the six enneads-第15节

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　us　could　we　possibly　know　Evil？　　　　　All　knowing　comes　by　likeness。　The　Intellectual…Principle　and　the　Soul；　being　Ideal…Forms；　would　know　Ideal…Forms　and　would　have　a　natural　tendency　towards　them；　but　who　could　imagine　Evil　to　be　an　Ideal…Form；　seeing　that　it　manifests　itself　as　the　very　absence　of　Good？　　　　　If　the　solution　is　that　the　one　act　of　knowing　covers　contraries；　and　that　as　Evil　is　the　contrary　to　Good　the　one　act　would　grasp　Good　and　Evil　together；　then　to　know　Evil　there　must　be　first　a　clear　perception　and　understanding　of　Good；　since　the　nobler　existences　precede　the　baser　and　are　Ideal…Forms　while　the　less　good　hold　no　such　standing；　are　nearer　to　Non…Being。　　　　　No　doubt　there　is　a　question　in　what　precise　way　Good　is　contrary　to　Evil…　whether　it　is　as　First…Principle　to　last　of　things　or　as　Ideal…Form　to　utter　Lack：　but　this　subject　we　postpone。　　　　　2。　For　the　moment　let　us　define　the　nature　of　the　Good　as　far　as　the　immediate　purpose　demands。　　　　　The　Good　is　that　on　which　all　else　depends；　towards　which　all　Existences　aspire　as　to　their　source　and　their　need；　while　Itself　is　without　need；　sufficient　to　Itself；　aspiring　to　no　other；　the　measure　and　Term　of　all；　giving　out　from　itself　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　Existence　and　Soul　and　Life　and　all　Intellective…Act。　　　　　All　until　The　Good　is　reached　is　beautiful；　The　Good　is　beyond…beautiful；　beyond　the　Highest；　holding　kingly　state　in　the　Intellectual…Kosmos；　that　sphere　constituted　by　a　Principle　wholly　unlike　what　is　known　as　Intelligence　in　us。　Our　intelligence　is　nourished　on　the　propositions　of　logic；　is　skilled　in　following　discussions；　works　by　reasonings；　examines　links　of　demonstration；　and　comes　to　know　the　world　of　Being　also　by　the　steps　of　logical　process；　having　no　prior　grasp　of　Reality　but　remaining　empty；　all　Intelligence　though　it　be；　until　it　has　put　itself　to　school。　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　we　are　discussing　is　not　of　such　a　kind：　It　possesses　all：　It　is　all：　It　is　present　to　all　by　Its　self…presence：　It　has　all　by　other　means　than　having；　for　what　It　possesses　is　still　Itself；　nor　does　any　particular　of　all　within　It　stand　apart；　for　every　such　particular　is　the　whole　and　in　all　respects　all；　while　yet　not　confused　in　the　mass　but　still　distinct；　apart　to　the　extent　that　any　participant　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　participates　not　in　the　entire　as　one　thing　but　in　whatsoever　lies　within　its　own　reach。　　　　　And　the　First　Act　is　the　Act　of　The　Good　stationary　within　Itself；　and　the　First　Existence　is　the　self…contained　Existence　of　The　Good；　but　there　is　also　an　Act　upon　It；　that　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　which；　as　it　were；　lives　about　It。　　　　　And　the　Soul；　outside；　circles　around　the　Intellectual…Principle；　and　by　gazing　upon　it；　seeing　into　the　depths　of　It；　through　It　sees　God。　　　　　Such　is　the　untroubled；　the　blissful；　life　of　divine　beings；　and　Evil　has　no　place　in　it；　if　this　were　all；　there　would　be　no　Evil　but　Good　only；　the　first；　the　second　and　the　third　Good。　All；　thus　far；　is　with　the　King　of　All；　unfailing　Cause　of　Good　and　Beauty　and　controller　of　all；　and　what　is　Good　in　the　second　degree　depends　upon　the　Second…Principle　and　tertiary　Good　upon　the　Third。　　　　　3。　If　such　be　the　Nature　of　Beings　and　of　That　which　transcends　all　the　realm　of　Being；　Evil　cannot　have　place　among　Beings　or　in　the　Beyond…Being；　these　are　good。　　　　　There　remains；　only；　if　Evil　exist　at　all；　that　it　be　situate　in　the　realm　of　Non…Being；　that　it　be　some　mode；　as　it　were；　of　the　Non…Being；　that　it　have　its　seat　in　something　in　touch　with　Non…Being　or　to　a　certain　degree　communicate　in　Non…Being。　　　　　By　this　Non…Being；　of　course；　we　are　not　to　understand　something　that　simply　does　not　exist；　but　only　something　of　an　utterly　different　order　from　Authentic…Being：　there　is　no　question　here　of　movement　or　position　with　regard　to　Being；　the　Non…Being　we　are　thinking　of　is；　rather；　an　image　of　Being　or　perhaps　something　still　further　removed　than　even　an　image。　　　　　Now　this　＇the　required　faint　image　of　Being＇　might　be　the　sensible　universe　with　all　the　impressions　it　engenders；　or　it　might　be　something　of　even　later　derivation；　accidental　to　the　realm　of　sense；　or　again；　it　might　be　the　source　of　the　sense…world　or　something　of　the　same　order　entering　into　it　to　complete　it。　　　　　Some　conception　of　it　would　be　reached　by　thinking　of　measurelessness　as　opposed　to　measure；　of　the　unbounded　against　bound；　the　unshaped　against　a　principle　of　shape；　the　ever…needy　against　the　self…sufficing：　think　of　the　ever…undefined；　the　never　at　rest；　the　all…accepting　but　never　sated；　utter　dearth；　and　make　all　this　character　not　mere　accident　in　it　but　its　equivalent　for　essential…being；　so　that；　whatsoever　fragment　of　it　be　taken；　that　part　is　all　lawless　void；　while　whatever　participates　in　it　and　resembles　it　becomes　evil；　though　not　of　course　to　the　point　of　being；　as　itself　is；　Evil…Absolute。　　　　　In　what　substantial…form　＇hypostasis＇　then　is　all　this　to　be　found…　not　as　accident　but　as　the　very　substance　itself？　　　　　For　if　Evil　can　enter　into　other　things；　it　must　have　in　a　certain　sense　a　prior　existence；　even　though　it　may　not　be　an　essence。　As　there　is　Good；　the　Absolute；　as　well　as　Good；　the　quality；　so；　together　with　the　derived　evil　entering　into　something　not　itself；　there　must　be　the　Absolute　Evil。　　　　　But　how？　Can　there　be　Unmeasure　apart　from　an　unmeasured　object？　　　　　Does　not　Measure　exist　apart　from　unmeasured　things？　Precisely　as　there　is　Measure　apart　from　anything　measured；　so　there　is　Unmeasure　apart　from　the　unmeasured。　If　Unmeasure　could　not　exist　independently；　it　must　exist　either　in　an　unmeasured　object　or　in　something　measured；　but　the　unmeasured　could　not　need　Unmeasure　and　the　measured　could　not　contain　it。　　　　　There　must；　then；　be　some　Undetermination…Absolute；　some　Absolute　Formlessness；　all　the　qualities　cited　as　characterizing　the　Nature　of　Evil　must　be　summed　under　an　Absolute　Evil；　and　every　evil　thing　outside　of　this　must　either　contain　this　Absolute　by　saturation　or　have　taken　the　character　of　evil　and　become　a　cause　of　evil　by　consecration　to　this　Absolute。　　　　　What　will　this　be？　　　　　That　Kind　whose　place　is　below　all　the　patterns；　forms；　shapes；　measurements　and　limits；　that　which　has　no　trace　of　good　by　any　title　of　its　own；　but　＇at　best＇　takes　order　and　grace　from　some　Principle　outside　itself；　a　mere　image　as　regards　Absolute…Being　but　the　Authentic　Essence　of　Evil…　in　so　far　as　Evil　can　have　Authentic　Being。　In　such　a　Kind；　Reason　recognizes　the　Primal　Evil；　Evil　Absolute。　　　　　4。　The　bodily　Kind；　in　that　it　partakes　of　Matter　is　an　evil　thing。　What　form　is　in　bodies　is　an　untrue…form：　they　are　without　life：　by　their　own　natural　disorderly　movement　they　make　away　with　each　other；　they　are　hindrances　to　the　soul　in　its　proper　Act；　in　their　ceaseless　flux　they　are　always　slipping　away　from　Being。　　　　　Soul；　on　the　contrary；　since　not　every　Soul　is　evil；　is　not　an　evil　Kind。　　　　　What；　then；　is　the　evil　Soul？　　　　　It　is；　we　read；　the　Soul　that　has　entered　into　the　service　of　that　in　which　soul…evil　is　implanted　by　nature；　in　whose　service　the　unreasoning　phase　of　the　Soul　accepts　evil…　unmeasure；　excess　and　shortcoming；　which　bring　forth　licentiousness；　cowardice　and　all　other　flaws　of　the　Soul；　all　the　states；　foreign　to　the　true　nature；　which　set　up　false　judgements；　so　that　the　Soul　comes　to　name　things　good　or　evil　not　by　their　true　value　but　by　the　mere　test　of　like　and　dislike。　　　　　But　what　is　the　root　of　this　evil　state？　how　can　it　be　brought　under　the　causing　principle　indicated？　　　　　Firstly；　such　a　Soul　is　not　apart　from　Matter；　is　not　purely　itself。　That　is　to　say；　it　is　touched　with　Unmeasure；　it　is　shut　out　from　the　Forming…Idea　that　orders　and　brings　to　measure；　and　this　because　it　is　merged　into　a　body　made　of　Matter。　　　　　Then　if　the　Reasoning…Faculty　too　has　taken　hurt；　the　Soul's　seeing　is　baulked　by　the　passions　and　by　the　darkening　that　Matter　brings　to　it；　by　its　decline　into　Matter；　by　its　very　attention　no　longer　to　Essence　but　to　Process…　whose　principle　or　source　is；　again；　Matter；　the　Kind　so　evil　as　to　saturate　with　its　own　　pravity　even　that　which　is　not　in　it　but　merely　looks　towards　it。　　　　　For；　wholly　without　part　in　Good；　the　negation　of　Good；　unmingled　Lack；　this　Matter…Kind　makes　over　to　its　own　likeness　whatsoever　comes　in　touch　with　it。　　　　　The　Soul　wrought　to　perfection；　addressed　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　is　steadfastly　pure：　it　has　turned　away　from　Matter；　all　that　is　undetermined；　that　is　outside　of　measure；　that　is　evil；　it　neither　sees　nor　draws　near；　it　endures　in　its　purity；　only；　and　wholly；　determined　by　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　The　Soul　that　breaks　away　from　this　source　of　its　reality　to　the　non…perfect　and　non…primal　is；　as　it　were；　a　secondary；　an　image；　to　the　loyal　Soul。　By　its　falling…away…　and　to　the　extent　of　the　fall…　it　is　stripped　of　Determination；　becomes　wholly　indeterminate；　sees　darkness。　Looking　to　what　repels　vision；　as　we　look　when　we　are　said　to　see　darkness；　it　has　taken　Matter　into　itself。　　　　　5。　But；　it　will　be　objected；　if　this　seeing　and　frequenting　of　the　darkness　is　due　to　the　lack　of　good；　the　Soul's　evil　has　its　source　in　that　very　lack；　the　darkness　w