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on the soul-第4章
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; but only incidentally…what is moved is that of which 'white' and 'three cubits long' are the attributes; the body in which they inhere; hence they have no place: but if the soul naturally partakes in movement; it follows that it must have a place。 Further; if there be a movement natural to the soul; there must be a counter…movement unnatural to it; and conversely。 The same applies to rest as well as to movement; for the terminus ad quem of a thing's natural movement is the place of its natural rest; and similarly the terminus ad quem of its enforced movement is the place of its enforced rest。 But what meaning can be attached to enforced movements or rests of the soul; it is difficult even to imagine。 Further; if the natural movement of the soul be upward; the soul must be fire; if downward; it must be earth; for upward and downward movements are the definitory characteristics of these bodies。 The same reasoning applies to the intermediate movements; termini; and bodies。 Further; since the soul is observed to originate movement in the body; it is reasonable to suppose that it transmits to the body the movements by which it itself is moved; and so; reversing the order; we may infer from the movements of the body back to similar movements of the soul。 Now the body is moved from place to place with movements of locomotion。 Hence it would follow that the soul too must in accordance with the body change either its place as a whole or the relative places of its parts。 This carries with it the possibility that the soul might even quit its body and re…enter it; and with this would be involved the possibility of a resurrection of animals from the dead。 But; it may be contended; the soul can be moved indirectly by something else; for an animal can be pushed out of its course。 Yes; but that to whose essence belongs the power of being moved by itself; cannot be moved by something else except incidentally; just as what is good by or in itself cannot owe its goodness to something external to it or to some end to which it is a means。 If the soul is moved; the most probable view is that what moves it is sensible things。 We must note also that; if the soul moves itself; it must be the mover itself that is moved; so that it follows that if movement is in every case a displacement of that which is in movement; in that respect in which it is said to be moved; the movement of the soul must be a departure from its essential nature; at least if its self…movement is essential to it; not incidental。 Some go so far as to hold that the movements which the soul imparts to the body in which it is are the same in kind as those with which it itself is moved。 An example of this is Democritus; who uses language like that of the comic dramatist Philippus; who accounts for the movements that Daedalus imparted to his wooden Aphrodite by saying that he poured quicksilver into it; similarly Democritus says that the spherical atoms which according to him constitute soul; owing to their own ceaseless movements draw the whole body after them and so produce its movements。 We must urge the question whether it is these very same atoms which produce rest also…how they could do so; it is difficult and even impossible to say。 And; in general; we may object that it is not in this way that the soul appears to originate movement in animals…it is through intention or process of thinking。 It is in the same fashion that the Timaeus also tries to give a physical account of how the soul moves its body; the soul; it is there said; is in movement; and so owing to their mutual implication moves the body also。 After compounding the soul…substance out of the elements and dividing it in accordance with the harmonic numbers; in order that it may possess a connate sensibility for 'harmony' and that the whole may move in movements well attuned; the Demiurge bent the straight line into a circle; this single circle he divided into two circles united at two common points; one of these he subdivided into seven circles。 All this implies that the movements of the soul are identified with the local movements of the heavens。 Now; in the first place; it is a mistake to say that the soul is a spatial magnitude。 It is evident that Plato means the soul of the whole to be like the sort of soul which is called mind not like the sensitive or the desiderative soul; for the movements of neither of these are circular。 Now mind is one and continuous in the sense in which the process of thinking is so; and thinking is identical with the thoughts which are its parts; these have a serial unity like that of number; not a unity like that of a spatial magnitude。 Hence mind cannot have that kind of unity either; mind is either without parts or is continuous in some other way than that which characterizes a spatial magnitude。 How; indeed; if it were a spatial magnitude; could mind possibly think? Will it think with any one indifferently of its parts? In this case; the 'part' must be understood either in the sense of a spatial magnitude or in the sense of a point (if a point can be called a part of a spatial magnitude)。 If we accept the latter alternative; the points being infinite in number; obviously the mind can never exhaustively traverse them; if the former; the mind must think the same thing over and over again; indeed an infinite number of times (whereas it is manifestly possible to think a thing once only)。 If contact of any part whatsoever of itself with the object is all that is required; why need mind move in a circle; or indeed possess magnitude at all? On the other hand; if contact with the whole circle is necessary; what meaning can be given to the contact of the parts? Further; how could what has no parts think what has parts; or what has parts think what has none? We must identify the circle referred to with mind; for it is mind whose movement is thinking; and it is the circle whose movement is revolution; so that if thinking is a movement of revolution; the circle which has this characteristic movement must be mind。 If the circular movement is eternal; there must be something which mind is always thinking…what can this be? For all practical processes of thinking have limits…they all go on for the sake of something outside the process; and all theoretical processes come to a close in the same way as the phrases in speech which express processes and results of thinking。 Every such linguistic phrase is either definitory or demonstrative。 Demonstration has both a starting…point and may be said to end in a conclusion or inferred result; even if the process never reaches final completion; at any rate it never returns upon itself again to its starting…point; it goes on assuming a fresh middle term or a fresh extreme; and moves straight forward; but circular movement returns to its starting…point。 Definitions; too; are closed groups of terms。 Further; if the same revolution is repeated; mind must repeatedly think the same object。 Further; thinking has more resemblance to a coming to rest or arrest than to a movement; the same may be said of inferring。 It might also be urged that what is difficult and enforced is incompatible with blessedness; if the movement of the soul is not of its ess
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