　are　to　be　counted　Evil…　sickness；　poverty　and　so　forth…　how　can　they　be　referred　to　the　principle　we　have　described？　　　　　Well；　sickness　is　excess　or　defect　in　the　body；　which　as　a　material　organism　rebels　against　order　and　measure；　ugliness　is　but　matter　not　mastered　by　Ideal…Form；　poverty　consists　in　our　need　and　lack　of　goods　made　necessary　to　us　by　our　association　with　Matter　whose　very　nature　is　to　be　one　long　want。　　　　　If　all　this　be　true；　we　cannot　be；　ourselves；　the　source　of　Evil；　we　are　not　evil　in　ourselves；　Evil　was　before　we　came　to　be；　the　Evil　which　holds　men　down　binds　them　against　their　will；　and　for　those　that　have　the　strength…　not　found　in　all　men；　it　is　true…　there　is　a　deliverance　from　the　evils　that　have　found　lodgement　in　the　soul。　　　　　In　a　word　since　Matter　belongs　only　to　the　sensible　world；　vice　in　men　is　not　the　Absolute　Evil；　not　all　men　are　vicious；　some　overcome　vice；　some；　the　better　sort；　are　never　attacked　by　it；　and　those　who　master　it　win　by　means　of　that　in　them　which　is　not　material。　　　　　6。　If　this　be　so；　how　do　we　explain　the　teaching　that　evils　can　never　pass　away　but　〃exist　of　necessity；〃　that　〃while　evil　has　no　place　in　the　divine　order；　it　haunts　mortal　nature　and　this　place　for　ever〃？　　　　　Does　this　mean　that　heaven　is　clear　of　evil；　ever　moving　its　orderly　way；　spinning　on　the　appointed　path；　no　injustice　There　or　any　flaw；　no　wrong　done　by　any　power　to　any　other　but　all　true　to　the　settled　plan；　while　injustice　and　disorder　prevail　on　earth；　designated　as　〃the　Mortal　Kind　and　this　Place〃？　　　　　Not　quite　so：　for　the　precept　to　〃flee　hence〃　does　not　refer　to　earth　and　earthly　life。　The　flight　we　read　of　consists　not　in　quitting　earth　but　in　living　our　earth…life　〃with　justice　and　piety　in　the　light　of　philosophy〃；　it　is　vice　we　are　to　flee；　so　that　clearly　to　the　writer　Evil　is　simply　vice　with　the　sequels　of　vice。　And　when　the　disputant　in　that　dialogue　says　that；　if　men　could　be　convinced　of　the　doctrine　advanced；　there　would　be　an　end　of　Evil；　he　is　answered；　〃That　can　never　be：　Evil　is　of　necessity；　for　there　must　be　a　contrary　to　good。〃　　　　　Still　we　may　reasonably　ask　how　can　vice　in　man　be　a　contrary　to　The　Good　in　the　Supernal：　for　vice　is　the　contrary　to　virtue　and　virtue　is　not　The　Good　but　merely　the　good　thing　by　which　Matter　is　brought　to　order。　　　　　How　can　there　any　contrary　to　the　Absolute　Good；　when　the　absolute　has　no　quality？　　　　　Besides；　is　there　any　universal　necessity　that　the　existence　of　one　of　two　contraries　should　entail　the　existence　of　the　other？　Admit　that　the　existence　of　one　is　often　accompanied　by　the　existence　of　the　other…　sickness　and　health；　for　example…　yet　there　is　no　universal　compulsion。　　　　　Perhaps；　however；　our　author　did　not　mean　that　this　was　universally　true；　he　is　speaking　only　of　The　Good。　　　　　But　then；　if　The　Good　is　an　essence；　and　still　more；　if　It　is　that　which　transcends　all　existence；　how　can　It　have　any　contrary？　　　　　That　there　is　nothing　contrary　to　essence　is　certain　in　the　case　of　particular　existences…　established　by　practical　proof…　but　not　in　the　quite　different　case　of　the　Universal。　　　　　But　of　what　nature　would　this　contrary　be；　the　contrary　to　universal　existence　and　in　general　to　the　Primals？　　　　　To　essential　existence　would　be　opposed　the　non…existence；　to　the　nature　of　Good；　some　principle　and　source　of　evil。　Both　these　will　be　sources；　the　one　of　what　is　good；　the　other　of　what　is　evil；　and　all　within　the　domain　of　the　one　principle　is　opposed；　as　contrary；　to　the　entire　domain　of　the　other；　and　this　in　a　contrariety　more　violent　than　any　existing　between　secondary　things。　　　　　For　these　last　are　opposed　as　members　of　one　species　or　of　one　genus；　and；　within　that　common　ground；　they　participate　in　some　common　qu