the six enneads-第115节

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ere　supposed　to　be　of　one　piece；　knower　quite　undistinguished　from　known；　so　that；　seeing　any　given　part　of　itself　as　identical　with　itself；　it　sees　itself　by　means　of　itself；　knower　and　known　thus　being　entirely　without　differentiation？　　　　　To　begin　with；　the　distinction　in　one　self　thus　suggested　is　a　strange　phenomenon。　How　is　the　self　to　make　the　partition？　The　thing　cannot　happen　of　itself。　And；　again；　which　phase　makes　it？　The　phase　that　decides　to　be　the　knower　or　that　which　is　to　be　the　known？　Then　how　can　the　knowing　phase　know　itself　in　the　known　when　it　has　chosen　to　be　the　knower　and　put　itself　apart　from　the　known？　In　such　self…knowledge　by　sundering　it　can　be　aware　only　of　the　object；　not　of　the　agent；　it　will　not　know　its　entire　content；　or　itself　as　an　integral　whole；　it　knows　the　phase　seen　but　not　the　seeing　phase　and　thus　has　knowledge　of　something　else；　not　self…knowledge。　　　　　In　order　to　perfect　self…knowing　it　must　bring　over　from　itself　the　knowing　phase　as　well：　seeing　subject　and　seen　objects　must　be　present　as　one　thing。　Now　if　in　this　coalescence　of　seeing　subject　with　seen　objects；　the　objects　were　merely　representations　of　the　reality；　the　subject　would　not　possess　the　realities：　if　it　is　to　possess　them　it　must　do　so　not　by　seeing　them　as　the　result　of　any　self…division　but　by　knowing　them；　containing　them；　before　any　self…division　occurs。　　　　　At　that；　the　object　known　must　be　identical　with　the　knowing　act　＇or　agent＇；　the　Intellectual…Principle；　therefore；　identical　with　the　Intellectual　Realm。　And　in　fact；　if　this　identity　does　not　exist；　neither　does　truth；　the　Principle　that　should　contain　realities　is　found　to　contain　a　transcript；　something　different　from　the　realities；　that　constitutes　non…Truth；　Truth　cannot　apply　to　something　conflicting　with　itself；　what　it　affirms　it　must　also　be。　　　　　Thus　we　find　that　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　Intellectual　Realm　and　Real　Being　constitute　one　thing；　which　is　the　Primal　Being；　the　primal　Intellectual…Principle　is　that　which　contains　the　realities　or；　rather；　which　is　identical　with　them。　　　　　But　taking　Primal　Intellection　and　its　intellectual　object　to　be　a　unity；　how　does　that　give　an　Intellective　Being　knowing　itself？　An　intellection　enveloping　its　object　or　identical　with　it　is　far　from　exhibiting　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　self…knowing。　　　　　All　turns　on　the　identity。　The　intellectual　object　is　itself　an　activity；　not　a　mere　potentiality；　it　is　not　lifeless；　nor　are　the　life　and　intellection　brought　into　it　as　into　something　naturally　devoid　of　them；　some　stone　or　other　dead　matter；　no；　the　intellectual　object　is　essentially　existent；　the　primal　reality。　As　an　active　force；　the　first　activity；　it　must　be；　also　itself；　the　noblest　intellection；　intellection　possessing　real　being　since　it　is　entirely　true；　and　such　an　intellection；　primal　and　primally　existent；　can　be　no　other　than　the　primal　principle　of　Intellection：　for　that　primal　principle　is　no　potentiality　and　cannot　be　an　agent　distinct　from　its　act　and　thus；　once　more；　possessing　its　essential　being　as　a　mere　potentiality。　As　an　act…　and　one　whose　very　being　is　an　act…　it　must　be　undistinguishably　identical　with　its　act：　but　Being　and　the　Intellectual　object　are　also　identical　with　that　act；　therefore　the　Intellectual…Principle；　its　exercise　of　intellection　and　the　object　of　intellection　all　are　identical。　Given　its　intellection　identical　with　intellectual　object　and　the　object　identical　with　the　Principle　itself；　it　cannot　but　have　self…knowledge：　its　intellection　operates　by　the　intellectual　act　which　is　itself　upon　the　intellectual　object　which　similarly　is　itself。　It　possesses　self…knowing；　thus；　on　every　count；　the　act　is　itself；　and　the　object　seen　in　that　act…　self；　is　itself。　　　　　6。　Thus　we　have　shown　that　there　exists　that　which　in　the　strictest　sense　possesses　self…knowing。　　　　　This　self…knowing　agent；　perfect　in　the　Intellectual…Principle；　is　modified　in　the　Soul。　　　　　The　difference　is　that；　while　the　soul　knows　itself　as　within　something　else；　the　Intellectual…Principle　knows　itself　as　self…depending；　knows　all　its　nature　and　character；　and　knows　by　right　of　its　own　being　and　by　simple　introversion。　When　it　looks　upon　the　authentic　existences　it　is　looking　upon　itself；　its　vision　as　its　effective　existence；　and　this　efficacy　is　itself　since　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　the　Intellectual　Act　are　one：　this　is　an　integral　seeing　itself　by　its　entire　being；　not　a　part　seeing　by　a　part。　　　　　But　has　our　discussion　issued　in　an　Intellectual…Principle　having　a　persuasive　activity　＇furnishing　us　with　probability＇？　　　　　No：　it　brings　compulsion　not　persuasion；　compulsion　belongs　to　the　Intellectual…Principle；　persuasion　to　the　soul　or　mind；　and　we　seem　to　desire　to　be　persuaded　rather　than　to　see　the　truth　in　the　pure　intellect。　　　　　As　long　as　we　were　Above；　collected　within　the　Intellectual　nature；　we　were　satisfied；　we　were　held　in　the　intellectual　act；　we　had　vision　because　we　drew　all　into　unity…　for　the　thinker　in　us　was　the　Intellectual…Principle　telling　us　of　itself…　and　the　soul　or　mind　was　motionless；　assenting　to　that　act　of　its　prior。　But　now　that　we　are　once　more　here…　living　in　the　secondary；　the　soul…　we　seek　for　persuasive　probabilities：　it　is　through　the　image　we　desire　to　know　the　archetype。　　　　　Our　way　is　to　teach　our　soul　how　the　Intellectual…Principle　exercises　self…vision；　the　phase　thus　to　be　taught　is　that　which　already　touches　the　intellective　order；　that　which　we　call　the　understanding　or　intelligent　soul；　indicating　by　the　very　name　that　it　is　already　of　itself　in　some　degree　an　Intellectual…Principle　or　that　it　holds　its　peculiar　power　through　and　from　that　Principle。　This　phase　must　be　brought　to　understand　by　what　means　it　has　knowledge　of　the　thing　it　sees　and　warrant　for　what　it　affirms：　if　it　became　what　it　affirms；　it　would　by　that　fact　possess　self…knowing。　All　its　vision　and　affirmation　being　in　the　Supreme　or　deriving　from　it…　There　where　itself　also　is…　it　will　possess　self…knowledge　by　its　right　as　a　Reason…Principle；　claiming　its　kin　and　bringing　all　into　accord　with　the　divine　imprint　upon　it。　　　　　The　soul　therefore　＇to　attain　self…knowledge＇　has　only　to　set　this　image　＇that　is　to　say；　its　highest　phase＇　alongside　the　veritable　Intellectual…Principle　which　we　have　found　to　be　identical　with　the　truths　constituting　the　objects　of　intellection；　the　world　of　Primals　and　Reality：　for　this　Intellectual…Principle；　by　very　definition；　cannot　be　outside　of　itself；　the　Intellectual　Reality：　self…gathered　and　unalloyed；　it　is　Intellectual…Principle　through　all　the　range　of　its　being…　for　unintelligent　intelligence　is　not　possible…　and　thus　it　possesses　of　necessity　self…knowing；　as　a　being　immanent　to　itself　and　one　having　for　function　and　essence　to　be　purely　and　solely　Intellectual…Principle。　This　is　no　doer；　the　doer；　not　self…intent　but　looking　outward；　will　have　knowledge；　in　some　kind；　of　the　external；　but；　if　wholly　of　this　practical　order；　need　have　no　self…knowledge；　where；　on　the　contrary；　there　is　no　action…　and　of　course　the　pure　Intellectual…Principle　cannot　be　straining　after　any　absent　good…　the　intention　can　be　only　towards　the　self；　at　once　self…knowing　becomes　not　merely　plausible　but　inevitable；　what　else　could　living　signify　in　a　being　immune　from　action　and　existing　in　Intellect？　　　　　7。　The　contemplating　of　God；　we　might　answer。　　　　　But　to　admit　its　knowing　God　is　to　be　compelled　to　admit　its　self…knowing。　It　will　know　what　it　holds　from　God；　what　God　has　given　forth　or　may；　with　this　knowledge；　it　knows　itself　at　the　stroke；　for　it　is　itself　one　of　those　given　things…　in　fact　is　all　of　them。　Knowing　God　and　His　power；　then；　it　knows　itself；　since　it　comes　from　Him　and　carries　His　power　upon　it；　if；　because　here　the　act　of　vision　is　identical　with　the　object；　it　is　unable　to　see　God　clearly；　then　all　the　more；　by　the　equation　of　seeing　and　seen；　we　are　driven　back　upon　that　self…seeing　and　self…knowing　in　which　seeing　and　thing　seen　are　undistinguishably　one　thing。　　　　　And　what　else　is　there　to　attribute　to　it？　　　　　Repose；　no　doubt；　but；　to　an　Intellectual…Principle；　Repose　is　not　an　abdication　from　intellect；　its　Repose　is　an　Act；　the　act　of　abstention　from　the　alien：　in　all　forms　of　existence　repose　from　the　alien　leaves　the　characteristic　activity　intact；　especially　where　the　Being　is　not　merely　potential　but　fully　realized。　　　　　In　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　Being　is　an　Act　and　in　the　absence　of　any　other　object　it　must　be　self…directed；　by　this　self…intellection　it　holds　its　Act　within　itself　and　upon　itself；　all　that　can　emanate　from　it　is　produced　by　this　self…centering　and　self…intention；　first…　self…gathered；　it　then　gives　itself　or　gives　something　in　its　likeness；　fire　must　first　be　self…centred　and　be　fire；　true　to　fire's　natural　Act；　then　it　may　reproduce　itself　elsewhere。　　　　　Once　more；　then；　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　a　self…intent　activity；　but　soul　has　the　double　phase；　one　inner；　intent　upon　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　other　outside　it　and　facing　to　the　external；　by　the　one　it　holds　the　likeness　to　its　source；　by　the　other；　even　in　its　unlikeness；　it　still　comes　to　likeness　in　this　sphere；　too；　by　virtue　of　action　and