the six enneads-第53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　that　all　happens　by　Cause；　it　is　easy　to　discover　the　nearest　determinants　of　any　particular　act　or　state　and　to　trace　it　plainly　to　them。　　　　　The　cause　of　a　visit　to　the　centre　of　affairs　will　be　that　one　thinks　it　necessary　to　see　some　person　or　to　receive　a　debt；　or；　in　a　word；　that　one　has　some　definite　motive　or　impulse　confirmed　by　a　judgement　of　expediency。　Sometimes　a　condition　may　be　referred　to　the　arts；　the　recovery　of　health　for　instance　to　medical　science　and　the　doctor。　Wealth　has　for　its　cause　the　discovery　of　a　treasure　or　the　receipt　of　a　gift；　or　the　earning　of　money　by　manual　or　intellectual　labour。　The　child　is　traced　to　the　father　as　its　Cause　and　perhaps　to　a　chain　of　favourable　outside　circumstances　such　as　a　particular　diet　or；　more　immediately；　a　special　organic　aptitude　or　a　wife　apt　to　childbirth。　　　　　And　the　general　cause　of　all　is　Nature。　　　　　2。　But　to　halt　at　these　nearest　determinants；　not　to　be　willing　to　penetrate　deeper；　indicates　a　sluggish　mind；　a　dullness　to　all　that　calls　us　towards　the　primal　and　transcendent　causes。　　　　　How　comes　it　that　the　same　surface　causes　produce　different　results？　There　is　moonshine；　and　one　man　steals　and　the　other　does　not：　under　the　influence　of　exactly　similar　surroundings　one　man　falls　sick　and　the　other　keeps　well；　an　identical　set　of　operations　makes　one　rich　and　leaves　another　poor。　The　differences　amongst　us　in　manners；　in　characters；　in　success；　force　us　to　go　still　further　back。　　　　　Men　therefore　have　never　been　able　to　rest　at　the　surface　causes。　　　　　One　school　postulates　material　principles；　such　as　atoms；　from　the　movement；　from　the　collisions　and　combinations　of　these；　it　derives　the　existence　and　the　mode　of　being　of　all　particular　phenomena；　supposing　that　all　depends　upon　how　these　atoms　are　agglomerated；　how　they　act；　how　they　are　affected；　our　own　impulses　and　states；　even；　are　supposed　to　be　determined　by　these　principles。　　　　　Such　teaching；　then；　obtrudes　this　compulsion；　an　atomic　Anagke；　even　upon　Real　Being。　Substitute；　for　the　atoms；　any　other　material　entities　as　principles　and　the　cause　of　all　things；　and　at　once　Real　Being　becomes　servile　to　the　determination　set　up　by　them。　　　　　Others　rise　to　the　first…principle　of　all　that　exists　and　from　it　derive　all　they　tell　of　a　cause　penetrating　all　things；　not　merely　moving　all　but　making　each　and　everything；　but　they　pose　this　as　a　fate　and　a　supremely　dominating　cause；　not　merely　all　else　that　comes　into　being；　but　even　our　own　thinking　and　thoughts　would　spring　from　its　movement；　just　as　the　several　members　of　an　animal　move　not　at　their　own　choice　but　at　the　dictation　of　the　leading　principle　which　animal　life　presupposes。　　　　　Yet　another　school　fastens　on　the　universal　Circuit　as　embracing　all　things　and　producing　all　by　its　motion　and　by　the　positions　and　mutual　aspect　of　the　planets　and　fixed　stars　in　whose　power　of　foretelling　they　find　warrant　for　the　belief　that　this　Circuit　is　the　universal　determinant。　　　　　Finally；　there　are　those　that　dwell　on　the　interconnection　of　the　causative　forces　and　on　their　linked　descent…　every　later　phenomenon　following　upon　an　earlier；　one　always　leading　back　to　others　by　which　it　arose　and　without　which　it　could　not　be；　and　the　latest　always　subservient　to　what　went　before　them…　but　this　is　obviously　to　bring　in　fate　by　another　path。　This　school　may　be　fairly　distinguished　into　two　branches；　a　section　which　makes　all　depend　upon　some　one　principle　and　a　section　which　ignores　such　a　unity。　　　　　Of　this　last　opinion　we　will　have　something　to　say；　but　for　the　moment　we　will　deal　with　the　former；　taking　the　others　in　their　turn。　　　　　3。　〃Atoms〃　or　〃elements〃…　it　is　in　either　case　an　absurdity；　an　impossibility；　to　hand　over　the　universe　and　its　contents　to　material　entities；　and　out　of　the　disorderly　swirl　thus　occasioned　to　call　order；　reasoning；　and　the　governing　soul　into　being；　but　the　atomic　origin　is；　if　we　may　use　the　phrase；　the　most　impossible。　　　　　A　good　deal　of　truth　has　resulted　from　the　discussion　of　this　subject；　but；　even　to　admit　such　principles　does　not　compel　us　to　admit　universal　compulsion　or　any　kind　of　〃fate。〃　　　　　Suppose　the　atoms　to　exist：　　　　　These　atoms　are　to　move；　one　downwards…　admitting　a　down　and　an　up…　another　slant…wise；　all　at　haphazard；　in　a　confused　conflict。　Nothing　here　is　orderly；　order　has　not　come　into　being；　though　the　outcome；　this　Universe；　when　it　achieves　existence；　is　all　order；　and　thus　prediction　and　divination　are　utterly　impossible；　whether　by　the　laws　of　the　science…　what　science　can　operate　where　there　is　no　order？…　or　by　divine　possession　and　inspiration；　which　no　less　require　that　the　future　be　something　regulated。　　　　　Material　entities　exposed　to　all　this　onslaught　may　very　well　be　under　compulsion　to　yield　to　whatsoever　the　atoms　may　bring：　but　would　anyone　pretend　that　the　acts　and　states　of　a　soul　or　mind　could　be　explained　by　any　atomic　movements？　How　can　we　imagine　that　the　onslaught　of　an　atom；　striking　downwards　or　dashing　in　from　any　direction；　could　force　the　soul　to　definite　and　necessary　reasonings　or　impulses　or　into　any　reasonings；　impulses　or　thoughts　at　all；　necessary　or　otherwise？　And　what　of　the　soul's　resistance　to　bodily　states？　What　movement　of　atoms　could　compel　one　man　to　be　a　geometrician；　set　another　studying　arithmetic　or　astronomy；　lead　a　third　to　the　philosophic　life？　In　a　word；　if　we　must　go；　like　soulless　bodies；　wherever　bodies　push　and　drive　us；　there　is　an　end　to　our　personal　act　and　to　our　very　existence　as　living　beings。　　　　　The　School　that　erects　other　material　forces　into　universal　causes　is　met　by　the　same　reasoning：　we　say　that　while　these　can　warm　us　and　chill　us；　and　destroy　weaker　forms　of　existence；　they　can　be　causes　of　nothing　that　is　done　in　the　sphere　of　mind　or　soul：　all　this　must　be　traceable　to　quite　another　kind　of　Principle。　　　　　4。　Another　theory：　　　　　The　Universe　is　permeated　by　one　Soul；　Cause　of　all　things　and　events；　every　separate　phenomenon　as　a　member　of　a　whole　moves　in　its　place　with　the　general　movement；　all　the　various　causes　spring　into　action　from　one　source：　therefore；　it　is　argued；　the　entire　descending　claim　of　causes　and　all　their　interaction　must　follow　inevitably　and　so　constitute　a　universal　determination。　A　plant　rises　from　a　root；　and　we　are　asked　on　that　account　to　reason　that　not　only　the　interconnection　linking　the　root　to　all　the　members　and　every　member　to　every　other　but　the　entire　activity　and　experience　of　the　plant；　as　well；　must　be　one　organized　overruling；　a　〃destiny〃　of　the　plant。　　　　　But　such　an　extremity　of　determination；　a　destiny　so　all…pervasive；　does　away　with　the　very　destiny　that　is　affirmed：　it　shatters　the　sequence　and　co…operation　of　causes。　　　　　It　would　be　unreasonable　to　attribute　to　destiny　the　movement　of　our　limbs　dictated　by　the　mind　and　will：　this　is　no　case　of　something　outside　bestowing　motion　while　another　thing　accepts　it　and　is　thus　set　into　action；　the　mind　itself　is　the　prime　mover。　　　　　Similarly　in　the　case　of　the　universal　system；　if　all　that　performs　act　and　is　subject　to　experience　constitutes　one　substance；　if　one　thing　does　not　really　produce　another　thing　under　causes　leading　back　continu