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on sense and the sensible-第10部分

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contiguous; while the part first changed in quality is so changed by



the cause itself which originates the change; and thus the change



throughout the whole need not take place coinstantaneously and all



at once。 Tasting would have been as smelling now is; if we lived in



a liquid medium; and perceived 'the sapid object' at a distance;



before touching it。



  Naturally; then; the parts of media between a sensory organ and



its object are not all affected at once… except in the case of Light



'illumination' for the reason above stated; and also in the case of



seeing; for the same reason; for Light is an efficient cause of



seeing。



                                7







  Another question respecting sense…perception is as follows:



assuming; as is natural; that of two 'simultaneous' sensory stimuli



the stronger always tends to extrude the weaker 'from



consciousness'; is it conceivable or not that one should be able to



discern two objects coinstantaneously in the same individual time? The



above assumption explains why persons do not perceive what is



brought before their eyes; if they are at the time deep in thought; or



in a fright; or listening to some loud noise。 This assumption; then;



must be made; and also the following: that it is easier to discern



each object of sense when in its simple form than when an ingredient



in a mixture; easier; for example; to discern wine when neat than when



blended; and so also honey; and 'in other provinces' a colour; or to



discern the nete by itself alone; than 'when sounded with the



hypate' in the octave; the reason being that component elements tend



to efface 'the distinctive characteristics of' one another。 Such is



the effect 'on one another' of all ingredients of which; when



compounded; some one thing is formed。



  If; then; the greater stimulus tends to expel the less; it



necessarily follows that; when they concur; this greater should itself



too be less distinctly perceptible than if it were alone; since the



less by blending with it has removed some of its individuality;



according to our assumption that simple objects are in all cases



more distinctly perceptible。



  Now; if the two stimuli are equal but heterogeneous; no perception



of either will ensue; they will alike efface one another's



characteristics。 But in such a case the perception of either



stimulus in its simple form is impossible。 Hence either there will



then be no sense…perception at all; or there will be a perception



compounded of both and differing from either。 The latter is what



actually seems to result from ingredients blended together; whatever



may be the compound in which they are so mixed。



  Since; then; from some concurrent 'sensory stimuli' a resultant



object is produced; while from others no such resultant is produced;



and of the latter sort are those things which belong to different



sense provinces (for only those things are capable of mixture whose



extremes are contraries; and no one compound can be formed from;



e。g。 White and Sharp; except indirectly; i。e。 not as a concord is



formed of Sharp and Grave); there follows logically the



impossibility of discerning such concurrent stimuli coinstantaneously。



For we must suppose that the stimuli; when equal; tend alike to efface



one another; since no one 'form of stimulus' results from them; while;



if they are unequal; the stronger alone is distinctly perceptible。



  Again; the soul would be more likely to perceive



coinstantaneously; with one and the same sensory act; two things in



the same sensory province; such as the Grave and the Sharp in sound;



for the sensory stimulation in this one province is more likely to



be unitemporal than that involving two different provinces; as Sight



and Hearing。 But it is impossible to perceive two objects



coinstantaneously in the same sensory act unless they have been mixed;



'when; however; they are no longer two'; for their amalgamation



involves their becoming one; and the sensory act related to one object



is itself one; and such act; when one; is; of course;



coinstantaneous with itself。 Hence; when things are mixed we of



necessity perceive them coinstantaneously: for we perceive them by a



perception actually one。 For an object numerically one means that



which is perceived by a perception actually one; whereas an object



specifically one means that which is perceived by a sensory act



potentially one 'i。e。 by an energeia of the same sensuous faculty'。 If



then the actualized perception is one; it will declare its data to



be one object; they must; therefore; have been mixed。 Accordingly;



when they have not been mixed; the actualized perceptions which



perceive them will be two; but 'if so; their perception must be



successive not coinstantaneous; for' in one and the same faculty the



perception actualized at any single moment is necessarily one; only



one stimulation or exertion of a single faculty being possible at a



single instant; and in the case supposed here the faculty is one。 It



follows; therefore; that we cannot conceive the possibility of



perceiving two distinct objects coinstantaneously with one and the



same sense。



  But if it be thus impossible to perceive coinstantaneously two



objects in the same province of sense if they are really two;



manifestly it is still less conceivable that we should perceive



coinstantaneously objects in two different sensory provinces; as White



and Sweet。 For it appears that when the Soul predicates numerical



unity it does so in virtue of nothing else than such coinstantaneous



perception 'of one object; in one instant; by one energeia': while



it predicates specific unity in virtue of 'the unity of' the



discriminating faculty of sense together with 'the unity of' the



mode in which this operates。 What I mean; for example; is this; the



same sense no doubt discerns White and Black; 'which are hence



generically one' though specifically different from one another; and



so; too; a faculty of sense self…identical; but different from the



former; discerns Sweet and Bitter; but while both these faculties



differ from one another 'and each from itself' in their modes of



discerning either of their respective contraries; yet in perceiving



the co…ordinates in each province they proceed in manners analogous to



one another; for instance; as Taste perceives Sweet; so Sight



perceives White; and as the latter perceives Black; so the former



perceives Bitter。



  Again; if the stimuli of sense derived from Contraries are



themselves Contrary; and if Contraries cannot be conceived as



subsisting together in the same individual subject; and if Contraries;



e。g。 Sweet and Bitter; come under one and the same sense…faculty; we



must conclude that it is impossible to discern them coinstantaneously。



It is likewise clearly impossible so to
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