THIRD ENNEAD, BOOK SIXTH.
Of the Impassibility of Incorporeal Entities (Soul and and Matter).
A. OF THE SOUL.
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PASSIBILITY OF JUDGMENT AND THE SOUL
HOW CAN THE SOUL REMAIN IMPASSIBLE, THOUGH GIVEN UP TO EMOTION?
ON THE STOIC HYPOTHESIS OF CORPOREITY THE SOUL CANNOT REMAIN IMPASSIBLE; AS IT IS IMPASSIBLE ALL TERMS TO THE CONTRARY ARE ONLY FIGURATIVE.
VIRTUE AS A HARMONY; VICE AS A DISHARMONY.
THIS DEFINITION SUFFICES TO EXPLAIN THE FACTS OF EVIL IN THE SOUL.
ONLY THE PHYSICAL ORGANS, NOT THE IMMATERIAL NATURES, COULD BE AFFECTED.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION OF ANGER-PART’S COURAGE OR COWARDLINESS.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATION OF VIRTUE OR VICE OF APPETITE.
THE SOUL ORIGINATES MOVEMENTS, BUT IS NOT ALTERED (AGAINST STOICS). POLEMIC AGAINST THE STOIC THEORY OF PASSIONS.
VIRTUE AND VICE AFFECT THE SOUL DIFFERENTLY FROM ALL THE OTHER PASSIONS.
PASSIONAL CHANGES OCCUR IN THE BODY, NOT EVEN TO THE PASSIONAL PART OF THE SOUL.
THE SOUL’S AFFECTIVE PART MAY BE THE CAUSE OF AFFECTIONS; BUT IS INCORPOREAL.
THE AFFECTIONS OF THE SOUL COMPARED TO A MUSICIAN PLAYING THE LYRE.
PASSIONS ARE PRODUCED BY EXTERNAL IMAGES; AND THEIR AVOIDANCE IS THE TASK OF PHILOSOPHY.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESS INVOLVED IN PURIFYING THE SOUL, AND SEPARATING SOUL FROM BODY.
B. OF MATTER.
INTRODUCTION TO THE ESCOREAL NUMENIAN FRAGMENT.
NONENTITY WILL HAVE INTELLIGENT LIFE ONLY AS BENEATH “BEING.”
MATERIALISTS CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW SOLID EARTH IS NEAREST NONENTITY; AND WHY GREATEST EXISTENCE IS LEAST MATERIAL.
CORPOREITY IS NONENTITY BECAUSE OF LACK OF UNITY.
MATTER COMPARED TO A MIRROR WHICH REFLECTS EVERYTHING THOUGH REALLY EMPTY.
AS OBJECTS ARE MERELY REFLECTIONS IN A MIRROR, MATTER IS NO MORE AFFECTED BY THEM THAN WOULD BE A MIRROR.
SINCE MATTER CANNOT BE DESTROYED, IT CANNOT BE AFFECTED.
OBJECTION THAT MATTER MUST BE PASSIBLE IF ITS QUALITIES CHANGE AS THEY DO.
DIFFERENT SENSES OF “PARTICIPATION” WILL ALLOW FOR MATTER TO REMAIN IMPASSIBLE.
IF FORM BE UNCHANGEABLE, SO IS MATTER.
MATTER PARTICIPATES IN THE INTELLIGIBLE ONLY BY APPEARANCE.
SENSE-OBJECTS ARE UNREAL AND ARE CHIEFLY MADE UP OF APPEARANCE.
PLATO’S FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE MIGHT LEAD TO ERRORS ABOUT HIS REAL OPINIONS.
MATTER AS THE ETERNAL LOCATION OR RESIDENCE OF GENERATION.
MATTER AS LOCATION OF FORMS REMAINS IMPASSIBLE.
THE MYTH OF POVERTY AND ABUNDANCE.
THE MIRACLE IS THAT MATTER PARTICIPATES IN EXISTENCE WITHOUT PARTICIPATING IN IT.
GENERATION ILLUSTRATED BY LIGHTING FIRE BY REFRACTION.
THE RELATION OF MATTER TO REASON ILLUSTRATED BY THAT OF OPINION AND IMAGINATION.
THE MAGNITUDE OF MATTER IS REALLY DERIVED FROM THE SEMINAL REASON.
MAGNITUDE IS AN IMAGE FORMED BY THE UNIVERSAL REFLECTION OF UNIVERSAL BEINGS.
SENSE-OBJECTS APPEAR, AND ARE INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN FORM AND MATTER.
MAGNITUDE IS ONLY APPEARANCE.
IF MATTER WERE A PRIMARY PRINCIPLE, IT WOULD BE THE FORM OF THE UNIVERSE, SUCH AS SOUL IS.
MATTER AS MOTHER, NURSE, RESIDENCE, AND “OTHER” NATURE.
THE MYTH OF THE ITHYPHALLIC HERMES.
THE STERILITY OF NATURE INDICATED BY CASTRATION.