on sense and the sensible-第8节

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contiguous；　while　the　part　first　changed　in　quality　is　so　changed　by



the　cause　itself　which　originates　the　change；　and　thus　the　change



throughout　the　whole　need　not　take　place　coinstantaneously　and　all



at　once。　Tasting　would　have　been　as　smelling　now　is；　if　we　lived　in



a　liquid　medium；　and　perceived　＇the　sapid　object＇　at　a　distance；



before　touching　it。



　　Naturally；　then；　the　parts　of　media　between　a　sensory　organ　and



its　object　are　not　all　affected　at　once…　except　in　the　case　of　Light



＇illumination＇　for　the　reason　above　stated；　and　also　in　the　case　of



seeing；　for　the　same　reason；　for　Light　is　an　efficient　cause　of



seeing。



　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　7







　　Another　question　respecting　sense…perception　is　as　follows：



assuming；　as　is　natural；　that　of　two　＇simultaneous＇　sensory　stimuli



the　stronger　always　tends　to　extrude　the　weaker　＇from



consciousness＇；　is　it　conceivable　or　not　that　one　should　be　able　to



discern　two　objects　coinstantaneously　in　the　same　individual　time？　The



above　assumption　explains　why　persons　do　not　perceive　what　is



brought　before　their　eyes；　if　they　are　at　the　time　deep　in　thought；　or



in　a　fright；　or　listening　to　some　loud　noise。　This　assumption；　then；



must　be　made；　and　also　the　following：　that　it　is　easier　to　discern



each　object　of　sense　when　in　its　simple　form　than　when　an　ingredient



in　a　mixture；　easier；　for　example；　to　discern　wine　when　neat　than　when



blended；　and　so　also　honey；　and　＇in　other　provinces＇　a　colour；　or　to



discern　the　nete　by　itself　alone；　than　＇when　sounded　with　the



hypate＇　in　the　octave；　the　reason　being　that　component　elements　tend



to　efface　＇the　distinctive　characteristics　of＇　one　another。　Such　is



the　effect　＇on　one　another＇　of　all　ingredients　of　which；　when



compounded；　some　one　thing　is　formed。



　　If；　then；　the　greater　stimulus　tends　to　expel　the　less；　it



necessarily　follows　that；　when　they　concur；　this　greater　should　itself



too　be　less　distinctly　perceptible　than　if　it　were　alone；　since　the



less　by　blending　with　it　has　removed　some　of　its　individuality；



according　to　our　assumption　that　simple　objects　are　in　all　cases



more　distinctly　perceptible。



　　Now；　if　the　two　stimuli　are　equal　but　heterogeneous；　no　perception



of　either　will　ensue；　they　will　alike　efface　one　another's



characteristics。　But　in　such　a　case　the　perception　of　either



stimulus　in　its　simple　form　is　impossible。　Hence　either　there　will



then　be　no　sense…perception　at　all；　or　there　will　be　a　perception



compounded　of　both　and　differing　from　either。　The　latter　is　what



actually　seems　to　result　from　ingredients　blended　together；　whatever



may　be　the　compound　in　which　they　are　so　mixed。



　　Since；　then；　from　some　concurrent　＇sensory　stimuli＇　a　resultant



object　is　produced；　while　from　others　no　such　resultant　is　produced；



and　of　the　latter　sort　are　those　things　which　belong　to　different



sense　provinces　（for　only　those　things　are　capable　of　mixture　whose



extremes　are　contraries；　and　no　one　compound　can　be　formed　from；



e。g。　White　and　Sharp；　except　indirectly；　i。e。　not　as　a　concord　is



formed　of　Sharp　and　Grave）；　there　follows　logically　the



impossibility　of　discerning　such　concurrent　stimuli　coinstantaneously。



For　we　must　suppose　that　the　stimuli；　when　equal；　tend　alike　to　efface



one　another；　since　no　one　＇form　of　stimulus＇　results　from　them；　while；



if　they　are　unequal；　the　stronger　alone　is　distinctly　perceptible。



　　Again；　the　soul　would　be　more　likely　to　perceive



coinstantaneously；　with　one　and　the　same　sensory　act；　two　things　in



the　same　sensory　province；　such　as　the　Grave　and　the　Sharp　in　sound；



for　the　sensory　stimulation　in　this　one　province　is　more　likely　to



be　unitemporal　than　that　involving　two　different　provinces；　as　Sight



and　Hearing。　But　it　is　impossible　to　perceive　two　objects



coinstantaneously　in　the　same　sensory　act　unless　they　have　been　mixed；



＇when；　however；　they　are　no　longer　two＇；　for　their　amalgamation



involves　their　becoming　one；　and　the　sensory　act　related　to　one　object



is　itself　one；　and　such　act；　when　one；　is；　of　course；



coinstantaneous　with　itself。　Hence；　when　things　are　mixed　we　of



necessity　perceive　them　coinstantaneously：　for　we　perceive　them　by　a



perception　actually　one。　For　an　object　numerically　one　means　that



which　is　perceived　by　a　perception　actually　one；　whereas　an　object



specifically　one　means　that　which　is　perceived　by　a　sensory　act



potentially　one　＇i。e。　by　an　energeia　of　the　same　sensuous　faculty＇。　If



then　the　actualized　perception　is　one；　it　will　declare　its　data　to



be　one　object；　they　must；　therefore；　have　been　mixed。　Accordingly；



when　they　have　not　been　mixed；　the　actualized　perceptions　which



perceive　them　will　be　two；　but　＇if　so；　their　perception　must　be



successive　not　coinstantaneous；　for＇　in　one　and　the　same　faculty　the



perception　actualized　at　any　single　moment　is　necessarily　one；　only



one　stimulation　or　exertion　of　a　single　faculty　being　possible　at　a



single　instant；　and　in　the　case　supposed　here　the　faculty　is　one。　It



follows；　therefore；　that　we　cannot　conceive　the　possibility　of



perceiving　two　distinct　objects　coinstantaneously　with　one　and　the



same　sense。



　　But　if　it　be　thus　impossible　to　perceive　coinstantaneously　two



objects　in　the　same　province　of　sense　if　they　are　really　two；



manifestly　it　is　still　less　conceivable　that　we　should　perceive



coinstantaneously　objects　in　two　different　sensory　provinces；　as　White



and　Sweet。　For　it　appears　that　when　the　Soul　predicates　numerical



unity　it　does　so　in　virtue　of　nothing　else　than　such　coinstantaneous



perception　＇of　one　object；　in　one　instant；　by　one　energeia＇：　while



it　predicates　specific　unity　in　virtue　of　＇the　unity　of＇　the



discriminating　faculty　of　sense　together　with　＇the　unity　of＇　the



mode　in　which　this　operates。　What　I　mean；　for　example；　is　this；　the



same　sense　no　doubt　discerns　White　and　Black；　＇which　are　hence



generically　one＇　though　specifically　different　from　one　another；　and



so；　too；　a　faculty　of　sense　self…identical；　but　different　from　the



former；　discerns　Sweet　and　Bitter；　but　while　both　these　faculties



differ　from　one　another　＇and　each　from　itself＇　in　their　modes　of



discerning　either　of　their　respective　contraries；　yet　in　perceiving



the　co…ordinates　in　each　province　they　proceed　in　manners　analogous　to



one　another；　for　instance；　as　Taste　perceives　Sweet；　so　Sight



perceives　White；　and　as　the　latter　perceives　Black；　so　the　former



perceives　Bitter。



　　Again；　if　the　stimuli　of　sense　derived　from　Contraries　are



themselves　Contrary；　and　if　Contraries　cannot　be　conceived　as



subsisting　together　in　the　same　individual　subject；　and　if　Contraries；



e。g。　Sweet　and　Bitter；　come　under　one　and　the　same　sense…faculty；　we



must　conclude　that　it　is　impossible　to　discern　them　coinstantaneously。



It　is　likewise　clearly　impossible　so　to　discern　such　homogeneous



sensibles　as　are　not　＇indeed＇　Contrary；　＇but　are　yet　of　different



species＇。　For　these　are；　＇in　the　sphere　of　colour；　for　instance＇；



classed　some　with　White；　others　with　Black；　and　so　it　is；　likewise；　in



the　other　provinces　of　sense；　for　example；　of　savours；　some　are



classed　with　Sweet；　and　others　with　Bitter。　Nor　can　one　discern　the



components　in　compounds　coinstantaneously　（for　these　are　ratios　of



Contraries；　as　e。g。　the　Octave　or　the　Fifth）；　unless；　indeed；　on



condition　of　perceiving　them　as　one。　For　thus；　and　not　otherwise；



the　ratios　of　the　extreme　sounds　are　compounded　into　one　ratio：



since　we　should　have　together　the　ratio；　on　the　one　hand；　of　Many　to



Few　or　of　Odd　to　Even；　on　the　other；　that　of　Few　to　Many　or　of　Even　to



Odd　＇and　these；　to　be　perceived　together；　must　be　unified＇。



　　If；　then；　the　sensibles　denominated　co…ordinates　though　in　different



provinces　of　sense　（e。g。　I　call　Sweet　and　White　co…ordinates　though　in



different　provinces）　stand　yet　more　aloof；　and　differ　more；　from　one



another　than　do　any　sensibles　in　the　same　province；　while　Sweet



differs　from　White　even　more　than　Black　does　from　White；　it　is　still



less　conceivable　that　one　should　discern　them　＇viz。　sensibles　in



different　sensory　provinces　whether　co…ordinates　or　not＇



coinstantaneously　than　sensibles　which　are　in　the　same　province。



Therefore；　if　coinstantaneous　perception　of　the　latter　be



impossible；　that　of　the　former　is　a　fortiori　impossible。



　　Some　of　the　writers　who　treat　of　concords　assert　that　the　sounds



combined　in　these　do　not　reach　us　simultaneously；　but　only　appear　to



do　so；　their　real　successiveness　being　unnoticed　whenever　the　time



it　involves　is　＇so　small　as　to　be＇　imperceptible。　Is　this　true　or　not？



One　might　perhaps；　following　this　up；　go　so　far　as　to　say　that　even



the　current　opinion　that　one　sees　and　hears　coinstantaneously　is　due



merely　to　the　fact　that