the six enneads-第114节

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rinciple　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　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　or　that　we　represent　it？　　　　　We　are　not　the　Intellectual…Principle；　we　represent　it　in　virtue　of　that　highest　reasoning　faculty　which　draws　upon　it。　　　　　Still；　we　perceive　by　means　of　the　perceptive　faculty　and　are；　ourselves；　the　percipients：　may　we　not　say　the　same　of　the　intellective　act？　　　　　No：　our　reasoning　is　our　own；　we　ourselves　think　the　thoughts　that　occupy　the　understanding…　for　this　is　actually　the　We…　but　the　operation　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　enters　from　above　us　as　that　of　the　sensitive　faculty　from　below；　the　We　is　the　soul　at　its　highest；　the　mid…point　between　two　powers；　between　the　sensitive　principle；　inferior　to　us；　and　the　intellectual　principle　superior。　We　think　of　the　perceptive　act　as　integral　to　ourselves　because　our　sense…perception　is　uninterrupted；　we　hesitate　as　to　the　Intellectual…Principle　both　because　we　are　not　always　occupied　with　it　and　because　it　exists　apart；　not　a　principle　inclining　to　us　but　one　to　which　we　incline　when　we　choose　to　look　upwards。　　　　　The　sensitive　principle　is　our　scout；　the　Intellectual…Principle　our　King。　　　　　4。　But　we；　too；　are　king　when　we　are　moulded　to　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　That　correspondence　may　be　brought　about　in　two　ways：　either　the　radii　from　that　centre　are　traced　upon　us　to　be　our　law　or　we　are　filled　full　of　the　Divine　Mind；　which　again　may　have　become　to　us　a　thing　seen　and　felt　as　a　presence。　　　　　Hence　our　self…knowing　comes　to　the　knowing　of　all　the　rest　of　our　being　in　virtue　of　this　thing　patently　present；　or　by　that　power　itself　communicating　to　us　its　own　power　of　self…knowing；　or　by　our　becoming　identical　with　that　principle　of　knowledge。　　　　　Thus　the　self…knower　is　a　double　person：　there　is　the　one　that　takes　cognisance　of　the　principle　in　virtue　of　which　understanding　occurs　in　the　soul　or　mind；　and　there　is　the　higher；　knowing　himself　by　the　Intellectual…Principle　with　which　he　becomes　identical：　this　latter　knows　the　self　as　no　longer　man　but　as　a　being　that　has　become　something　other　through　and　through：　he　has　thrown　himself　as　one　thing　over　into　the　superior　order；　taking　with　him　only　that　better　part　of　the　soul　which　alone　is　winged　for　the　Intellectual　Act　and　gives　the　man；　once　established　There；　the　power　to　appropriate　what　he　has　seen。　　　　　We　can　scarcely　suppose　this　understanding　faculty　to　be　unaware　that　it　has　understanding；　that　it　takes　cognisance　of　things　external；　that　in　its　judgements　it　decides　by　the　rules　and　standards　within　itself　held　directly　from　the　Intellectual…Principle；　that　there　is　something　higher　than　itself；　something　which；　moreover；　it　has　no　need　to　seek　but　fully　possesses。　What　can　we　conceive　to　escape　the　self…knowledge　of　a　principle　which　admittedly　knows　the　place　it　holds　and　the　work　it　has　to　do？　It　affirms　that　it　springs　from　Intellectual…Principle　whose　second　and　image　it　is；　that　it　holds　all　within　itself；　the　universe　of　things；　engraved；　so　to　say；　upon　it　as　all　is　held　There　by　the　eternal　engraver。　Aware　so　far　of　itself；　can　it　be　supposed　to　halt　at　that？　Are　we　to　suppose　that　all　we　can　do　is　to　apply　a　distinct　power　of　our　nature　and　come　thus　to　awareness　of　that　Intellectual…Principle　as　aware　of　itself？　Or　may　we　not　appropriate　that　principle…　which　belongs　to　us　as　we　to　it…　and　thus　attain　to　awareness；　at　once；　of　it　and　of　ourselves？　Yes：　this　is　the　necessary　way　if　we　are　to　experience　the　self…knowledge　vested　in　the　Intellectual…Principle。　And　a　man　becomes　Intellectual…Principle　when；　ignoring　all　other　phases　of　his　being；　he　sees　through　that　only　and　sees　only　that　and　so　knows　himself　by　means　of　the　self…　in　other　words　attains　the　self…knowledge　which　the　Intellectual…Principle　possesses。　　　　　5。　Does　it　all　come　down；　then；　to　one　phase　of　the　self　knowing　another　phase？　　　　　That　would　be　a　case　of　knower　distinguished　from　known；　and　would　not　be　self…knowing。　　　　　What；　then；　if　the　total　combination　were　supposed　to　be　of　one　piece；　knower　quite　undistinguished　from　known；　so　that；　seeing　any　given