meditations on first philosophy-第13章

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　possibly　I　am　something　more　than　I　suppose　myself　to　be；　and　perhaps　all　those　perfections　which　I　attribute　to　God　are　in　some　way　potentially　in　me；　although　they　do　not　yet　disclose　themselves；　or　issue　in　action。　　As　a　matter　of　fact　I　am　already　sensible　that　my　knowledge　increases　＇and　perfects　itself＇　little　by　little；　and　I　see　nothing　which　can　prevent　it　from　increasing　more　and　more　into　infinitude；　nor　do　I　see；　after　it　has　thus　been　increased　＇or　perfected＇；　anything　to　prevent　my　being　able　to　acquire　by　its　means　all　the　other　perfections　of　the　Divine　nature；　nor　finally　why　the　power　I　have　of　acquiring　these　perfections；　if　it　really　exists　in　me；　shall　not　suffice　to　produce　the　ideas　of　them。　　　　　　At　the　same　time　I　recognise　that　this　cannot　be。　　For；　in　the　first　place；　although　it　were　true　that　every　day　my　knowledge　acquired　new　degrees　of　perfection；　and　that　there　were　in　my　nature　many　things　potentially　which　are　not　yet　there　actually；　nevertheless　these　excellences　do　not　pertain　to　＇or　make　the　smallest　approach　to＇　the　idea　which　I　have　of　God　in　whom　there　is　nothing　merely　potential　＇but　in　whom　all　is　present　really　and　actually＇；　for　it　is　an　infallible　token　of　imperfection　in　my　knowledge　that　it　increases　little　by　little。　　and　further；　although　my　knowledge　grows　more　and　more；　nevertheless　I　do　not　for　that　reason　believe　that　it　can　ever　be　actually　infinite；　since　it　can　never　reach　a　point　so　high　that　it　will　be　unable　to　attain　to　any　greater　increase。　　But　I　understand　God　to　be　actually　infinite；　so　that　He　can　add　nothing　to　His　supreme　perfection。　　And　finally　I　perceive　that　the　objective　being　of　an　idea　cannot　be　produced　by　a　being　that　exists　potentially　only；　which　properly　speaking　is　nothing；　but　only　by　a　being　which　is　formal　or　actual。　　　　　　To　speak　the　truth；　I　see　nothing　in　all　that　I　have　just　said　which　by　the　light　of　nature　is　not　manifest　to　anyone　who　desires　to　think　attentively　on　the　subject；　but　when　I　slightly　relax　my　attention；　my　mind；　finding　its　vision　somewhat　obscured　and　so　to　speak　blinded　by　the　images　of　sensible　objects；　I　do　not　easily　recollect　the　reason　why　the　idea　that　I　possess　of　a　being　more　perfect　then　I；　must　necessarily　have　been　placed　in　me　by　a　being　which　is　really　more　perfect；　and　this　is　why　I　wish　here　to　go　on　to　inquire　whether　I；　who　have　this　idea；　can　exist　if　no　such　being　exists。　　　　　　And　I　ask；　from　whom　do　I　then　derive　my　existence？　Perhaps　from　myself　or　from　my　parents；　or　from　some　other　source　less　perfect　than　God；　for　we　can　imagine　nothing　more　perfect　than　God；　or　even　as　perfect　as　He　is。　　　　　　But　＇were　I　independent　of　every　other　and＇　were　I　myself　the　author　of　my　being；　I　should　doubt　nothing　and　I　should　desire　nothing；　and　finally　no　perfection　would　be　lacking　to　me；　for　I　should　have　bestowed　on　myself　every　perfection　of　which　I　possessed　any　idea　and　should　thus　be　God。　　And　it　must　not　be　imagined　that　those　things　that　are　lacking　to　me　are　perhaps　more　difficult　of　attainment　than　those　which　I　already　possess；　for；　on　the　contrary；　it　is　quite　evident　that　it　was　a　matter　of　much　greater　difficulty　to　bring　to　pass　that　I；　that　is　to　say；　a　thing　or　a　substance　that　thinks；　should　emerge　out　of　nothing；　than　it　would　be　to　attain　to　the　knowledge　of　many　things　of　which　I　am　ignorant；　and　which　are　only　the　accidents　of　this　thinking　substance。　But　it　is　clear　that　if　I　had　of　myself　possessed　this　greater　perfection　of　which　I　have　just　spoken　＇that　is　to　say；　if　I　had　been　the　author　of　my　own　existence＇；　I　should　not　at　least　have　denied　myself　the　things　which　are　the　more　easy　to　acquire　＇to　wit；　many　branches　of　knowledge　of　which　my　nature　is　destitute＇；　nor　should　I　have　deprived　myself　of　any　of　the　things　contained　in　the　idea　which　I　form　of　God；　because　there　are　none　of　them　which　seem　to　me　specially　difficult　to　acquire：　　and　if　there　were　any　that　were　more　difficult　to　acquire；　they　would　certainly　appear　to　me　to　be　such　（supposing　I　myself　were　the　origin　of　the　other　things　which　I　possess）　since　I　should　discover　in　them　that　my　powers　were　limited。　　　　　　But　though　I　assume　that　perhaps　I　have　always　existed　just　as　I　am　at　present；　neither　can　I　escape　the　force　of　this　reasoning；　and　imagine　that　the　conclusion　to　be　drawn　from　this　is；　that　I　need　not　seek　for　any　author　of　my　existence。　　For　all　the　course　of　my　life　may　be　divided　into　an　infinite　number　of　parts；　none　of　which　is　in　any　way　dependent　on　the　other；　and　thus　from　the　fact　that　I　was　in　existence　a　short　time　ago　it　does　not　follow　that　I　must　be　in　existence　now；　unless　some　cause　at　this　instant；　so　to　speak；　produces　me　anew；　that　is　to　say；　conserves　me。　　It　is　as　a　matter　of　fact　perfectly　clear　and　evident　to　all　those　who　consider　with　attention　the　nature　of　time；　that；　in　order　to　be　conserved　in　each　moment　in　which　it　endures；　a　substance　has　need　of　the　same　power　and　action　as　would　be　necessary　to　produce　and　create　it　anew；　supposing　it　did　not　yet　exist；　so　that　the　light　of　nature　shows　us　clearly　that　the　distinction　between　creation　and　conservation　is　solely　a　distinction　of　the　reason。　　　　　　All　that　I　thus　require　here　is　that　I　should　interrogate　myself；　if　I　wish　to　know　whether　I　possess　a　power　which　is　capable　of　bringing　it　to　pass　that　I　who　now　am　shall　still　be　in　the　future；　for　since　I　am　nothing　but　a　thinking　thing；　or　at　least　since　thus　far　it　is　only　this　portion　of　myself　which　is　precisely　in　question　at　present；　if　such　a　power　did　reside　in　me；　I　should　certainly　be　conscious　of　it。　　But　I　am　conscious　of　nothing　of　the　kind；　and　by　this　I　know　clearly　that　I　depend　on　some　being　different　from　myself。　　　　　　Possibly；　however；　this　being　on　which　I　depend　is　not　that　which　I　call　God；　and　I　am　created　either　by　my　parents　or　by　some　other　cause　less　perfect　than　God。　　This　cannot　be；　because；　as　I　have　just　said；　it　is　perfectly　evident　that　there　must　be　at　least　as　much　reality　in　the　cause　as　in　the　effect；　and　thus　since　I　am　a　thinking　thing；　and　possess　an　idea　of　God　within　me；　whatever　in　the　end　be　the　cause　assigned　to　my　existence；　it　must　be　allowed　that　it　is　likewise　a　thinking　thing　and　that　it　possesses　in　itself　the　idea　of　all　the　perfections　which　I　attribute　to　God。　　We　may　again　inquire　whether　this　cause　derives　its　origin　from　itself　or　from　some　other　thing。　　For　if　from　itself；　it　follows　by　the　reasons　before　brought　forward；　that　this　cause　must　itself　be　God；　for　since　it　possesses　the　virtue　of　self…　existence；　it　must　also　without　doubt　have　the　power　of　actually　possessing　all　the　perfections　of　which　it　has　the　idea；　that　is；　all　those　which　I　conceive　as　existing　in　God。　But　if　it　derives　its　existence　from　some　other　cause　than　itself；　we　shall　again　ask；　for　the　same　reason；　whether　this　second　cause　exists　by　itself　or　through　another；　until　from　one　step　to　another；　we　finally　arrive　at　an　ultimate　cause；　which　will　be　God。　　　　　　And　it　is　perfectly　manifest　that　in　this　there　can　be　no　regression　into　infinity；　since　what　is　in　question　is　not　so　much　the　cause　which　formerly　created　me；　as　that　which　conserves　me　at　the　p