the ethics(part v)-第6章

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conceive　it　as　determined　thus　to　conceive　things；　and　consequently　（Def。　of



the　Emotions：i。）；　the　mind　desires　so　to　do；　in　proportion　as　it　is　more



capable　thereof。　Q。E。D。











Prop。　XXVII。　From　this　third　kind　of



knowledge　arises　the　highest　possible



mental　acquiescence。







Proof。…　The　highest　virtue　of　the　mind　is　to　know　God　（IV：xxviii。）；　or　to



understand　things　by　the　third　kind　of　knowledge　（V：xxv。）；　and　this　virtue



is　greater　in　proportion　as　the　mind　knows　things　more　by　the　said　kind　of



knowledge　（V：xxiv。）：　consequently；　he　who　knows　things　by　this　kind　of



knowledge　passes　to　the　summit　of　human　perfection；　and　is　therefore



（Def。　of　the　Emotions：ii。）　affected　by　the　highest　pleasure；　such　pleasure



being　accompanied　by　the　idea　of　himself　and　his　own　virtue；　thus　（Def。　of



the　Emotions：xxv。）；　from　this　kind　of　knowledge　arises　the　highest　possible



acquiescence。　Q。E。D。











Prop。　XXVIII。　The　endeavour　or　desire　to



know　things　by　the　third　kind　of　knowledge



cannot　arise　from　the　first；　but　from　the



second　kind　of　knowledge。







Proof。…　This　proposition　is　self…evident。　For　whatsoever　we　understand



clearly　and　distinct　we　understand　either　through　itself；　or　through　that



which　is　conceived　through　itself；　that　is；　ideas　which　are　clear　and



distinct　in　us；　or　which　are　referred　to　the　third　kind　of　knowledge



（II：xl。Note。ii。）　cannot　follow　from　ideas　that　are　fragmentary；　and



confused；　and　are　referred　to　knowledge　of　the　first　kind；　but　must　follow



from　adequate　ideas；　or　ideas　of　the　second　and　third　kind　of　knowledge；



therefore　（Def。　of　the　Emotions：i。）；　the　desire　of　knowing　things　by　the



third　kind　of　knowledge　cannot　arise　from　the　first；　but　from　the　second



kind。　Q。E。D。











Prop。　XXIX。　Whatsoever　the　mind　understands



under　the　form　of　eternity；　it　does　not



understand　by　virtue　of　conceiving　the



present　actual　existence　of　the　body；



but　by　virtue　of　conceiving　the　essence　of



the　body　under　the　form　of　eternity。







Proof。…　In　so　far　as　the　mind　conceives　the　present　existence　of　its　body；



it　to　that　extent　conceives　duration　which　can　be　determined　by　time；　and　to



that　extent　only；　has　it　the　power　of　conceiving　things　in　relation　to　time



（V：xxi。；　II：xxvi。）。　But　eternity　cannot　be　explained　in　terms　of　duration



（I：Def。viii。　and　explanation）。　Therefore　to　this　extent　the　mind　has　not　the



power　of　conceiving　things　under　the　form　of　eternity；　but　it　possesses　such



power；　because　it　is　of　the　nature　of　reason　to　conceive　things　under　the



form　of　eternity　（II：xliv。Coroll。ii。）；　and　also　because　it　is　of　the　nature



of　the　mind　to　conceive　the　essence　of　the　body　under　the　form　of　eternity



（V：xxiii。）；　for　besides　these　two　there　is　nothing　which　belongs　to　the



essence　of　mind　（II：xiii。）。　Therefore　this　power　of　conceiving　things　under



the　form　of　eternity　only　belongs　to　the　mind　in　virtue　of　the　mind's



conceiving　the　essence　of　the　body　under　the　form　of　eternity。　Q。E。D。







Note。…　Things　are　conceived　by　us　as　actual　in　two　ways；　either　as　existing



in　relation　to　a　given　time　and　place；　or　as　contained　in　God　and　following



from　the　necessity　of　the　divine　nature。　Whatsoever　we　conceive　in　this



second　way　as　true　or　real；　we　conceive　under　the　form　of　eternity；　and



their　ideas　involve　the　eternal　and　infinite　essence　of　God；　as　we　showed



in　II：xlv。&Note；　which　see。











Prop。　XXX。　Our　mind；　in　so　far　as　it　knows　itself　and　the　body



under　the　form　of　eternity；　has　to　that　extent　necessarily　a



knowledge　of　God；　and　knows　that　it　is　in　God；　and　is　conceived



through　God。







Proof。…　Eternity　is　the　very　essence　of　God；　in　so　far　as　this　involves



necessary　existence　（I：Def。viii。）。　Therefore　to　conceive　things　under　the



form　of　eternity；　is　to　conceive　things　in　so　far　as　they　are　conceived



through　thp　essence　of　God　as　real　entities；　or　in　so　far　as　they　involve



existence　through　the　essence　of　God；　wherefore　our　mind；　in　so　far　as　it



conceives　itself　and　the　body　under　the　form　of　eternity；　has　to　that　extent



necessarily　a　knowledge　of　God；　and　knows；　&c。　Q。E。D。











Prop。　XXXI。　The　third　kind　of　knowledge



depends　on　the　mind；　as　its　formal　cause；



in　so　far　as　the　mind　itself　is　eternal。







Proof。…　The　mind　does　not　conceive　anything　under　the　form　of　eternity；



except　in　so　far　as　it　conceives　its　own　body　under　the　form　of　eternity



（V：xxix。）；　that　is；　except　in　so　far　as　it　is　eternal　（V：xxi。；　V：xxiii。）；



therefore　（by　the　last　Prop。）；　in　so　far　as　it　is　eternal；　it　possesses　the



knowledge　of　God；　which　knowledge　is　necessarily　adequate



（II：xlvi。）；　hence　the　mind；　in　so　far　as　it　is　eternal；　is　capable　of



knowing　everything　which　can　follow　from　this　given　knowledge　of　God



（II：xl。）；　in　other　words；　of　knowing　things　by　the　third　kind　of　knowledge



（see　Def。　in　II：xl。Note。ii。）；　whereof　accordingly　the　mind　（III：Def。i。）；　in



so　far　as　it　is　eternal；　is　the　adequate　or　formal　cause　of　such　knowledge。



Q。E。D。







Note。…　In　proportion；　therefore；　as　a　man　is　more　potent　in　this　kind　of



knowledge；　he　will　be　more　completely　conscious　of　himself　and　of　God；　in



other　words；　he　will　be　more　perfect　and　blessed；　as　will　appear　more



clearly　in　the　sequel。　But　we　must　here　observe　that；　although　we　are



already　certain　that　the　mind　is　eternal；　in　so　far　as　it　conceives　things



under　the　form　of　eternity；　yet；　in　order　that　what　we　wish　to　show　may　be



more　readily　explained　and　better　understood；　we　will　consider　the　mind



itself；　as　though　it　had　just　begun　to　exist　and　to　understand　things　under



the　form　of　eternity；　as　indeed　we　have　done　hitherto；　this　we　may　do



without　any　danger　of　error；　so　long　as　we　are　careful　not　to　draw　any



conclusion；　unless　our　premisses　are　plain。











Prop。　XXXII。　Whatsoever　we　understand　by　the　third　kind　of



knowledge；　we　take　delight　in；　and　our　delight　is　accompanied　by



the　idea　of　God　as　cause。







Proof。…　From　this　kind　of　knowledge　arises　the　highest　possible　mental



acquiescence；　that　is　（Def　of　the　Emotions：xxv。）；　pleasure；　and　this



acquiescence　is　accompanied　by　the　idea　of　the　mind　itself　（V。　xxvii。）；　and



consequently　（V：xxx。）　the　idea　also　of　God　as　cause。　Q。E。D。







Corollary。…　From　the　third　kind　of　knowledge　necessarily　arises　the



intellectual　love　of　God。　From　this　kind　of　knowledge　arises　pleasure



accompanied　by　the　idea　of　God　as　cause；　that　is　（Def。　of　the　Emotions：vi。）；



the　love　of　God；　not　in　so　far　as　we　imagine　him　as　present　（V：xxix。）；　but



in　so　far　as　we　understand　him　to　be　eternal；　this　is　what　I　call　the



intellectual　love　of　God。











Prop。　XXXIII。　The　intellectual　love　of　God；



which　arises　from　the　third　kind　of　knowledge；



is　eternal。







Proof。…　The　third　kind　of　knowledge　is　eternal　（V：xxxi。；　I：Ax。iii。）；



therefore　（by　the　same　Axiom）　the　love　which　arises　therefrom　is　also



necessarily　eternal。　Q。E。D。







Note。…　Although　this　love　towards　God　has　（by　the　foregoing　Prop。）　no



beginning；　it　yet　possesses　all　the　perfections　of　love；　just　as　though　it



had　arisen　as　we　feigned　in　the　Coroll。　of　the　last　Prop。　Nor　is　there　here



any　difference；　except　that　the　mind　possesses　as　eternal　those　same



perfections　which　we　feigned　to　accrue　to　it；　and　they　are　accompanied　by



the　idea　of　God　as　eternal　cause。　If　pleasure　consists　in　the　transition　to



a　greater　perfection；　assuredly　blessedness　must　consist　in　the　mind　being



endowed　with　perfection　itself。











Prop。　XXX。IV。　The　mind　is；　only　while　the　body



endures；　subject　to　those　emotions　which　are



attributable　to　passions。







Proof。　Imagination　is　the　idea　wherewith　the　mind　contemplates　a　thing　as



present　（II：xvii。Note）；　yet　this　idea　indicates　rather　the　present



dispos