a discourse on method-第7部分

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　imagine　ourselves　possessed　of　another　body　and　that　we　see　other　stars　and　another　earth；　when　there　is　nothing　of　the　kind。　　For　how　do　we　know　that　the　thoughts　which　occur　in　dreaming　are　false　rather　than　those　other　which　we　experience　when　awake；　since　the　former　are　often　not　less　vivid　and　distinct　than　the　latter？　And　though　men　of　the　highest　genius　study　this　question　as　long　as　they　please；　I　do　not　believe　that　they　will　be　able　to　give　any　reason　which　can　be　sufficient　to　remove　this　doubt；　unless　they　presuppose　the　existence　of　God。　　For；　in　the　first　place　even　the　principle　which　I　have　already　taken　as　a　rule；　viz。；　that　all　the　things　which　we　clearly　and　distinctly　conceive　are　true；　is　certain　only　because　God　is　or　exists　and　because　he　is　a　Perfect　Being；　and　because　all　that　we　possess　is　derived　from　him：　　whence　it　follows　that　our　ideas　or　notions；　which　to　the　extent　of　their　clearness　and　distinctness　are　real；　and　proceed　from　God；　must　to　that　extent　be　true。　　Accordingly；　whereas　we　not　infrequently　have　ideas　or　notions　in　which　some　falsity　is　contained；　this　can　only　be　the　case　with　such　as　are　to　some　extent　confused　and　obscure；　and　in　this　proceed　from　nothing　（participate　of　negation）；　that　is；　exist　in　us　thus　confused　because　we　are　not　wholly　perfect。　　And　it　is　evident　that　it　is　not　less　repugnant　that　falsity　or　imperfection；　in　so　far　as　it　is　imperfection；　should　proceed　from　God；　than　that　truth　or　perfection　should　proceed　from　nothing。　　But　if　we　did　not　know　that　all　which　we　possess　of　real　and　true　proceeds　from　a　Perfect　and　Infinite　Being；　however　clear　and　distinct　our　ideas　might　be；　we　should　have　no　ground　on　that　account　for　the　assurance　that　they　possessed　the　perfection　of　being　true。

But　after　the　knowledge　of　God　and　of　the　soul　has　rendered　us　certain　of　this　rule；　we　can　easily　understand　that　the　truth　of　the　thoughts　we　experience　when　awake；　ought　not　in　the　slightest　degree　to　be　called　in　question　on　account　of　the　illusions　of　our　dreams。　　For　if　it　happened　that　an　individual；　even　when　asleep；　had　some　very　distinct　idea；　as；　for　example；　if　a　geometer　should　discover　some　new　demonstration；　the　circumstance　of　his　being　asleep　would　not　militate　against　its　truth；　and　as　for　the　most　ordinary　error　of　our　dreams；　which　consists　in　their　representing　to　us　various　objects　in　the　same　way　as　our　external　senses；　this　is　not　prejudicial；　since　it　leads　us　very　properly　to　suspect　the　truth　of　the　ideas　of　sense；　for　we　are　not　infrequently　deceived　in　the　same　manner　when　awake；　as　when　persons　in　the　jaundice　see　all　objects　yellow；　or　when　the　stars　or　bodies　at　a　great　distance　appear　to　us　much　smaller　than　they　are。　　For；　in　fine；　whether　awake　or　asleep；　we　ought　never　to　allow　ourselves　to　be　persuaded　of　the　truth　of　anything　unless　on　the　evidence　of　our　reason。　　And　it　must　be　noted　that　I　say　of　our　reason；　and　not　of　our　imagination　or　of　our　senses：　　thus；　for　example；　although　we　very　clearly　see　the　sun；　we　ought　not　therefore　to　determine　that　it　is　only　of　the　size　which　our　sense　of　sight　presents；　and　we　may　very　distinctly　imagine　the　head　of　a　lion　joined　to　the　body　of　a　goat；　without　being　therefore　shut　up　to　the　conclusion　that　a　chimaera　exists；　for　it　is　not　a　dictate　of　reason　that　what　we　thus　see　or　imagine　is　in　reality　existent；　but　it　plainly　tells　us　that　all　our　ideas　or　notions　contain　in　them　some　truth；　for　otherwise　it　could　not　be　that　God；　who　is　wholly　perfect　and　veracious；　should　have　placed　them　in　us。　　And　because　our　reasonings　are　never　so　clear　or　so　complete　during　sleep　as　when　we　are　awake；　although　sometimes　the　acts　of　our　imagination　are　then　as　lively　and　distinct；　if　not　more　so　than　in　our　waking　moments；　reason　further　dictates　that；　since　all　our　thoughts　cannot　be　true　because　of　our　partial　imperfection；　those　possessing　truth　must　infallibly　be　found　in　the　experience　of　our　waking　moments　rather　than　in　that　of　our　dreams。



PART　V

I　would　here　willingly　have　proceeded　to　exhibit　the　whole　chain　of　truths　which　I　deduced　from　these　primary　but　as　with　a　view　to　this　it　would　have　been　necessary　now　to　treat　of　many　questions　in　dispute　among　the　earned；　with　whom　I　do　not　wish　to　be　embroiled；　I　believe　that　it　will　be　better　for　me　to　refrain　from　this　exposition；　and　only　mention　in　general　what　these　truths　are；　that　the　more　judicious　may　be　able　to　determine　whether　a　more　special　account　of　them　would　conduce　to　the　public　advantage。　　I　have　ever　remained　firm　in　my　original　resolution　to　suppose　no　other　principle　than　that　of　which　I　have　recently　availed　myself　in　demonstrating　the　existence　of　God　and　of　the　soul；　and　to　accept　as　true　nothing　that　did　not　appear　to　me　more　clear　and　certain　than　the　demonstrations　of　the　geometers　had　formerly　appeared；　and　yet　I　venture　to　state　that　not　only　have　I　found　means　to　satisfy　myself　in　a　short　time　on　all　the　principal　difficulties　which　are　usually　treated　of　in　philosophy；　but　I　have　also　observed　certain　laws　established　in　nature　by　God　in　such　a　manner；　and　of　which　he　has　impressed　on　our　minds　such　notions；　that　after　we　have　reflected　sufficiently　upon　these；　we　cannot　doubt　that　they　are　accurately　observed　in　all　that　exists　or　takes　place　in　the　world　and　farther；　by　considering　the　concatenation　of　these　laws；　it　appears　to　me　that　I　have　discovered　many　truths　more　useful　and　more　important　than　all　I　had　before　learned；　or　even　had　expected　to　learn。

But　because　I　have　essayed　to　expound　the　chief　of　these　discoveries　in　a　treatise　which　certain　considerations　prevent　me　from　publishing；　I　cannot　make　the　results　known　more　conveniently　than　by　here　giving　a　summary　of　the　contents　of　this　treatise。　　It　was　my　design　to　comprise　in　it　all　that；　before　I　set　myself　to　write　it；　I　thought　I　knew　of　the　nature　of　material　objects。　　But　like　the　painters　who；　finding　themselves　unable　to　represent　equally　well　on　a　plain　surface　all　the　different　faces　of　a　solid　body；　select　one　of　the　chief；　on　which　alone　they　make　the　light　fall；　and　throwing　the　rest　into　the　shade；　allow　them　to　appear　only　in　so　far　as　they　can　be　seen　while　looking　at　the　principal　one；　so；　fearing　lest　I　should　not　be　able　to　compense　in　my　discourse　all　that　was　in　my　mind；　I　resolved　to　expound　singly；　though　at　considerable　length；　my　opinions　regarding　light；　then　to　take　the　opportunity　of　adding　something　on　the　sun　and　the　fixed　stars；　since　light　almost　wholly　proceeds　from　them；　on　the　heavens　since　they　transmit　it；　on　the　planets；　comets；　and　earth；　since　they　reflect　it；　and　particularly　on　all　the　bodies　that　are　upon　the　earth；　since　they　are　either　colored；　or　transparent；　or　luminous；　and　finally　on　man；　since　he　is　the　spectator　of　these　objects。　Further；　to　enable　me　to　cast　this　variety　of　subjects　somewhat　into　the　shade；　and　to　express　my　judgment　regarding　them　with　greater　freedom；　without　being　necessitated　to　adopt　or　refute　the　opinions　of　the　learned；　I　resolved　to　leave　all　the　people　here　to　their　disputes；　and　to　speak　only　of　what　would　happen　in　a　new　world；　if　God　were　now　to　create　somewhere　in　the　imaginary　spaces　matter　sufficient　to　compose　one；　and　were　to　agitate　variously　and　confusedly　the　different　parts　of　this　matter；　so　that　there　resulted　a　chaos　as　disordered　as　the　poets　ever　feigned；　and　after　that　did　nothing　more　than　lend　his　ordinary　concurrence　to　nature；　and　allow　her　to　act　in　accordance　with　the　laws　which　he　had　established。　　On　this　supposition；　I；　in　the　first　place；　described　this　matter；　and　essayed　to　represent　it　in　such　a　manner　that　to　my　mind　there　can　be　nothing　clearer　and　more　intelligible；　except　what　has　been　recently　said　regarding　God　and　the　soul；　for　I　even　expressly　supposed　that　it　possessed　none　of　those　forms　or　qualities　which　are　so　debated　in　the　schools；　nor　in　general　anything　the　knowledge　of　which　is　not　so　natural　to　our　minds　that　no　one　can　so　much　as　imagine　himself　ignorant　of　it。　　Besides；　I　have　pointed　out　what　are　the　laws　of　nature；　and；　with　no　other　principle　upon　which　to　found　my　reasonings　except　the　infinite　perfection　of　God；　I　endeavored　to　demonstrate　all　those　about　which　there　could　be　any　room　for　doubt；　and　to　prove　that　they　are　such；　that　even　if　God　had　created　more　worlds；　there　could　have　been　none　in　which　these　laws　were　not　observed。　　Thereafter；　I　showed　how　the　greatest　part　of　the　matter　of　this　chaos　must；　in　accordance　with　these　laws；　dispose　and　arrange　itself　in　such　a　way　as　to　present　the　appearance　of　heavens；　how　in　the　meantime　some　of　its　parts　must　compose　an　earth　and　some　planets　and　comets；　and　others　a　sun　and　fixed　stars。　　And；　making　a　digression　at　this　stage　on　the　subject　of　light；　I　expounded　at　considerable　length　what　the　nature　of　that　light　must　be　which　is　found　in　the　sun　and　the　stars；　and　how　thence　in　an　instant　of　time　it　traverses　the　immense　spaces　of　the　heavens；　and　how　from　the　planets　and　comets　it　is　reflected　towards　the　earth。　　To　this　I　likewise　added　much　respecting　the　substance；　the　situation；　the　motions；　and　all　the　different　qualities　of　these　heavens　and　stars；　so　that　I　thought　I　had　said　enough　respecting　them　to　show　that　there　is　nothing　observable　in　the　heavens　or　stars　of　our　system　that　must　not；　or　at　least　may　not　appear　precisely　alike　in　those　of　the　system　which　I　described。　　I　came　next　to　speak　of　the　earth　in　particular；　and　to　show　how；　even　though　I　had　expressly　supposed　that　God　had　given　no　weight　to　the　matter　of　which　it　is　composed；　this　should　not　prevent　all　its　parts　from　tending　exactly　to　its　center；　how　with　water　and　air　on　its　surface；　the　disposition　of　the　heavens　and　heavenly　bodies；　more　especially　of　the　moon；　must　cause　a　flow　and　ebb；　like　in　all　its　circumstances　to　that　observed　in　our　seas；　as　also　a　certain　current　both　of　water　and　air　from　east　to　west；　such　as　is　likewise　observed　between　the　tropics；　how　the　mountains；　seas；　fountains；　and　rivers　might　naturally　be　formed　in　it；　and　the　metals　produced　in　the　mines；　and　the　plants　grow　in　the　fields　and　in　general；　how　all　the　bodies　which　are　commonly　denominated　mixed　or　composite