the six enneads-第45节

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at　all　to　Souls　in　this　Universe；　if　some　fail　of　it；　the　blame　must　fall　not　upon　the　place　but　upon　the　feebleness　insufficient　to　the　staunch　combat　in　the　one　arena　where　the　rewards　of　excellence　are　offered。　Men　are　not　born　divine；　what　wonder　that　they　do　not　enjoy　a　divine　life。　And　poverty　and　sickness　mean　nothing　to　the　good…　only　to　the　evil　are　they　disastrous…　and　where　there　is　body　there　must　be　ill　health。　　　　　Besides；　these　accidents　are　not　without　their　service　in　the　co…ordination　and　completion　of　the　Universal　system。　　　　　One　thing　perishes；　and　the　Kosmic　Reason…　whose　control　nothing　anywhere　eludes…　employs　that　ending　to　the　beginning　of　something　new；　and；　so；　when　the　body　suffers　and　the　Soul；　under　the　affliction；　loses　power；　all　that　has　been　bound　under　illness　and　evil　is　brought　into　a　new　set　of　relations；　into　another　class　or　order。　Some　of　these　troubles　are　helpful　to　the　very　sufferers…　poverty　and　sickness；　for　example…　and　as　for　vice；　even　this　brings　something　to　the　general　service：　it　acts　as　a　lesson　in　right　doing；　and；　in　many　ways　even；　produces　good；　thus；　by　setting　men　face　to　face　with　the　ways　and　consequences　of　iniquity；　it　calls　them　from　lethargy；　stirs　the　deeper　mind　and　sets　the　understanding　to　work；　by　the　contrast　of　the　evil　under　which　wrong…doers　labour　it　displays　the　worth　of　the　right。　Not　that　evil　exists　for　this　purpose；　but；　as　we　have　indicated；　once　the　wrong　has　come　to　be；　the　Reason　of　the　Kosmos　employs　it　to　good　ends；　and；　precisely；　the　proof　of　the　mightiest　power　is　to　be　able　to　use　the　ignoble　nobly　and；　given　formlessness；　to　make　it　the　material　of　unknown　forms。　　　　　The　principle　is　that　evil　by　definition　is　a　falling　short　in　good；　and　good　cannot　be　at　full　strength　in　this　Sphere　where　it　is　lodged　in　the　alien：　the　good　here　is　in　something　else；　in　something　distinct　from　the　Good；　and　this　something　else　constitutes　the　falling　short　for　it　is　not　good。　And　this　is　why　evil　is　ineradicable：　there　is；　first；　the　fact　that　in　relation　to　this　principle　of　Good；　thing　will　always　stand　less　than　thing；　and；　besides；　all　things　come　into　being　through　it　and　are　what　they　are　by　standing　away　from　it。　　　　　6。　As　for　the　disregard　of　desert…　the　good　afflicted；　the　unworthy　thriving…　it　is　a　sound　explanation　no　doubt　that　to　the　good　nothing　is　evil　and　to　the　evil　nothing　can　be　good：　still　the　question　remains　why　should　what　essentially　offends　our　nature　fall　to　the　good　while　the　wicked　enjoy　all　it　demands？　How　can　such　an　allotment　be　approved？　　　　　No　doubt　since　pleasant　conditions　add　nothing　to　true　happiness　and　the　unpleasant　do　not　lessen　the　evil　in　the　wicked；　the　conditions　matter　little：　as　well　complain　that　a　good　man　happens　to　be　ugly　and　a　bad　man　handsome。　　　　　Still；　under　such　a　dispensation；　there　would　surely　be　a　propriety；　a　reasonableness；　a　regard　to　merit　which；　as　things　are；　do　not　appear；　though　this　would　certainly　be　in　keeping　with　the　noblest　Providence：　even　though　external　conditions　do　not　affect　a　man's　hold　upon　good　or　evil；　none　the　less　it　would　seem　utterly　unfitting　that　the　bad　should　be　the　masters；　be　sovereign　in　the　state；　while　honourable　men　are　slaves：　a　wicked　ruler　may　commit　the　most　lawless　acts；　and　in　war　the　worst　men　have　a　free　hand　and　perpetrate　every　kind　of　crime　against　their　prisoners。　　　　　We　are　forced　to　ask　how　such　things　can　be；　under　a　Providence。　Certainly　a　maker　must　consider　his　work　as　a　whole；　but　none　the　less　he　should　see　to　the　due　ordering　of　all　the　parts；　especially　when　these　parts　have　Soul；　that　is；　are　Living　and　Reasoning　Beings：　the　Providence　must　reach　to　all　the　details；　its　functioning　must　consist　in　neglecting　no　point。　　　　　Holding；　therefore；　as　we　do；　despite　all；　that　the　Universe　lies　under　an　Intellectual　Principle　whose　power　has　touched　every　existent；　we　cannot　be　absolved　from　the　attempt　to　show　in　what　way　the　detail　of　this　sphere　is　just。　　　　　7。　A　preliminary　observation：　in　looking　for　excellence　in　this　thing　of　mixture；　the　Kosmos；　we　cannot　require　all　that　is　implied　in　the　excellence　of　the　unmingled；　it　is　folly　to　ask　for　Firsts　in　the　Secondary；　and　since　this　Universe　contains　body；　we　must　allow　for　some　bodily　influence　upon　the　total　and　be　thankful　if　the　mingled　existent　lack　nothing　of　what　its　nature　allowed　it　to　receive　from　the　Divine　Reason。　　　　　Thus；　supposing　we　were　enquiring　for　the　finest　type　of　the　human　being　as　known　here；　we　would　certainly　not　demand　that　he　prove　identical　with　Man　as　in　the　Divine　Intellect；　we　would　think　it　enough　in　the　Creator　to　have　so　brought　this　thing　of　flesh　and　nerve　and　bone　under　Reason　as　to　give　grace　to　these　corporeal　elements　and　to　have　made　it　possible　for　Reason　to　have　contact　with　Matter。　　　　　Our　progress　towards　the　object　of　our　investigation　must　begin　from　this　principle　of　gradation　which　will　open　to　us　the　wonder　of　the　Providence　and　of　the　power　by　which　our　universe　holds　its　being。　　　　　We　begin　with　evil　acts　entirely　dependent　upon　the　Souls　which　perpetrate　them…　the　harm；　for　example；　which　perverted　Souls　do　to　the　good　and　to　each　other。　Unless　the　foreplanning　power　alone　is　to　be　charged　with　the　vice　in　such　Souls；　we　have　no　ground　of　accusation；　no　claim　to　redress：　the　blame　lies　on　the　Soul　exercising　its　choice。　Even　a　Soul；　we　have　seen；　must　have　its　individual　movement；　it　is　not　abstract　Spirit；　the　first　step　towards　animal　life　has　been　taken　and　the　conduct　will　naturally　be　in　keeping　with　that　character。　　　　　It　is　not　because　the　world　existed　that　Souls　are　here：　before　the　world　was；　they　had　it　in　them　to　be　of　the　world；　to　concern　themselves　with　it；　to　presuppose　it；　to　administer　it：　it　was　in　their　nature　to　produce　it…　by　whatever　method；　whether　by　giving　forth　some　emanation　while　they　themselves　remained　above；　or　by　an　actual　descent；　or　in　both　ways　together；　some　presiding　from　above；　others　descending；　some　for　we　are　not　at　the　moment　concerned　about　the　mode　of　creation　but　are　simply　urging　that；　however　the　world　was　produced；　no　blame　falls　on　Providence　for　what　exists　within　it。　　　　　There　remains　the　other　phase　of　the　question…　the　distribution　of　evil　to　the　opposite　classes　of　men：　the　good　go　bare　while　the　wicked　are　rich：　all　that　human　need　demands；　the　least　deserving　have　in　abundance；　it　is　they　that　rule；　peoples　and　states　are　at　their　disposal。　Would　not　all　this　imply　that　the　divine　power　does　not　reach　to　earth？　　　　　That　it　does　is　sufficiently　established　by　the　fact　that　Reason　rules　in　the　lower　things：　animals　and　plants　have　their　share　in　Reason；　Soul　and　Life。　　　　　Perhaps；　then；　it　reaches　to　earth　but　is　not　master　over　all？　　　　　We　answer　that　the　universe　is　one　living　organism：　as　well　maintain　that　while　human　head　and　face　are　the　work　of　nature　and　of　the　ruling　reason…principle；　the　rest　of　the　frame　is　due　to　other　agencies…　accident　or　sheer　necessity…　and　owes　its　inferiority　to　this　origin；　or　to　the　incompetence　of　unaided　Nature。　And　even　granting　that　those　less　noble　members　are　not　in　themselves　admirable　it　would　still　be　neither　pious　nor　even　reverent　to　censure　the　entire　structure。　　　　　8。　Thus　we　come　to　our　enquiry　as　to　the　degree　of　excellence　found　in　things　of　this　Sphere；　and　how　far　they　belong　to　an　ordered　system　or　in　what　degree　they　are；　at　least；　not　evil。　　　　　Now　in　every　living　being　the　upper　parts…　head；　face…　are　the　most　beautiful；　the　mid　and　lower　members　inferior。　In　the　Universe　the　middle　and　lower　members　are　human　beings；　above　them；　the　Heavens　and　the　Gods　that　dwell　there；　these　Gods　with　the　entire　circling　expanse　of　the　heavens　constitute　the　greater　part　of　the　Kosmos：　the　earth　is　but　a　central　point；　and　may　be　considered　as　simply　one　among　the　stars。　Yet　human　wrong…doing　is　made　a　matter　of　wonder；　we　are　evidently　asked　to　take　humanity　as　the　choice　member　of　the　Universe；　nothing　wiser　existent！　　　　　But　humanity；　in　reality；　is　poised　midway　between　gods　and　beasts；　and　inclines　now　to　the　one　order；　now　to　the　other；　some　men　grow　like　to　the　divine；　others　to　the　brute；　the　greater　number　stand　neutral。　But　those　that　are　corrupted　to　the　point　of　approximating　to　irrational　animals　and　wild　beasts　pull　the　mid…folk　about　and　inflict　wrong　upon　them；　the　victims　are　no　doubt　better　than　the　wrongdoers；　but　are　at　the　mercy　of　their　inferiors　in　the　field　in　which　they　themselves　are　inferior；　where；　that　is；　they　cannot　be　classed　among　the　good　since　they　have　not　trained　themselves　in　self…defence。　　　　　A　gang　of　lads；　morally　neglected；　and　in　that　respect　inferior　to　the　intermediate　class；　but　in　good　physical　training；　attack　and　throw　another　set；　trained　neither　physically　nor　morally；　and　make　off　with　their　food　and　their　dainty　clothes。　What　more　is　called　for　than　a　laugh？　　　　　And　surely　even　the　lawgiver　would　be　right　in　allowing　the　second　group　to　suffer　this　treatment；　the　penalty　of　their　sloth　and　self…indulgence：　the　gymnasium　lies　there　before　them；　and　they；　in　laziness　and　luxury　and　listlessness；　have　allowed　themselves　to　fall　like　fat…loaded　sheep；　a　prey　to　the　wolves。　　　　　But　the　evil…doers