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the ethics(part iii)-第3部分

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of the thing; but does not take it away。  So long therefore as



we regard only the thing itself; without taking into account



external causes; we shall not be able to find in it anything



which could destroy it。  Q。E。D。







V。 Things are naturally contrary; that is; cannot exist in the same



object; in so far as one is capable of destroying the other。







》》》》》ProofIf they could agree together or co…exist in the same



object; there would then be in the said object something which



could destroy it; but this; by the foregoing proposition; is absurd;



therefore things; &c。  Q。E。D。







VI。 Everything; in so far as it is in itself; endeavours to persist in



its own being。







》》》》》ProofIndividual things are modes whereby the



attributes of God are expressed in a given determinate manner



(I。 xxv。Cor。); that is; (I。 xxxiv。); they are things which express



in a given determinate manner the power of God; whereby



God is and acts; now no thing contains in itself anything



whereby it can be destroyed; or which can take away its



existence (III。 iv。); but contrariwise it is opposed to all that



could take away its existence (III。 v。)。  Therefore; in so far as



it can; and in so far as it is in itself; it endeavours to persist



in its own being。  Q。E。D。







VII。 The endeavour; wherewith everything endeavours to



persist in its own being; is nothing else but the actual essence



of the thing in question。







》》》》》ProofFrom the given essence of any thing certain



consequences necessarily follow (I。 xxxvi。); nor have things any



power save such as necessarily follows from their nature as



determined (I。 xxix。); wherefore the power of any given thing;



or the endeavour whereby; either alone or with other things;



it acts; or endeavours to act; that is (III。 vi。); the power or



endeavour; wherewith it endeavours to persist in its own being;



is nothing else but the given or actual essence of the thing in



question。  Q。E。D。







VIII。 The endeavour; whereby a thing endeavours to persist



in its own being; involves no finite time; but an indefinite time。







》》》》》ProofIf it involved a limited time; which should determine



the duration of the thing; it would then follow solely from that



power whereby the thing exists; that the thing could not exist



beyond the limits of that time; but that it must be destroyed; but



this (III。 iv。) is absurd。  Wherefore the endeavour wherewith a



thing exists involves no definite time; but; contrariwise; since



(III。 iv。) it will by the same power whereby it already exists



always continue to exist; unless it be destroyed by some external



cause; this endeavour involves an indefinite time。







IX。 The mind; both in so far as it has clear and distinct ideas; and



also in so far as it has confused ideas; endeavours to persist in its



being for an indefinite period; and of this endeavour it is conscious。







》》》》》ProofThe essence of the mind is constituted by adequate



and inadequate ideas (III。 iii。); therefore (III。 vii。); both in so far



as it possesses the former; and in so far as it possesses the latter;



it endeavours to persist in its own being; and that for an indefinite



time (III。 viii。)。  Now as the mind (II。 xxiii。) is necessarily conscious



of itself through the ideas of the modifications of the body; the mind



is therefore (III。 vii。) conscious of its own endeavour。







*****NoteThis endeavour; when referred solely to the mind; is



called 〃will;〃 when referred to the mind and body in conjunction it



is called 〃appetite〃; it is; in fact; nothing else but man's essence;



from the nature of which necessarily follow all those results which



tend to its preservation; and which man has thus been determined



to perform。







Further; between appetite and desire there is no difference; except



that the term desire is generally applied to men; in so far as they



are conscious of their appetite; and may accordingly be thus defined:



〃Desire is appetite with consciousness thereof。〃  It is thus plain from



what has been said; that in no case do we strive for; wish for; long



for; or desire anything; because we deem it to be good; but on the



other hand we deem a thing to be good; because we strive for it;



wish for it; long for it; or desire it。







X。 An idea; which excludes the existence of our body; cannot be



postulated in our mind; but is contrary thereto。







》》》》》ProofWhatsoever can destroy our body; cannot be



postulated therein (III。 v。)。  Therefore neither can the idea of such



a thing occur in God; in so far as he has the idea of our body (II。 ix。



Cor。); that is (II。 xi。; xiii。); the idea of that thing cannot be postulated



as in our mind; but contrariwise; since (II。 xi。; xiii。) the first element;



that constitutes the essence of the mind; is the idea of the human



body as actually existing; it follows that the first and chief endeavour



of our mind is the endeavour to affirm the existence of our body:



thus; an idea; which negatives the existence of our body; is contrary



to our mind; &c。  Q。E。D。







XI。 Whatsoever increases or diminishes; helps or hinders the power



of activity in our body; the idea thereof increases or diminishes; helps



or hinders the power of thought in our mind。







》》》》》ProofThis proposition is evident from II。 vii。 or from II。 xiv。







*****NoteThus we see; that the mind can undergo many changes;



and can pass sometimes to a state of greater perfection; sometimes



to a state of lesser perfection。  These passive states of transition



explain to us the emotions of pleasure and pain。  By 〃pleasure〃



therefore in the following propositions I shall signify 〃a passive state



wherein the mind passes to a greater perfection。〃  By 〃pain〃 I shall



signify 〃a passive state wherein the mind passes to a lesser perfection。〃



Further; the emotion of pleasure in reference to the body and mind



together I shall call 〃stimulation〃 (titillatio) or 〃merriment〃 (hilaritas);



the emotion of pain in the same relation I shall call 〃suffering〃 or



〃melancholy。〃  But we must bear in mind; that stimulation and



suffering are attributed to man; when one part of his nature is more



affected than the rest; merriment and melancholy; when all parts



are alike affected。  What I mean by desire I have explained in the



note to Prop。 ix。 of this part; beyond these three I recognize no



other primary emotion; I will show as I proceed; that all other



emotions arise from these three。  But; before I go further; I should



like here to explain at greater length Prop。 x。 of this part; in order



that we may clearly understand how one idea is contrary to another。



In the note to II。 xvii。 we showed that the idea; which constitutes



the essence of mind; involves the existence of body; so long as



the body itself exists。  Again; it follows from what we pointed out



in the Corollary to II。 viii。; that the present existence of our mind



depends solely on the fact; that the mind involves the actual



existence of the body。  Lastly; we showed (II。 xvii。; xviii。 and



Note) that the power of the mind; whereby it imagines and



remembers things; also depends on the fact; that it involves the



actual existence of the body。  Whence it follows; that the present



existence of the mind and its power of imagining are removed;



as soon as the mind ceases to affirm the present existence of the



body。  Now the cause; why the mind ceases to affirm this



existence of the body; cannot be the mind itself (III。 iv。); nor



again the fact that the body ceases to exist。  For (by II。 vi。)



the cause; why the mind affirms the existence of the body;



is not that the body began to exist; therefore; for the same



reason; it does not cease to affirm the existence of the body;



because the body ceases to exist; but (II。 xvii。) this result



follows from another idea; which excludes the present



existence of our body and; consequently; of our mind; and



which is therefore contrary to the idea constituting the essence



of our mind。







XII。 The mind; as far as it can; endeavours to conceive those



things; which increase or help the power of activity in the body。







》》》》》ProofSo long as the human body is affected in a mode;



which involves the nature of any external body; the human mind



will regard that external body as present (II。 xvii。); and consequently



(II。 vii。); so long as the human mind regards an external body as



present; that is (II。 xvii。 Note); conceives it; the human body is



affected in a mode; which involves the nature of the said external



body; thus so long as the mind conceives things; which increase



or help the power of activity in our body; the body is affected in



modes which increase or help its power of activity (III。 Post。 i。);



consequently (III。 xi。) the mind's power of thinking is for that



period increased or helped。  Thus (III。 vi。; ix。) the mind; as far



as it can; endeavours to imagine such things。  Q。E。D。







XIII。 When the mind conceives things which diminish or hinder the



body's power of activity; it endeavours; as far as possible; to



remember things which exclude the existence of the first…named



things。







》》》》》ProofSo long as the mind conceives anything of the kind



alluded to; the power of the mind and body is diminished or



constrained (cf。 III。 xii。 Proof); nevertheless it will continue to



conceive it; until the mind conceives something else; which excl
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