the six enneads-第21章

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s　of　one　species　or　of　one　genus；　and；　within　that　common　ground；　they　participate　in　some　common　quality。　　　　　In　the　case　of　the　Primals　or　Universals　there　is　such　complete　separation　that　what　is　the　exact　negation　of　one　group　constitutes　the　very　nature　of　the　other；　we　have　diametric　contrariety　if　by　contrariety　we　mean　the　extreme　of　remoteness。　　　　　Now　to　the　content　of　the　divine　order；　the　fixed　quality；　the　measuredness　and　so　forth…　there　is　opposed　the　content　of　the　evil　principle；　its　unfixedness；　measurelessness　and　so　forth：　total　is　opposed　to　total。　The　existence　of　the　one　genus　is　a　falsity；　primarily；　essentially；　a　falseness：　the　other　genus　has　Essence…Authentic：　the　opposition　is　of　truth　to　lie；　essence　is　opposed　to　essence。　　　　　Thus　we　see　that　it　is　not　universally　true　that　an　Essence　can　have　no　contrary。　　　　　In　the　case　of　fire　and　water　we　would　admit　contrariety　if　it　were　not　for　their　common　element；　the　Matter；　about　which　are　gathered　the　warmth　and　dryness　of　one　and　the　dampness　and　cold　of　the　other：　if　there　were　only　present　what　constitutes　their　distinct　kinds；　the　common　ground　being　absent；　there　would　be；　here　also；　essence　contrary　to　essence。　　　　　In　sum；　things　utterly　sundered；　having　nothing　in　common；　standing　at　the　remotest　poles；　are　opposites　in　nature：　the　contrariety　does　not　depend　upon　quality　or　upon　the　existence　of　a　distinct　genus　of　beings；　but　upon　the　utmost　difference；　clash　in　content；　clash　in　effect。　　　　　7。　But　why　does　the　existence　of　the　Principle　of　Good　necessarily　comport　the　existence　of　a　Principle　of　Evil？　Is　it　because　the　All　necessarily　comports　the　existence　of　Matter？　Yes：　for　necessarily　this　All　is　made　up　of　contraries：　it　could　not　exist　if　Matter　did　not。　The　Nature　of　this　Kosmos　is；　therefore；　a　blend；　it　is　blended　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　Necessity：　what　comes　into　it　from　God　is　good；　evil　is　from　the　Ancient　Kind　which；　we　read；　is　the　underlying　Matter　not　yet　brought　to　order　by　the　Ideal…Form。　　　　　But；　since　the　expression　〃this　place〃　must　be　taken　to　mean　the　All；　how　explain　the　words　〃mortal　nature〃？　　　　　The　answer　is　in　the　passage　＇in　which　the　Father　of　Gods　addresses　the　Divinities　of　the　lower　sphere＇；　〃Since　you　possess　only　a　derivative　being；　you　are　not　immortals。。。　but　by　my　power　you　shall　escape　dissolution。〃　　　　　The　escape；　we　read；　is　not　a　matter　of　place；　but　of　acquiring　virtue；　of　disengaging　the　self　from　the　body；　this　is　the　escape　from　Matter。　Plato　explains　somewhere　how　a　man　frees　himself　and　how　he　remains　bound；　and　the　phrase　〃to　live　among　the　gods〃　means　to　live　among　the　Intelligible…Existents；　for　these　are　the　Immortals。　　　　　There　is　another　consideration　establishing　the　necessary　existence　of　Evil。　　　　　Given　that　The　Good　is　not　the　only　existent　thing；　it　is　inevitable　that；　by　the　outgoing　from　it　or；　if　the　phrase　be　preferred；　the　continuous　down…going　or　away…going　from　it；　there　should　be　produced　a　Last；　something　after　which　nothing　more　can　be　produced：　this　will　be　Evil。　　　　　As　necessarily　as　there　is　Something　after　the　First；　so　necessarily　there　is　a　Last：　this　Last　is　Matter；　the　thing　which　has　no　residue　of　good　in　it：　here　is　the　necessity　of　Evil。　　　　　8。　But　there　will　still　be　some　to　deny　that　it　is　through　this　Matter　that　we　ourselves　become　evil。　　　　　They　will　say　that　neither　ignorance　nor　wicked　desires　arise　in　Matter。　Even　if　they　admit　that　the　unhappy　condition　within　us　is　due　to　the　　pravity　inherent　in　body；　they　will　urge　that　still　the　blame　lies　not　in　the　Matter　itself　but　with　the　Form　present　in　it…　such　Form　as　heat；　cold；　bitterness；　saltness　and　all　other　conditions　perceptible　to　sense；　or　again　such　states　as　being　full　or　void…　not　in　the　concrete　signification　but　in　the　presence　or　absence　of　just　such　forms。　In　a　word；　they　will　argue；　all　particularity　in　desires　and　even　in　perverted　judgements　upon　things；　can　be　referred　to　such　causes；　so　that　Evil　lies　in　this　Form　much　more　than　in　the　mere　Matter。　　　　　Yet；　even　with　all　this；　they　can　be　compelled　to　admit　that　Matter　is　the　Evil。　　　　　For；　the　quality　＇form＇　that　has　entered　into　Matter　does　not　act　as　an　entity　apart　from　the　Matter；　any　more　than　axe…shape　will　cut　apart　from　iron。　Further；　Forms　lodged　in　Matter　are　not　the　same　as　they　would　be　if　they　remained　within　themselves；　they　are　Reason…Principles　Materialized；　they　are　corrupted　in　the　Matter；　they　have　absorbed　its　nature：　essential　fire　does　not　burn；　nor　do　any　of　the　essential　entities　effect；　of　themselves　alone；　the　operation　which；　once　they　have　entered　into　Matter；　is　traced　to　their　action。　　　　　Matter　becomes　mistress　of　what　is　manifested　through　it：　it　corrupts　and　destroys　the　incomer；　it　substitutes　its　own　opposite　character　and　kind；　not　in　the　sense　of　opposing；　for　example；　concrete　cold　to　concrete　warmth；　but　by　setting　its　own　formlessness　against　the　Form　of　heat；　shapelessness　to　shape；　excess　and　defect　to　the　duly　ordered。　Thus；　in　sum；　what　enters　into　Matter　ceases　to　belong　to　itself；　comes　to　belong　to　Matter；　just　as；　in　the　nourishment　of　living　beings；　what　is　taken　in　does　not　remain　as　it　came；　but　is　turned　into；　say；　dog's　blood　and　all　that　goes　to　make　a　dog；　becomes；　in　fact；　any　of　the　humours　of　any　recipient。　　　　　No；　if　body　is　the　cause　of　Evil；　then　there　is　no　escape；　the　cause　of　Evil　is　Matter。　　　　　Still；　it　will　be　urged；　the　incoming　Idea　should　have　been　able　to　conquer　the　Matter。　　　　　The　difficulty　is　that　Matter's　master　cannot　remain　pure　itself　except　by　avoidance　of　Matter。　　　　　Besides；　the　constitution　determines　both　the　desires　and　their　violence　so　that　there　are　bodies　in　which　the　incoming　idea　cannot　hold　sway：　there　is　a　vicious　constitution　which　chills　and　clogs　the　activity　and　inhibits　choice；　a　contrary　bodily　habit　produces　frivolity；　lack　of　balance。　The　same　fact　is　indicated　by　our　successive　variations　of　mood：　in　times　of　stress；　we　are　not　the　same　either　in　desires　or　in　ideas…　as　when　we　are　at　peace；　and　we　differ　again　with　every　several　object　that　brings　us　satisfaction。　　　　　To　resume：　the　Measureless　is　evil　primarily；　whatever；　either　by　resemblance　or　participation；　exists　in　the　state　of　unmeasure；　is　evil　secondarily；　by　force　of　its　dealing　with　the　Primal…　primarily；　the　darkness；　secondarily；　the　darkened。　Now；　Vice；　being　an　ignorance　and　a　lack　of　measure　in　the　Soul；　is　secondarily　evil；　not　the　Essential　Evil；　just　as　Virtue　is　not　the　Primal　Good　but　is　Likeness　to　The　Good；　or　participation　in　it。　　　　　9。　But　what　approach　have　we　to　the　knowing　of　Good　and　Evil？　　　　　And　first　of　the　Evil　of　soul：　Virtue；　we　may　know　by　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　by　means　of　the　philosophic　habit；　but　Vice？　　　　　A　a　ruler　marks　off　straight　from　crooked；　so　Vice　is　known　by　its　divergence　from　the　line　of　Virtue。　　　　　But　are　we　able　to　affirm　Vice　by　any　vision　we　can　have　of　it；　or　is　there　some　other　way　of　knowing　it？　　　　　Utter　viciousness；　certainly　not　by　any　vision；　for　it　is　utterly　outside　of　bound　and　measure；　this　thing　which　is　nowhere　can　be　seized　only　by　abstraction；　but　any　degree　of　evil　falling　short　of　The　Absolute　is