友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

the ethics(part iii)-第4部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!





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



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



the present existence thereof (II。 xvii。); that is (as I have just shown);



the power of the mind and of the body is diminished; or constrained;



until the mind conceives something else; which excludes the



existence of the former thing conceived:  therefore the mind (III。 ix。);



as far as it can; will endeavour to conceive or remember the latter。



Q。E。D。







ProofIf the human body has once been affected by two



bodies at once; whenever afterwards the mind conceives one of



them; it will straightway remember the other also (II。 xviii。)。  But



the mind's conceptions indicate rather the emotions of our body



than the nature of external bodies (II。 xvi。 Cor。 ii。); therefore; if



the body; and consequently the mind (III。 Def。 iii。) has been once



affected by two emotions at the same time; it will; whenever it is



afterwards affected by one of the two; be also affected by the



other。







XV。 Anything can; accidentally; be the cause of pleasure; pain;



or desire。







》》》》》ProofLet it be granted that the mind is simultaneously



affected by two emotions; of which one neither increases nor



diminishes its power of activity; and the other does either increase



or diminish the said power (III。 Post。 i。)。  From the foregoing



proposition it is evident that; whenever the mind is afterwards



affected by the former; through its true cause; which (by hypothesis)



neither increases nor diminishes its power of action; it will be at



the same time affected by the latter; which does increase or



diminish its power of activity; that is (III。 xi。 note) it will be affected



with pleasure or pain。  Thus the former of the two emotions will;



not through itself; but accidentally; be the cause of pleasure or



pain。  In the same way also it can be easily shown; that a thing



may be accidentally the cause of desire。  Q。E。D。







ProofFor from this fact alone it arises (III。 xiv。); that



the mind afterwards conceiving the said thing is affected with the



emotion of pleasure or pain; that is (III。 xi。 note); according as



the power of the mind and body may be increased or diminished;



&c。; and consequently (III。 xii。); according as the mind may



desire or shrink from the conception of it (III。 xiii。 Cor。); in other



words (III。 xiii。 note); according as it may love or hate the same。



Q。E。D。







*****NoteHence we understand how it may happen; that we



love or hate a thing without any cause for our emotion being known



to us; merely; as a phrase is; from 〃sympathy〃 or 〃antipathy。〃  We



should refer to the same category those objects; which affect us



pleasurably or painfully; simply because they resemble other



objects which affect us in the same way。  This I will show in the



next Prop。  I am aware that certain authors; who were the first to



introduce these terms 〃sympathy〃 and 〃antipathy;〃 wished to signify



thereby some occult qualities in things; nevertheless I think we may



be permitted to use the same terms to indicate known or manifest



qualities。







XVI。 Simply from the fact that we conceive; that a given object



has some point of resemblance with another object which is wont



to affect the mind pleasurably or painfully; although the point of



resemblance be not the efficient cause of the said emotions; we



shall still regard the first…named object with love or hate。







》》》》》ProofThe point of resemblance was in the object (by



hypothesis); when we regarded it with pleasure or pain; thus



(III。 xiv。); when the mind is affected by the image thereof; it will



straightway be affected by one or the other emotion; and



consequently the thing; which we perceive to have the same point



of resemblance; will be accidentally (III。 xv。) a cause of pleasure



or pain。  Thus (by the foregoing Corollary); although the point



in which the two objects resemble one another be not the



efficient cause of the emotion; we shall still regard the first…named



object with love or hate。  Q。E。D。







XVII。 If we conceive that a thing; which is wont to affect us



painfully; has any point of resemblance with another thing which



is wont to affect us with an equally strong emotion of pleasure;



we shall hate the first…named thing; and at the same time we shall



love it。







》》》》》ProofThe given thing is (by hypothesis) in itself a cause



of pain; and (III。 xiii。 note); in so far as we imagine it with this



emotion; we shall hate it:  further; inasmuch as we conceive that



it has some point of resemblance to something else; which is wont



to affect us with an equally strong emotion of pleasure; we shall



with an equally strong impulse of pleasure love it (III。 xvi。); thus



we shall both hate and love the same thing。  Q。E。D。











*****NoteThis disposition of the mind; which arises from two



contrary emotions; is called 〃vacillation〃; it stands to the emotions



in the same relation as doubt does to the imagination (II。 xliv。 note);



vacillation and doubt do not differ one from the other; except as



greater differs from less。  But we must bear in mind that I have



deduced this vacillation from causes; which give rise through



themselves to one of the emotions; and to the other accidentally。



I have done this; in order that they might be more easily deduced



from what went before; but I do not deny that vacillation of the



disposition generally arises from an object; which is the efficient



cause of both emotions。  The human body is composed



(II。 Post。 i。) of a variety of individual parts of different nature;



and may therefore (Ax。 i。 after Lemma iii。 after II。 xiii。) be



affected in a variety of different ways by one and the same body;



and contrariwise; as one and the same thing can be affected in



many ways; it can also in many different ways affect one and



the same part of the body。  Hence we can easily conceive; that



one and the same object may be the cause of many and



conflicting emotions。







XVIII。 A man is as much affected pleasurably or painfully



by the image of a thing past or future as by the image of a thing



present。







》》》》》ProofSo long as a man is affected by the image of



anything; he will regard that thing as present; even though it be



non…existent (II。 xvii。 and Cor。); he will not conceive it as past



or future; except in so far as its image is joined to the image



of time past or future (II。 xliv。 note)。  Wherefore the image of



a thing; regarded in itself alone; is identical; whether it be referred



to time past; time future; or time present; that is (II。 xvi。 Cor。); the



disposition or emotion of the body is identical; whether the image



be of a thing past or future。  Q。E。D。







*****Note I。I call a thing past or future; according as we either



have been or shall be affected thereby。  For instance; according



as we have seen it; or are about to see it; according as it has



recreated us; or will recreate us; according as it has harmed us;



or will harm us。  For; as we thus conceive it; we affirm its



existence; that is; the body is affected by no emotion which



excludes the existence of the thing; and therefore (II。 xvii。) the



body is affected by the image of the thing; in the same way as if



the thing were actually present。  However; as it generally happens



that those; who have had many experiences; vacillate; so long as



they regard a thing as future or past; and are usually in doubt about



its issue (II。 xliv。 note); it follows that the emotions which arise from



similar images of things are not so constant; but are generally



disturbed by the images of other things; until men become assured



of the issue。







*****Note II。From what has just been said; we understand what



is meant by the terms Hope; Fear; Confidence; Despair; Joy; and



Disappointment。  〃Hope〃 is nothing else but 〃an inconstant pleasure;



arising from the image of something future or past; whereof we do



not yet know the issue。〃  〃Fear;〃 on the other hand; is 〃an inconstant



pain also arising from the image of something concerning which we



are in doubt。〃  If the element of doubt be removed from these



emotions; hope becomes 〃Confidence〃 and fear becomes 〃Despair。〃



In other words; 〃Pleasure or Pain arising from the image of



something concerning which we have hoped or feared。〃  Again;



〃Joy〃 is 〃Pleasure arising from t
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!