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第94节

the six enneads-第94节

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them into being。 The groupings 'within the All' are themselves in the nature of Reason…Principles since they are the out…spacing of a living…being; its reason…determined rhythms and conditions; and the entities thus spaced…out and grouped to pattern are its various members: then again there are the powers of the living being… distinct these; too… which may be considered as parts of it; always excluding deliberate will which is external to it; not contributory to the nature of the living All。     The will of any organic thing is one; but the distinct powers which go to constitute it are far from being one: yet all the several wills look to the object aimed at by the one will of the whole: for the desire which the one member entertains for another is a desire within the All: a part seeks to acquire something outside itself; but that external is another part of which it feels the need: the anger of a moment of annoyance is directed to something alien; growth draws on something outside; all birth and becoming has to do with the external; but all this external is inevitably something included among fellow members of the system: through these its limbs and members; the All is bringing this activity into being while in itself it seeks… or better; contemplates… The Good。 Right will; then; the will which stands above accidental experience; seeks The Good and thus acts to the same end with it。 When men serve another; many of their acts are done under order; but the good servant is the one whose purpose is in union with his master's。     In all the efficacy of the sun and other stars upon earthly matters we can but believe that though the heavenly body is intent upon the Supreme yet… to keep to the sun… its warming of terrestrial things; and every service following upon that; all springs from itself; its own act transmitted in virtue of soul; the vastly efficacious soul of Nature。 Each of the heavenly bodies; similarly; gives forth a power; involuntary; by its mere radiation: all things become one entity; grouped by this diffusion of power; and so bring about wide changes of condition; thus the very groupings have power since their diversity produces diverse conditions; that the grouped beings themselves have also their efficiency is clear since they produce differently according to the different membership of the groups。     That configuration has power in itself is within our own observation here。 Why else do certain groupments; in contradistinction to others; terrify at sight though there has been no previous experience of evil from them? If some men are alarmed by a particular groupment and others by quite a different one; the reason can be only that the configurations themselves have efficacy; each upon a certain type… an efficacy which cannot fail to reach anything naturally disposed to be impressed by it; so that in one groupment things attract observation which in another pass without effect。     If we are told that beauty is the motive of attraction; does not this mean simply that the power of appeal to this or that mind depends upon pattern; configuration? How can we allow power to colour and none to configuration? It is surely untenable that an entity should have existence and yet have no power to effect: existence carries with it either acting or answering to action; some beings having action alone; others both。     At the same time there are powers apart from pattern: and; in things of our realm; there are many powers dependent not upon heat and cold but upon forces due to differing properties; forces which have been shaped to ideal…quality by the action of Reason…Principles and communicate in the power of Nature: thus the natural properties of stones and the efficacy of plants produce many astonishing results。     36。 The Universe is immensely varied; the container of all the Reason…Principles and of infinite and diverse efficacies。 In man; we are told; the eye has its power; and the bones have their varied powers; and so with each separate part of hand and of foot; and there is no member or organ without its own definite function; some separate power of its own… a diversity of which we can have no notion unless our studies take that direction。 What is true of man must be true of the universe; and much more; since all this order is but a representation of the higher: it must contain an untellably wonderful variety of powers; with which; of course; the bodies moving through the heavens will be most richly endowed。     We cannot think of the universe as a soulless habitation; however vast and varied; a thing of materials easily told off; kind by kind… wood and stone and whatever else there be; all blending into a kosmos: it must be alert throughout; every member living by its own life; nothing that can have existence failing to exist within it。     And here we have the solution of the problem; 〃How an ensouled living form can include the soulless〃: for this account allows grades of living within the whole; grades to some of which we deny life only because they are not perceptibly self…moved: in the truth; all of these have a hidden life; and the thing whose life is patent to sense is made up of things which do not live to sense; but; none the less; confer upon their resultant total wonderful powers towards living。 Man would never have reached to his actual height if the powers by which he acts were the completely soulless elements of his being; similarly the All could not have its huge life unless its every member had a life of its own; this however does not necessarily imply a deliberate intention; the All has no need of intention to bring about its acts: it is older than intention; and therefore its powers have many servitors。     37。 We must not rob the universe of any factor in its being。 If any of our theorists of to…day seek to explain the action of fire… or of any other such form; thought of as an agent… they will find themselves in difficulties unless they recognize the act to be the object's function in the All; and give a like explanation of other natural forces in common use。     We do not habitually examine or in any way question the normal: we set to doubting and working out identifications when we are confronted by any display of power outside everyday experience: we wonder at a novelty and we wonder at the customary when anyone brings forward some single object and explains to our ignorance the efficacy vested in it。     Some such power; not necessarily accompanied by reason; every single item possesses; for each has been brought into being and into shape within a universe; each in its kind has partaken of soul through the medium of the ensouled All; as being embraced by that definitely constituted thing: each then is a member of an animate being which can include nothing that is less than a full member 'and therefore a sharer in the total of power'… though one thing is of mightier efficacy than another; and; especially members of the heavenly system than the objects of earth; since they draw upon a purer nature… and these powers are widely productive。 But productivity does not comport intention in what appears to be the source of the thing accomplished: there is efficacy; too; where there is no will: even attention is not necessary to the communication of power; the very transmission of soul may proceed without either。     A living being; we know; may spring from another without any intention; and as without loss so without consciousness in the begetter: in fact any intention the animal exercised could be a cause of propagation only on condition of being identical with the animal 'i。e。; the theory would make intention a propagative animal; not a mental act?'     And; if intention is unnecessary to the propagation of life; much more so is attention。     38。 Whatever springs automatically from the All out of that distinctive life of its own; and; in addition to that self…moving activity; whatever is due to some specific agency… for example; to prayers; simple or taking the form of magic incantations… this entire range of production is to be referred; not to each such single cause; but to the nature of the thing produced 'i。e。; to a certain natural tendency in the product to exist with its own quality'。     All that forwards life or some other useful purpose is to be ascribed to the transmission characteristic of the All; it is something flowing from the major of an integral to its minor。 Where we think we see the transmission of some force unfavourable to the production of living beings; the flaw must be found in the inability of the subject to take in what would serve it: for what happens does not happen upon a void; there is always specific form and quality; anything that could be affected must have an underlying nature definite and characterized。 The inevitable blendings; further; have their constructive effect; every element adding something contributory to the life。 Then again some influence may come into play at the time when the forces of a beneficent nature are not acting: the co…ordination of the entire system of things does not always allow to each several entity everything that it needs: and further we ourselves add a great deal to what is transmitted to us。     None the less all entwines into a unity: and there 

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