the six enneads-第228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！


ut　would　prefer　to　attain　Being　and；　this　acquired；　to　lay　aside　its　evil。　　　　　If　we　are　asked　how　the　evil　thing　can　have　tendency　towards　the　good；　we　answer　that　we　have　not　attributed　tendency　to　Matter；　our　argument　needed　the　hypothesis　of　sensation　in　Matter…　in　so　far　as　possible　consistently　with　retention　of　its　character…　and　we　asserted　that　the　entry　of　Form；　that　dream　of　the　Good；　must　raise　it　to　a　nobler　order。　If　then　Matter　is　Evil；　there　is　no　more　to　be　said；　if　it　is　something　else…　a　wrong　thing；　let　us　say…　then　in　the　hypothesis　that　its　essence　acquire　sensation　would　not　the　appropriate　upon　the　next　or　higher　plane　be　its　good；　as　in　the　other　cases？　But　not　what　is　evil　in　Matter　would　be　the　quester　of　good　but　that　element　in　it　＇lowest　Form＇　which　in　it　is　associated　with　evil。　　　　　But　if　Matter　by　very　essence　is　evil　how　could　it　choose　the　good？　　　　　This　question　implies　that　if　Evil　were　self…conscious　it　would　admire　itself：　but　how　can　the　unadmirable　be　admired；　and　did　we　not　discover　that　the　good　must　be　apt　to　the　nature？　　　　　There　that　question　may　rest。　But　if　universally　the　good　is　Form　and　the　higher　the　ascent　the　more　there　is　of　Form…Soul　more　truly　Form　than　body　is　and　phases　of　soul　progressively　of　higher　Form　and　Intellectual…Principle　standing　as　Form　to　soul　collectively…　then　the　Good　advances　by　the　opposite　of　Matter　and；　therefore；　by　a　cleansing　and　casting　away　to　the　utmost　possible　at　each　stage：　and　the　greatest　good　must　be　there　where　all　that　is　of　Matter　has　disappeared。　The　Principle　of　Good　rejecting　Matter　entirely…　or　rather　never　having　come　near　it　at　any　point　or　in　any　way…　must　hold　itself　aloft　with　that　Formless　in　which　Primal　Form　takes　its　origin。　But　we　will　return　to　this。　　　　　29。　Suppose；　however；　that　pleasure　did　not　result　from　the　good　but　there　were　something　preceding　pleasure　and　accounting　for　it；　would　not　this　be　a　thing　to　be　embraced？　　　　　But　when　we　say　〃to　be　embraced〃　we　say　〃pleasure。〃　　　　　But　what　if　accepting　its　existence；　we　think　of　that　existence　as　leaving　still　the　possibility　that　it　were　not　a　thing　to　be　embraced？　　　　　This　would　mean　the　good　being　present　and　the　sentient　possessor　failing；　nonetheless；　to　perceive　it。　　　　　It　would　seem　possible；　however；　to　perceive　and　yet　be　unmoved　by　the　possession；　this　is　quite　likely　in　the　case　of　the　wiser　and　least　dependent…　and　indeed　it　is　so　with　the　First；　immune　not　merely　because　simplex；　but　because　pleasure　by　acquisition　implies　lack。　　　　　But　all　this　will　become　clear　on　the　solution　of　our　remaining　difficulties　and　the　rebuttal　of　the　argument　brought　up　against　us。　This　takes　the　form　of　the　question：　〃What　gain　is　there　in　the　Good　to　one　who；　fully　conscious；　feels　nothing　when　he　hears　of　these　things；　whether　because　he　has　no　grasp　of　them　but　takes　merely　the　words　or　because　he　holds　to　false　values；　perhaps　being　all　in　search　of　sense；　finding　his　good　in　money　or　such　things？〃　　　　　The　answer　is　that　even　in　his　disregard　of　the　good　proposed　he　is　with　us　in　setting　a　good　before　him　but　fails　to　see　how　the　good　we　define　fits　into　his　own　conception。　It　is　impossible　to　say　〃Not　that〃　if　one　is　utterly　without　experience　or　conception　of　the　〃That〃；　there　will　generally　have　been；　even；　some　inkling　of　the　good　beyond　Intellection。　Besides；　one　attaining　or　approaching　the　good；　but　not　recognising　it；　may　assure　himself　in　the　light　of　its　contraries；　otherwise　he　will　not　even　hold　ignorance　an　evil　though　everyone　prefers　to　know　and　is　proud　of　knowing　so　that　our　very　sensations　seek　to　ripen　into　knowledge。　　　　　If　the　knowing　principle…　and　specially　primal　Intellectual…Principle…　is　valuable　and　beautiful；　what　must　be　present　to　those　of　power　to　see　the　Author　and　Father　of　Intellect？　Anyone　thinking　slightingly　of　this　principle　of　Life　and　Being　brings　evidence　against　himself　and　all　his　state：　of　course；　distaste　for　the　life　that　is　mingled　with　death　does　not　touch　that　Life　Authentic。　　　　　30。　Whether　pleasure　must　enter　into　the　good；　so　that　life　in　the　contemplation　of　the　divine　things　and　especially　of　their　source　remains　still　imperfect；　is　a　question　not　to　be　ignored　in　any　enquiry　into　the　nature　of　the　good。　　　　　Now　to　found　the　good　upon　the　Intellect　and　upon　that　state　of　soul　or　mind　which　springs　from　wisdom　does　not　imply　that　the　end　or　the　absolute　good　is　the　conjunction　＇of　Intellect　and　state＇：　it　would　follow　merely　that　Intellect　is　the　good　and　that　we　feel　happy　in　possession　of　that　good。　That　is　one　theory；　another　associates　pleasure　with　Intellect　in　the　sense　that　the　Good　is　taken　to　be　some　one　thing　founded　upon　both　but　depending　upon　our　attaining　or　at　least　contemplating　an　Intellect　so　modified；　this　theory　would　maintain　that　the　isolated　and　unrelated　could　be　the　good；　could　be　an　object　of　desire。　　　　　But　how　could　Intellect　and　pleasure　combine　into　one　mutually　complementary　nature？　　　　　Bodily　pleasure　no　one；　certainly；　would　think　capable　of　blending　in　with　Intellect；　the　unreasoning　satisfactions　of　soul　＇or　lower　mind＇　are　equally　incompatible　with　it。　　　　　Every　activity；　state；　and　life；　will　be　followed　and　as　it　were　escorted　by　the　over…dwelling　consciousness；　sometimes　as　these　take　their　natural　course　they　will　be　met　by　hindrance　and　by　intrusion　of　the　conflicting　so　that　the　life　is　the　less　self…guided；　sometimes　the　natural　activity　is　unmixed；　wholly　free；　and　then　the　life　goes　brilliantly；　this　last　state　is　judged　the　pleasantest；　the　most　to　be　chosen；　so；　for　lack　of　an　accurate　expression；　we　hear　of　〃Intellect　in　conjunction　with　pleasure。〃　But　this　is　no　more　than　metaphor；　like　a　hundred　others　drawn　by　the　poets　from　our　natural　likings…　〃Drunk　with　nectar；〃　〃To　banquet　and　feast；〃　〃The　Father　smiled。〃　No：　the　veritably　pleasant　lies　away　in　that　other　realm；　the　most　to　be　loved　and　sought　for；　not　something　brought　about　and　changing　but　the　very　principle　of　all　the　colour　and　radiance　and　brightness　found　here。　This　is　why　we　read　of　〃Truth　introduced　into　the　Mixture〃　and　of　the　〃measuring　standard　as　a　prior　condition〃　and　are　told　that　the　symmetry　and　beauty　necessary　to　the　Mixture　come　Thence　into　whatever　has　beauty；　it　is　in　this　way　that　we　have　our　share　in　Beauty；　but　in　another　way；　also；　we　achieve　the　truly　desirable；　that　is　by　leading　our　selves　up　to　what　is　best　within　us；　this　best　is　what　is　symmetry；　beauty；　collective　Idea；　life　clear；　Intellective　and　good。　　　　　31。　But　since　Thence　come　the　beauty　and　light　in　all；　it　is　Thence　that　Intellectual…Principle　took　the　brilliance　of　the　Intellectual　Energy　which　flashed　Nature　into　being；　Thence　soul　took　power　towards　life；　in　virtue　of　that　fuller　life　streaming　into　it。　Intellectual…Principle　was　raised　thus　to　that　Supreme　and　remains　with　it；　happy　in　that　presence。　Soul　too；　that　soul　which　as　possessing　knowledge　and　vision　was　capable；　clung　to　what　it　saw；　and　as　its　vision　so　its　rapture；　it　saw　and　was　stricken；　but　having　in　itself　something　of　that　principle　it　felt　its　kinship　and　was　moved　to　longing　like　those　stirred　by　the　image　of　the　beloved　to　desire　of　the　veritable　p