the six enneads-第28部分

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　subject　as　the　〃Potentiality。〃　If　we　have　really　two　different　subjects；　then　the　potential　does　not　really　become　the　actual：　all　that　happens　is　that　an　actual　entity　takes　the　place　of　a　potential。　　　　　The　actualized　entity　is　not　the　Matter　＇the　Potentiality；　merely＇　but　a　combination；　including　the　Form…Idea　upon　the　Matter。　　　　　This　is　certainly　the　case　when　a　quite　different　thing　results　from　the　actualization…statue；　for　example；　the　combination；　is　distinctly　different　from　the　bronze；　the　base；　where　the　resultant　is　something　quite　new；　the　Potentiality　has　clearly　not；　itself；　become　what　is　now　actualized。　But　take　the　case　where　a　person　with　a　capacity　for　education　becomes　in　fact　educated：　is　not　potentiality；　here；　identical　with　actualization？　Is　not　the　potentially　wise　Socrates　the　same　man　as　the　Socrates　actually　wise？　　　　　But　is　an　ignorant　man　a　being　of　knowledge　because　he　is　so　potentially？　Is　he；　in　virtue　of　his　non…essential　ignorance；　potentially　an　instructed　being？　　　　　It　is　not　because　of　his　accidental　ignorance　that　he　is　a　being　of　Knowledge：　it　is　because；　ignorant　though　he　be　by　accident；　his　mind；　apt　to　knowledge；　is　the　potentiality　through　which　he　may　become　so。　Thus；　in　the　case　of　the　potentially　instructed　who　have　become　so　in　fact；　the　potentiality　is　taken　up　into　the　actual；　or；　if　we　prefer　to　put　it　so；　there　is　on　the　one　side　the　potentiality　while；　on　the　other；　there　is　the　power　in　actual　possession　of　the　form。　　　　　If；　then；　the　Potentiality　is　the　Substratum　while　the　thing　in　actualization…　the　Statue　for　example　a　combination；　how　are　we　to　describe　the　form　that　has　entered　the　bronze？　　　　　There　will　be　nothing　unsound　in　describing　this　shape；　this　Form　which　has　brought　the　entity　from　potentiality　to　actuality；　as　the　actualization；　but　of　course　as　the　actualization　of　the　definite　particular　entity；　not　as　Actuality　the　abstract：　we　must　not　confuse　it　with　the　other　actualization；　strictly　so　called；　that　which　is　contrasted　with　the　power　producing　actualization。　The　potential　is　led　out　into　realization　by　something　other　than　itself；　power　accomplishes；　of　itself；　what　is　within　its　scope；　but　by　virtue　of　Actuality　＇the　abstract＇：　the　relation　is　that　existing　between　a　temperament　and　its　expression　in　act；　between　courage　and　courageous　conduct。　So　far　so　good：　　　　　3。　We　come　now　to　the　purpose　of　all　this　discussion；　to　make　clear　in　what　sense　or　to　what　degree　Actualization　is　predicable　in　the　Intellectual　Realm　and　whether　all　is　in　Actualization　there；　each　and　every　member　of　that　realm　being　an　Act；　or　whether　Potentiality　also　has　place　there。　　　　　Now：　if　there　is　no　Matter　there　to　harbour　potentiality：　if　nothing　there　has　any　future　apart　from　its　actual　mode：　if　nothing　there　generates；　whether　by　changes　or　in　the　permanence　of　its　identity；　if　nothing　goes　outside　of　itself　to　give　being　to　what　is　other　than　itself；　then；　potentiality　has　no　place　there：　the　Beings　there　possess　actuality　as　belonging　to　eternity；　not　to　time。　　　　　Those；　however；　who　assert　Matter　in　the　Intellectual　Realm　will　be　asked　whether　the　existence　of　that　Matter　does　not　imply　the　potential　there　too；　for　even　if　Matter　there　exists　in　another　mode　than　here；　every　Being　there　will　have　its　Matter；　its　form　and　the　union　of　the　two　＇and　therefore　the　potential；　separable　from　the　actual＇。　What　answer　is　to　be　made？　　　　　Simply；　that　even　the　Matter　there　is　Idea；　just　as　the　Soul；　an　Idea；　is　Matter　to　another　＇a　higher＇　Being。　　　　　But　relatively　to　that　higher；　the　Soul　is　a　potentiality？　　　　　No：　for　the　Idea　＇to　which　it　is　Matter＇　is　integral　to　the　Soul　and　does　not　look　to　a　future；　the　distinction　between　the　Soul　and　its　Idea　is　purely　mental：　the　Idea　and　the　Matter　it　includes　are　conceived　as　a　conjunction　but　are　essentially　one　Kind：　remember　that　Aristotle　makes　his　Fifth　Body　immaterial。　　　　　But　surely　Potentiality　exists　in　the　Soul？　Surely　the　Soul　is　potentially　the　living…being　of　this　world　before　it　has　become　so？　Is　it　not　potentially　musical；　and　everything　else　that　it　has　not　been　and　becomes？　Does　not　this　imply　potentiality　even　in　the　Intellectual　Existences？　　　　　No：　the　Soul　is　not　potentially　these　things；　it　is　a　Power　towards　them。　　　　　But　after　what　mode　does　Actualization　exist　in　the　Intellectual　Realm？　　　　　Is　it　the　Actualization　of　a　statue；　where　the　combination　is　realized　because　the　Form…Idea　has　mastered　each　separate　constituent　of　the　total？　　　　　No：　it　is　that　every　constituent　there　is　a　Form…Idea　and；　thus；　is　perfect　in　its　Being。　　　　　There　is　in　the　Intellectual　Principle　no　progression　from　some　power　capable　of　intellection　to　the　Actuality　of　intellection：　such　a　progression　would　send　us　in　search　of　a　Prior　Principle　not　progressing　from　Power　to　Act；　there　all　stands　ever　realized。　Potentiality　requires　an　intervention　from　outside　itself　to　bring　it　to　the　actualization　which　otherwise　cannot　be；　but　what　possesses；　of　itself；　identity　unchangeable　for　ever　is　an　actualization：　all　the　Firsts　then　are　actualizations；　simply　because　eternally　and　of　themselves　they　possess　all　that　is　necessary　to　their　completion。　　　　　This　applies　equally　to　the　Soul；　not　to　that　in　Matter　but　to　that　in　the　Intellectual　Sphere；　and　even　that　in　Matter；　the　Soul　of　Growth；　is　an　actualization　in　its　difference；　it　possesses　actually　＇and　not；　like　material　things；　merely　in　image＇　the　Being　that　belongs　to　it。　　　　　Then；　everything；　in　the　intellectual　is　in　actualization　and　so　all　There　is　Actuality？　　　　　Why　not？　If　that　Nature　is　rightly　said　to　be　〃Sleepless；〃　and　to　be　Life　and　the　noblest　mode　of　Life；　the　noblest　Activities　must　be　there；　all　then　is　actualization　there；　everything　is　an　Actuality；　for　everything　is　a　Life；　and　all　Place　there　is　the　Place　of　Life；　in　the　true　sense　the　ground　and　spring　of　Soul　and　of　the　Intellectual　Principle。　　　　　4。　Now；　in　general　anything　that　has　a　potentiality　is　actually　something　else；　and　this　potentiality　of　the　future　mode　of　being　is　an　existing　mode。　　　　　But　what　we　think　of　as　Matter；　what　we　assert　to　be　the　potentiality　of　all　things；　cannot　be　said　to　be　actually　any　one　being　among　beings：　if　it　were　of　itself　any　definite　being；　it　could　not　be　potentially　all。　　　　　If；　then；　it　is　not　among　existences；　it　must　necessarily　be　without　existence。　　　　　How；　therefore；　can　it　be　actually　anything？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　while　Matter　can　not　be　any　of　the　things　which　are　founded　upon　it；　it　may　quite　well　be　something　else；　admitting　that　all　existences　are　not　rooted　in　Matter。　　　　　But　once　more；　if　it　is　excluded　from　the　entities　founded　upon　it　and　all　these　are　Beings；　it　must　itself　be　a　Non…Being。　　　　　It　is；　further；　by　definition；　formless　and　therefore　not　an　Idea：　it　cannot　then　be　classed　among　things　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　and　so　is；　once　more；　a　Non…Being。　Falling；　as　regards　both　worlds；　under　Non…Being；　it　is　all　the　more　decidedly　the　Non…Being。　　　　　It　has　eluded　the　Nature　of　the　Authentic　Existences；　it　has　even　failed　to　come　up　with　the　things　to　which　a　spurious　existence　can　be　attributed…　for　it　is　not　even　a　phantasm　of　Reason　as　these　are…　how　is　it　possible　to　include　it　under　any　mode　of　Being？　　　　　And　if　it　falls　under　no　mode　of　Being；　what　can　it　actually　be？　　　　　5。　How　can　we　talk　of　it？　How　can　it　be　the　Matter　of　real　things？　　　　　It　is　talked　of；　and　it　serves；　precisely；　as　a　Potentiality。　　　　　And；　as　being　a　Potentiality；　it　is　not　of　the　order　of　the　thing　it　is　to　become：　its　existence　is　no　more　than　an　announcement　of　a　future；　as　it　were　a　thrust　forward　to　what　is　to　come　into　existence。　　　　　As　Potentiality　then；　it　is　not　any　definite　thing　but　the　potentiality　of　everything：　being　nothing　in　itself…　beyond　what　being　Matter　amounts　to…　it　is　not　in　actualization。　For　if　it　were　actually　something；　that　actualized　something　would　not　be　Matter；　or　at　least　not　Matter　out　and　out；　but　merely　Matter　in　the　limited　sense　in　which　bronze　is　the　matter　of　the　statue。　　　　　And　its　Non…Being　must　be　no　mere　difference　from　Being。　　　　　Motion；　for　example；　is　different　from　Being；　but　plays　about　it；　springing　from　it　and　living　within　it：　Matter　is；　so　to　speak；　the　outcast　of　Being；　it　is　utterly　removed；　irredeemably　what　it　was　from　the　beginning：　in　origin　it　was　Non…Being　and　so　it　remains。　　　　　Nor　are　we　to　imagine　that；　standing　away　at　the　very　beginning　from　the　universal　circle　of　Beings；　it　was　thus　necessarily　an　active　Something　or　that　it　became　a　Something。　It　has　never　been　able　to　annex　for　itself　even　a　visible　outline　from　all　the　forms　under　which　it　has　sought　to　creep：　it　has　always　pursued　something　other　than　itself；　it　was　never　more　than　a　Potentiality　towards　its　next：　where　all　the　circle　of　Being　ends；　there　only　is　it　manifest；　discerned　underneath　things　produced　after　it；　it　is　remoter　＇from　Real…Being＇　even　than　they。　　　　　Grasped；　then；　as　an　underlie　in　each　order　of　Being；　it　can　be　no　actualization　of　either：　all　that　is　allowed　to　it　is　to　be　a　Potentiality；　a　weak　and　blurred　phantasm；　a　thing　incapable　of　a　Shape　of　its　own。　　　　　Its　actuality　is　that　of　being　a　phantasm；　the　actuality　of　being　a　falsity；　and　the　false　in　actualization　is　the　veritably　false；　which　again　is　Authentic　Non…Existence。　　　　　So　that　Matter；　as　the　Actualization　of　Non…Being；　is　all　the　more　decidedly　Non…Being；　is　Authentic　Non…Existence。　　　　　Thus；　since　the　very　reality　of　its　Nature　is　situated　in　Non…Being；　it　is　in　no　degree　the　Actualization　of　any　definite　Being。　　　　　If　it　is　to　be　present　at　all；　it　cannot　be　an　Actualization；　for　then　it　would　not　be　the　stray　from　Authentic　Being　which　it　is；　the　thing　having　its　Being　in　Non…Beingness：　for；　note；　in　the　case　of　things　whose　Being　is　a　falsity；　to　take　away　the　falsity　is　to　take　away　what　Being　they　have；　and　if　we　introduce　actualization　into　things　whose　Being　and　Essence　is　Potentiality；　we　destroy　the　foundation　of　their　nature　since　their　Being　is　Potentiality。　　　　　If　Matter　is　to　be　kept　as　the　unchanging　substratum；　we　must　keep　it　as　Matter：　that　means…　does　it　not？…　that　we　must　define　it　as　a　Potentiality　and　nothing　more…　or　refute　these　considerations。