5
OurconceptionofthenatureofOdoursmustbeanalogoustothatofSavours;inasmuchastheSapidDryeffectsinairandwateralike,butinadifferentprovinceofsense,preciselywhattheDryeffectsintheMoistofwateronly。WecustomarilypredicateTranslucencyofbothairandwaterincommon;butitisnotquatranslucentthateitherisavehicleofodour,butquapossessedofapowerofwashingorrinsing[andsoimbibing]theSapidDryness。
FortheobjectofSmellexistsnotinaironly:italsoexistsinwater。Thisisprovedbythecaseoffishesandtestacea,whichareseentopossessthefacultyofsmell,althoughwatercontainsnoair(forwheneverairisgeneratedwithinwateritrisestothesurface),andthesecreaturesdonotrespire。Hence,ifoneweretoassumethatairandwaterarebothmoist,itwouldfollowthatOdouristhenaturalsubstanceconsistingoftheSapidDrydiffusedintheMoist,andwhateverisofthiskindwouldbeanobjectofSmell。
ThatthepropertyofodorousnessisbasedupontheSapidmaybeseenbycomparingthethingswhichpossesswiththosewhichdonotpossessodour。Theelements,viz。Fire,Air,Earth,Water,areinodorous,becauseboththedryandthemoistamongthemarewithoutsapidity,unlesssomeaddedingredientproducesit。Thisexplainswhysea—waterpossessesodour,for[unlike’elemental’water]itcontainssavouranddryness。Salt,too,ismoreodorousthannatron,astheoilwhichexudesfromtheformerproves,fornatronisalliedto[’elemental’]earthmorenearlythansalt。Again,astoneisinodorous,justbecauseitistasteless,while,onthecontrary,woodisodorous,becauseitissapid。Thekindsofwood,too,whichcontainmore[’elemental’]waterarelessodorousthanothers。
Moreover,totakethecaseofmetals,goldisinodorousbecauseitiswithouttaste,butbronzeandironareodorous;andwhenthe[sapid]moisturehasbeenburntoutofthem,theirslagis,inallcases,lessodorousthemetals[thanthemetalsthemselves]。Silverandtinaremoreodorousthantheoneclassofmetals,lesssothantheother,inasmuchastheyarewater[toagreaterdegreethantheformer,toalessdegreethanthelatter]。
SomewriterslookuponFumidexhalation,whichisacompoundofEarthandAir,astheessenceofOdour。[IndeedallareinclinedtorushtothistheoryofOdour。]HeraclitusimpliedhisadherencetoitwhenhedeclaredthatifallexistingthingswereturnedintoSmoke,thenosewouldbetheorgantodiscernthemwith。Allwritersinclinetoreferodourtothiscause[sc。exhalationofsomesort],butsomeregarditasaqueous,othersasfumid,exhalation;whileothers,again,holdittobeeither。Aqueousexhalationismerelyaformofmoisture,butfumidexhalationis,asalreadyremarked,composedofAirandEarth。Theformerwhencondensedturnsintowater;
thelatter,inaparticularspeciesofearth。Now,itisunlikelythatodouriseitherofthese。Forvaporousexhalationconsistsofmerewater[which,beingtasteless,isinodorous];andfumidexhalationcannotoccurinwateratall,though,ashasbeenbeforestated,aquaticcreaturesalsohavethesenseofsmell。
Again,theexhalationtheoryofodourisanalogoustothetheoryofemanations。If,therefore,thelatterisuntenable,so,too,istheformer。
ItisclearlyconceivablethattheMoist,whetherinair(forair,too,isessentiallymoist)orinwater,shouldimbibetheinfluenceof,andhaveeffectswroughtinitby,theSapidDryness。Moreover,iftheDryproducesinmoistmedia,i。e。waterandair,aneffectasofsomethingwashedoutinthem,itismanifestthatodoursmustbesomethinganalogoustosavours。Nay,indeed,thisanalogyis,insomeinstances,afact[registeredinlanguage];forodoursaswellassavoursarespokenofaspungent,sweet,harsh,astringentrich[=’savoury’];andonemightregardfetidsmellsasanalogoustobittertastes;whichexplainswhytheformerareoffensivetoinhalationasthelatteraretodeglutition。Itisclear,therefore,thatOdourisinbothwaterandairwhatSavourisinwateralone。ThisexplainswhycoldnessandfreezingrenderSavoursdull,andabolishodoursaltogether;forcoolingandfreezingtendtoannulthekineticheatwhichhelpstofabricatesapidity。
TherearetwospeciesoftheOdorous。Forthestatementofcertainwritersthattheodorousisnotdivisibleintospeciesisfalse;itissodivisible。Wemustheredefinethesenseinwhichthesespeciesaretobeadmittedordenied。
Oneclassofodours,then,isthatwhichrunsparallel,ashasbeenobserved,tosavours:toodoursofthisclasstheirpleasantnessorunpleasantnessbelongsincidentally。ForowingtothefactthatSavoursarequalitiesofnutrientmatter,theodoursconnectedwiththese[e。g。thoseofacertainfood]areagreeableaslongasanimalshaveanappetiteforthefood,buttheyarenotagreeabletothemwhensatedandnolongerinwantofit;noraretheyagreeable,either,tothoseanimalsthatdonotlikethefooditselfwhichyieldstheodours。Hence,asweobserved,theseodoursarepleasantorunpleasantincidentally,andthesamereasoningexplainswhyitisthattheyareperceptibletoallanimalsincommon。
Theotherclassofodoursconsistsofthoseagreeableintheiressentialnature,e。g。thoseofflowers。Forthesedonotinanydegreestimulateanimalstofood,nordotheycontributeinanywaytoappetite;theireffectuponit,ifany,israthertheopposite。FortheverseofStrattisridiculingEuripides—
Usenotperfumerytoflavoursoup,containsatruth。
Thosewhonowadaysintroducesuchflavoursintobeveragesdeforceoursenseofpleasurebyhabituatingustothem,until,fromtwodistinctkindsofsensationscombined,pleasurearisesasitmightfromonesimplekind。
Ofthisspeciesofodourmanaloneissensible;theother,viz。thatcorrelatedwithTastes,is,ashasbeensaidbefore,perceptiblealsototheloweranimals。Andodoursofthelattersort,sincetheirpleasureablenessdependsupontaste,aredividedintoasmanyspeciesastherearedifferenttastes;butwecannotgoontosaythisoftheformerkindofodour,sinceitsnatureisagreeableordisagreeableperse。Thereasonwhytheperceptionofsuchodoursispeculiartomanisfoundinthecharacteristicstateofman’sbrain。
Forhisbrainisnaturallycold,andthebloodwhichitcontainsinitsvesselsisthinandpurebuteasilycooled(whenceithappensthattheexhalationarisingfromfood,beingcooledbythecoldnessofthisregion,producesunhealthyrheums);thereforeitisthatodoursofsuchaspecieshavebeengeneratedforhumanbeings,asasafeguardtohealth。Thisistheirsolefunction,andthattheyperformitisevident。Forfood,whetherdryormoist,thoughsweettotaste,isoftenunwholesome;whereastheodourarisingfromwhatisfragrant,thatodourwhichispleasantinitsownright,is,sotosay,alwaysbeneficialtopersonsinanystateofbodilyhealthwhatever。
Forthisreason,too,theperceptionofodour[ingeneral]
effectedthroughrespiration,notinallanimals,butinmanandcertainothersanguineousanimals,e。g。quadrupeds,andallthatparticipatefreelyinthenaturalsubstanceair;becausewhenodours,onaccountofthelightnessoftheheatinthem,mounttothebrain,thehealthofthisregionistherebypromoted。Forodour,asapower,isnaturallyheat—giving。ThusNaturehasemployedrespirationfortwopurposes:primarilyfortherelieftherebybroughttothethorax,secondarilyfortheinhalationofodour。Forwhileananimalisinhaling,—odourmovesinthroughitsnostrils,asitwere’fromaside—entrance。’
Buttheperceptionofthesecondclassofodoursabovedescribed[doesnotbelongtoallanimal,but]isconfinedtohumanbeings,becauseman’sbrainis,inproportiontohiswholebulk,largerandmoisterthanthebrainofanyotheranimal。Thisisthereasonofthefurtherfactthatmanalone,sotospeak,amonganimalsperceivesandtakespleasureintheodoursofflowersandsuchthings。
Fortheheatandstimulationsetupbytheseodoursarecommensuratewiththeexcessofmoistureandcoldnessinhiscerebralregion。Onalltheotheranimalswhichhavelungs,Naturehasbestowedtheirdueperceptionofoneofthetwokindsofodour[i。e。thatconnectedwithnutrition]throughtheactofrespiration,guardingagainsttheneedlesscreationoftwoorgansofsense;forinthefactthattheyrespiretheotheranimalshavealreadysufficientprovisionfortheirperceptionoftheonespeciesofodouronly,ashumanbeingshavefortheirperceptionofboth。
Butthatcreatureswhichdonotrespirehavetheolfactorysenseisevident。Forfishes,andallinsectsasaclass,have,thankstothespeciesofodourcorrelatedwithnutrition,akeenolfactorysenseoftheirproperfoodfromadistance,evenwhentheyareveryfarawayfromit;suchisthecasewithbees,andalsowiththeclassofsmallants,whichsomedenominateknipes。Amongmarineanimals,too,themurexandmanyothersimilaranimalshaveanacuteperceptionoftheirfoodbyitsodour。
Itisnotequallycertainwhattheorganiswherebytheysoperceive。Thisquestion,oftheorganwherebytheyperceiveodour,maywellcauseadifficulty,ifweassumethatsmellingtakesplaceinanimalsonlywhilerespiring(forthatthisisthefactismanifestinalltheanimalswhichdorespire),whereasnoneofthosejustmentionedrespires,andyettheyhavethesenseofsmell—unless,indeed,theyhavesomeothersensenotincludedintheordinaryfive。Thissuppositionis,however,impossible。Foranysensewhichperceivesodourisasenseofsmell,andthistheydoperceive,thoughprobablynotinthesamewayascreatureswhichrespire,butwhenthelatterarerespiringthecurrentofbreathremovessomethingthatislaidlikealidupontheorganproper(whichexplainswhytheydonotperceiveodourswhennotrespiring);whileincreatureswhichdonotrespirethisisalwaysoff:justassomeanimalshaveeyelidsontheireyes,andwhenthesearenotraisedtheycannotsee,whereashard—eyedanimalshavenolids,andconsequentlydonotneed,besideseyes,anagencytoraisethelids,butseestraightway[withoutintermission]fromtheactualmomentatwhichitisfirstpossibleforthemtodoso[i。e。fromthemomentwhenanobjectfirstcomeswithintheirfieldofvision]。
Consistentlywithwhathasbeensaidabove,notoneoftheloweranimalsshowsrepugnancetotheodourofthingswhichareessentiallyill—smelling,unlessoneofthelatterispositivelypernicious。Theyaredestroyed,however,bythesethings,justashumanbeingsare;i。e。ashumanbeingsgetheadachesfrom,andareoftenasphyxiatedby,thefumesofcharcoal,sotheloweranimalsperishfromthestrongfumesofbrimstoneandbituminoussubstances;
anditisowingtoexperienceofsucheffectsthattheyshunthese。
Forthedisagreeableodourinitselftheycarenothingwhatever(thoughtheodoursofmanyplantsareessentiallydisagreeable),unless,indeed,ithassomeeffectuponthetasteoftheirfood。
Thesensesmakingupanoddnumber,andanoddnumberhavingalwaysamiddleunit,thesenseofsmelloccupiesinitselfasitwereamiddlepositionbetweenthetactualsenses,i。e。TouchandTaste,andthosewhichperceivethroughamedium,i。e。SightandHearing。
Hencetheobjectofsmell,too,isanaffectionofnutrientsubstances(whichfallwithintheclassofTangibles),andisalsoanaffectionoftheaudibleandthevisible;whenceitisthatcreatureshavethesenseofsmellbothinairandwater。Accordingly,theobjectofsmellissomethingcommontobothoftheseprovinces,i。e。itappertainsbothtothetangibleontheonehand,andontheothertotheaudibleandtranslucent。HencetheproprietyofthefigurebywhichithasbeendescribedbyusasanimmersionorwashingofdrynessintheMoistandFluid。Suchthenmustbeouraccountofthesenseinwhichoneisorisnotentitledtospeakoftheodorousashavingspecies。
ThetheoryheldbycertainofthePythagoreans,thatsomeanimalsarenourishedbyodoursalone,isunsound。For,inthefirstplace,weseethatfoodmustbecomposite,sincethebodiesnourishedbyitarenotsimple。Thisexplainswhywastematterissecretedfromfood,eitherwithintheorganisms,or,asinplants,outsidethem。Butsinceevenwaterbyitselfalone,thatis,whenunmixed,willnotsufficeforfood—foranythingwhichistoformaconsistencymustbecorporeal—,itisstillmuchlessconceivablethatairshouldbesocorporealized[andthusfittedtobefood]。But,besidesthis,weseethatallanimalshaveareceptacleforfood,fromwhich,whenithasentered,thebodyabsorbsit。Now,theorganwhichperceivesodourisinthehead,andodourenterswiththeinhalationofthebreath;sothatitgoestotherespiratoryregion。Itisplain,therefore,thatodour,quaodour,doesnotcontributetonutrition;that,however,itisserviceabletohealthisequallyplain,aswellbyimmediateperceptionasfromtheargumentsaboveemployed;sothatodourisinrelationtogeneralhealthwhatsavourisintheprovinceofnutritionandinrelationtothebodiesnourished。
Thisthenmustconcludeourdiscussionoftheseveralorgansofsense—perception。
6
Onemightask:ifeverybodyisinfinitelydivisible,areitssensiblequalities—Colour,Savour,Odour,Sound,Weight,ColdorHeat,[Heavinessor]Lightness,HardnessorSoftness—alsoinfinitelydivisible?Or,isthisimpossible?
[Onemightwellaskthisquestion],becauseeachofthemisproductiveofsense—perception,since,infact,allderivetheirname[of’sensiblequalities’]fromtheverycircumstanceoftheirbeingabletostimulatethis。Hence,[ifthisisso]bothourperceptionofthemshouldlikewisebedivisibletoinfinity,andeverypartofabody[howeversmall]shouldbeaperceptiblemagnitude。
Foritisimpossible,e。g。toseeathingwhichiswhitebutnotofacertainmagnitude。
Sinceifitwerenotso,[ifitssensiblequalitieswerenotdivisible,paripassuwithbody],wemightconceiveabodyexistingbuthavingnocolour,orweight,oranysuchquality;accordinglynotperceptibleatall。Forthesequalitiesaretheobjectsofsense—perception。Onthissupposition,everyperceptibleobjectshouldberegardedascomposednotofperceptible[butofimperceptible]
parts。Yetitmust[bereallycomposedofperceptibleparts],sinceassuredlyitdoesnotconsistofmathematical[andthereforepurelyabstractandnon—sensible]quantities。Again,bywhatfacultyshouldwediscernandcognizethese[hypotheticalrealthingswithoutsensiblequalities]?IsitbyReason?ButtheyarenotobjectsofReason;nordoesreasonapprehendobjectsinspace,exceptwhenitactsinconjunctionwithsense—perception。Atthesametime,ifthisbethecase[thattherearemagnitudes,physicallyreal,butwithoutsensiblequality],itseemstotellinfavouroftheatomistichypothesis;forthus,indeed,[byacceptingthishypothesis],thequestion[withwhichthischapterbegins]mightbesolved[negatively]。Butitisimpossible[toacceptthishypothesis]。OurviewsonthesubjectofatomsaretobefoundinourtreatiseonMovement。
ThesolutionofthesequestionswillbringwithitalsotheanswertothequestionwhythespeciesofColour,Taste,Sound,andothersensiblequalitiesarelimited。Forinallclassesofthingslyingbetweenextremestheintermediatesmustbelimited。Butcontrariesareextremes,andeveryobjectofsense—perceptioninvolvescontrariety:
e。g。inColour,WhitexBlack;inSavour,SweetxBitter,andinalltheothersensiblesalsothecontrariesareextremes。Now,thatwhichiscontinuousisdivisibleintoaninfinitenumberofunequalparts,butintoafinitenumberofequalparts,whilethatwhichisnotpersecontinuousisdivisibleintospecieswhicharefiniteinnumber。Sincethen,theseveralsensiblequalitiesofthingsaretobereckonedasspecies,whilecontinuityalwayssubsistsinthese,wemusttakeaccountofthedifferencebetweenthePotentialandtheActual。Itisowingtothisdifferencethatwedonot[actually]seeitsten—thousandthpartinagrainofmillet,althoughsighthasembracedthewholegrainwithinitsscope;anditisowingtothis,too,thatthesoundcontainedinaquarter—toneescapesnotice,andyetonehearsthewholestrain,inasmuchasitisacontinuum;buttheintervalbetweentheextremesounds[thatboundthequarter—tone]
escapestheear[beingonlypotentiallyaudible,notactually]。So,inthecaseofotherobjectsofsense,extremelysmallconstituentsareunnoticed;becausetheyareonlypotentiallynotactually[perceptiblee。g。]visible,unlesswhentheyhavebeenpartedfromthewholes。Sothefootlengthtooexistspotentiallyinthetwo—footlength,butactuallyonlywhenithasbeenseparatedfromthewhole。Butobjectiveincrementssosmallasthoseabovemightwell,ifseparatedfromtheirtotals,[insteadofachieving’actual’exisistence]bedissolvedintheirenvironments,likeadropofsapidmoisturepouredoutintothesea。Butevenifthiswerenotso[sc。withtheobjectivemagnitude],still,sincethe[subjective]ofsense—perceptionisnotperceptibleinitself,norcapableofseparateexistence(sinceitexistsonlypotentiallyinthemoredistinctlyperceivablewholeofsense—perception),soneitherwillitbepossibletoperceive[actually]itscorrelativelysmallobject[sc。itsquantumofpathemaorsensiblequality]whenseparatedfromtheobject—total。Butyetthis[smallobject]istobeconsideredasperceptible:foritisbothpotentiallysoalready[i。e。evenwhenalone],anddestinedtobeactuallysowhenithasbecomepartofanaggregate。Thus,therefore,wehaveshownthatsomemagnitudesandtheirsensiblequalitiesescapenotice,andthereasonwhytheydoso,aswellasthemannerinwhichtheyarestillperceptibleornotperceptibleinsuchcases。Accordinglythenwhenthese[minutelysubdivided]
sensibleshaveonceagainbecomeaggregatedinawholeinsuchamanner,relativelytooneanother,astobeperceptibleactually,andnotmerelybecausetheyareinthewhole,butevenapartfromit,itfollowsnecessarily[fromwhathasbeenalreadystated]thattheirsensiblequalities,whethercoloursortastesorsounds,arelimitedinnumber。
Onemightask:—dotheobjectsofsense—perception,orthemovementsproceedingfromthem([sincemovementsthereare,]inwhicheverofthetwoways[viz。byemanationsorbystimulatorykinesis]sense—perceptiontakesplace),whentheseareactualizedforperception,alwaysarrivefirstataspatialmiddlepoint[betweenthesense—organanditsobject],asOdourevidentlydoes,andalsoSound?Forhewhoisnearer[totheodorousobject]perceivestheOdoursooner[thanwhoisfartheraway],andtheSoundofastrokereachesussometimeafterithasbeenstruck。Isitthusalsowithanobjectseen,andwithLight?Empedocles,forexample,saysthattheLightfromtheSunarrivesfirstintheinterveningspacebeforeitcomestotheeye,orreachestheEarth。Thismightplausiblyseemtobethecase。Forwhateverismoved[inspace],ismovedfromoneplacetoanother;hencetheremustbeacorrespondingintervaloftimealsoinwhichitismovedfromtheoneplacetotheother。Butanygiventimeisdivisibleintoparts;sothatweshouldassumeatimewhenthesun’sraywasnotasyetseen,butwasstilltravellinginthemiddlespace。
Now,evenifitbetruethattheactsof’hearing’and’havingheard’,and,generally,thoseof’perceiving’and’havingperceived’,formco—instantaneouswholes,inotherwords,thatactsofsense—perceptiondonotinvolveaprocessofbecoming,buthavetheirbeingnonethelesswithoutinvolvingsuchaprocess;yet,justas,[inthecaseofsound],thoughthestrokewhichcausestheSoundhasbeenalreadystruck,theSoundisnotyetattheear(andthatthislastisafactisfurtherprovedbythetransformationwhichtheletters[viz。theconsonantsasheard]undergo[inthecaseofwordsspokenfromadistance],implyingthatthelocalmovement[involvedinSound]takesplaceinthespacebetween[usandthespeaker];forthereasonwhy[personsaddressedfromadistance]donotsucceedincatchingthesenseofwhatissaidisevidentlythattheair[soundwave]inmovingtowardsthemhasitsformchanged)
[grantingthis,then,thequestionarises]:isthesamealsotrueinthecaseofColourandLight?Forcertainlyitisnottruethatthebeholdersees,andtheobjectisseen,invirtueofsomemerelyabstractrelationshipbetweenthem,suchasthatbetweenequals。Forifitwereso,therewouldbenoneed[asthereis]thateither[thebeholderorthethingbeheld]shouldoccupysomeparticularplace;
sincetotheequalizationofthingstheirbeingnearto,orfarfrom,oneanothermakesnodifference。
Nowthis[travellingthroughsuccessivepositionsinthemedium]maywithgoodreasontakeplaceasregardsSoundandOdour,forthese,like[theirmedia]AirandWater,arecontinuous,butthemovementofbothisdividedintoparts。Thistooisthegroundofthefactthattheobjectwhichthepersonfirstinorderofproximityhearsorsmellsisthesameasthatwhicheachsubsequentpersonperceives,whileyetitisnotthesame。
Some,indeed,raiseaquestionalsoontheseverypoints;theydeclareitimpossiblethatonepersonshouldhear,orsee,orsmell,thesameobjectasanother,urgingtheimpossibilityofseveralpersonsindifferentplaceshearingorsmelling[thesameobject],fortheonesamethingwould[thus]bedividedfromitself。Theansweristhat,inperceivingtheobjectwhichfirstsetupthemotion—e。g。
abell,orfrankincense,orfire—allperceiveanobjectnumericallyoneandthesame;while,ofcourse,inthespecialobjectperceivedtheyperceiveanobjectnumericallydifferentforeach,thoughspecificallythesameforall;andthis,accordingly,explainshowitisthatmanypersonstogethersee,orsmell,orhear[thesameobject]。Thesethings[theodourorsoundproper]arenotbodies,butanaffectionorprocessofsomekind(otherwisethis[viz。
simultaneousperceptionoftheoneobjectbymany]wouldnothavebeen,asitis,afactofexperience)though,ontheotherhand,theyeachimplyabody[astheircause]。
But[thoughsoundandodourmaytravel,]withregardtoLightthecaseisdifferent。ForLighthasitsraisond’etreinthebeing[notbecoming]ofsomething,butitisnotamovement。Andingeneral,eveninqualitativechangethecaseisdifferentfromwhatitisinlocalmovement[bothbeingdifferentspeciesofkinesis]。Localmovements,ofcourse,arrivefirstatapointmidwaybeforereachingtheirgoal(andSound,itiscurrentlybelieved,isamovementofsomethinglocallymoved),butwecannotgoontoassertthis[arrivalatapointmidway]likemannerofthingswhichundergoqualitativechange。Forthiskindofchangemayconceivablytakeplaceinathingallatonce,withoutonehalfofitbeingchangedbeforetheother;e。g。itisconceivablethatwatershouldbefrozensimultaneouslyineverypart。Butstill,forallthat,ifthebodywhichisheatedorfrozenisextensive,eachpartofitsuccessivelyisaffectedbythepartcontiguous,whilethepartfirstchangedinqualityissochangedbythecauseitselfwhichoriginatesthechange,andthusthechangethroughoutthewholeneednottakeplacecoinstantaneouslyandallatonce。Tastingwouldhavebeenassmellingnowis,ifwelivedinaliquidmedium,andperceived[thesapidobject]atadistance,beforetouchingit。
Naturally,then,thepartsofmediabetweenasensoryorgananditsobjectarenotallaffectedatonce—exceptinthecaseofLight[illumination]forthereasonabovestated,andalsointhecaseofseeing,forthesamereason;forLightisanefficientcauseofseeing。
7
Anotherquestionrespectingsense—perceptionisasfollows:
assuming,asisnatural,thatoftwo[simultaneous]sensorystimulithestrongeralwaystendstoextrudetheweaker[fromconsciousness],isitconceivableornotthatoneshouldbeabletodiscerntwoobjectscoinstantaneouslyinthesameindividualtime?Theaboveassumptionexplainswhypersonsdonotperceivewhatisbroughtbeforetheireyes,iftheyareatthetimedeepinthought,orinafright,orlisteningtosomeloudnoise。Thisassumption,then,mustbemade,andalsothefollowing:thatitiseasiertodiscerneachobjectofsensewheninitssimpleformthanwhenaningredientinamixture;easier,forexample,todiscernwinewhenneatthanwhenblended,andsoalsohoney,and[inotherprovinces]acolour,ortodiscernthenetebyitselfalone,than[whensoundedwiththehypate]intheoctave;thereasonbeingthatcomponentelementstendtoefface[thedistinctivecharacteristicsof]oneanother。Suchistheeffect[ononeanother]ofallingredientsofwhich,whencompounded,someonethingisformed。
If,then,thegreaterstimulustendstoexpeltheless,itnecessarilyfollowsthat,whentheyconcur,thisgreatershoulditselftoobelessdistinctlyperceptiblethanifitwerealone,sincethelessbyblendingwithithasremovedsomeofitsindividuality,accordingtoourassumptionthatsimpleobjectsareinallcasesmoredistinctlyperceptible。
Now,ifthetwostimuliareequalbutheterogeneous,noperceptionofeitherwillensue;theywillalikeeffaceoneanother’scharacteristics。Butinsuchacasetheperceptionofeitherstimulusinitssimpleformisimpossible。Henceeithertherewillthenbenosense—perceptionatall,ortherewillbeaperceptioncompoundedofbothanddifferingfromeither。Thelatteriswhatactuallyseemstoresultfromingredientsblendedtogether,whatevermaybethecompoundinwhichtheyaresomixed。
Since,then,fromsomeconcurrent[sensorystimuli]aresultantobjectisproduced,whilefromothersnosuchresultantisproduced,andofthelattersortarethosethingswhichbelongtodifferentsenseprovinces(foronlythosethingsarecapableofmixturewhoseextremesarecontraries,andnoonecompoundcanbeformedfrom,e。g。WhiteandSharp,exceptindirectly,i。e。notasaconcordisformedofSharpandGrave);therefollowslogicallytheimpossibilityofdiscerningsuchconcurrentstimulicoinstantaneously。
Forwemustsupposethatthestimuli,whenequal,tendaliketoeffaceoneanother,sincenoone[formofstimulus]resultsfromthem;while,iftheyareunequal,thestrongeraloneisdistinctlyperceptible。
Again,thesoulwouldbemorelikelytoperceivecoinstantaneously,withoneandthesamesensoryact,twothingsinthesamesensoryprovince,suchastheGraveandtheSharpinsound;
forthesensorystimulationinthisoneprovinceismorelikelytobeunitemporalthanthatinvolvingtwodifferentprovinces,asSightandHearing。Butitisimpossibletoperceivetwoobjectscoinstantaneouslyinthesamesensoryactunlesstheyhavebeenmixed,[when,however,theyarenolongertwo],fortheiramalgamationinvolvestheirbecomingone,andthesensoryactrelatedtooneobjectisitselfone,andsuchact,whenone,is,ofcourse,coinstantaneouswithitself。Hence,whenthingsaremixedweofnecessityperceivethemcoinstantaneously:forweperceivethembyaperceptionactuallyone。Foranobjectnumericallyonemeansthatwhichisperceivedbyaperceptionactuallyone,whereasanobjectspecificallyonemeansthatwhichisperceivedbyasensoryactpotentiallyone[i。e。byanenergeiaofthesamesensuousfaculty]。Ifthentheactualizedperceptionisone,itwilldeclareitsdatatobeoneobject;theymust,therefore,havebeenmixed。Accordingly,whentheyhavenotbeenmixed,theactualizedperceptionswhichperceivethemwillbetwo;but[ifso,theirperceptionmustbesuccessivenotcoinstantaneous,for]inoneandthesamefacultytheperceptionactualizedatanysinglemomentisnecessarilyone,onlyonestimulationorexertionofasinglefacultybeingpossibleatasingleinstant,andinthecasesupposedherethefacultyisone。Itfollows,therefore,thatwecannotconceivethepossibilityofperceivingtwodistinctobjectscoinstantaneouslywithoneandthesamesense。
Butifitbethusimpossibletoperceivecoinstantaneouslytwoobjectsinthesameprovinceofsenseiftheyarereallytwo,manifestlyitisstilllessconceivablethatweshouldperceivecoinstantaneouslyobjectsintwodifferentsensoryprovinces,asWhiteandSweet。ForitappearsthatwhentheSoulpredicatesnumericalunityitdoessoinvirtueofnothingelsethansuchcoinstantaneousperception[ofoneobject,inoneinstant,byoneenergeia]:whileitpredicatesspecificunityinvirtueof[theunityof]thediscriminatingfacultyofsensetogetherwith[theunityof]themodeinwhichthisoperates。WhatImean,forexample,isthis;thesamesensenodoubtdiscernsWhiteandBlack,[whicharehencegenericallyone]thoughspecificallydifferentfromoneanother,andso,too,afacultyofsenseself—identical,butdifferentfromtheformer,discernsSweetandBitter;butwhileboththesefacultiesdifferfromoneanother[andeachfromitself]intheirmodesofdiscerningeitheroftheirrespectivecontraries,yetinperceivingtheco—ordinatesineachprovincetheyproceedinmannersanalogoustooneanother;forinstance,asTasteperceivesSweet,soSightperceivesWhite;andasthelatterperceivesBlack,sotheformerperceivesBitter。
Again,ifthestimuliofsensederivedfromContrariesarethemselvesContrary,andifContrariescannotbeconceivedassubsistingtogetherinthesameindividualsubject,andifContraries,e。g。SweetandBitter,comeunderoneandthesamesense—faculty,wemustconcludethatitisimpossibletodiscernthemcoinstantaneously。
Itislikewiseclearlyimpossiblesotodiscernsuchhomogeneoussensiblesasarenot[indeed]Contrary,[butareyetofdifferentspecies]。Fortheseare,[inthesphereofcolour,forinstance],classedsomewithWhite,otherswithBlack,andsoitis,likewise,intheotherprovincesofsense;forexample,ofsavours,someareclassedwithSweet,andotherswithBitter。Norcanonediscernthecomponentsincompoundscoinstantaneously(fortheseareratiosofContraries,ase。g。theOctaveortheFifth);unless,indeed,onconditionofperceivingthemasone。Forthus,andnototherwise,theratiosoftheextremesoundsarecompoundedintooneratio:
sinceweshouldhavetogethertheratio,ontheonehand,ofManytoFeworofOddtoEven,ontheother,thatofFewtoManyorofEventoOdd[andthese,tobeperceivedtogether,mustbeunified]。
If,then,thesensiblesdenominatedco—ordinatesthoughindifferentprovincesofsense(e。g。IcallSweetandWhiteco—ordinatesthoughindifferentprovinces)standyetmorealoof,anddiffermore,fromoneanotherthandoanysensiblesinthesameprovince;whileSweetdiffersfromWhiteevenmorethanBlackdoesfromWhite,itisstilllessconceivablethatoneshoulddiscernthem[viz。sensiblesindifferentsensoryprovinceswhetherco—ordinatesornot]
coinstantaneouslythansensibleswhichareinthesameprovince。
Therefore,ifcoinstantaneousperceptionofthelatterbeimpossible,thatoftheformerisafortioriimpossible。
Someofthewriterswhotreatofconcordsassertthatthesoundscombinedinthesedonotreachussimultaneously,butonlyappeartodoso,theirrealsuccessivenessbeingunnoticedwheneverthetimeitinvolvesis[sosmallastobe]imperceptible。Isthistrueornot?
Onemightperhaps,followingthisup,gosofarastosaythateventhecurrentopinionthatoneseesandhearscoinstantaneouslyisduemerelytothefactthattheintervalsoftime[betweenthereallysuccessiveperceptionsofsightandhearing]escapeobservation。Butthiscanscarcelybetrue,norisitconceivablethatanyportionoftimeshouldbe[absolutely]imperceptible,orthatanyshouldbeabsolutelyunnoticeable;thetruthbeingthatitispossibletoperceiveeveryinstantoftime。[Thisisso];because,ifitisinconceivablethatapersonshould,whileperceivinghimselforaughtelseinacontinuoustime,beatanyinstantunawareofhisownexistence;while,obviously,theassumption,thatthereisinthetime—continuumatimesosmallastobeabsolutelyimperceptible,carriestheimplicationthatapersonwould,duringsuchtime,beunawareofhisownexistence,aswellasofhisseeingandperceiving;[thisassumptionmustbefalse]。
Again,ifthereisanymagnitude,whethertimeorthing,absolutelyimperceptibleowingtoitssmallness,itfollowsthattherewouldnotbeeitherathingwhichoneperceives,oratimeinwhichoneperceivesit,unlessinthesensethatinsomepartofthegiventimeheseessomepartofthegiventhing。For[lettherebealineab,dividedintotwopartsatg,andletthislinerepresentawholeobjectandacorrespondingwholetime。Now,]ifoneseesthewholeline,andperceivesitduringatimewhichformsoneandthesamecontinuum,onlyinthesensethathedoessoinsomeportionofthistime,letussupposethepartgb,representingatimeinwhichbysuppositionhewasperceivingnothing,cutofffromthewhole。Well,then,heperceivesinacertainpart[viz。intheremainder]ofthetime,orperceivesapart[viz。theremainder]oftheline,afterthefashioninwhichoneseesthewholeearthbyseeingsomegivenpartofit,orwalksinayearbywalkinginsomegivenpartoftheyear。But[byhypothesis]inthepartbgheperceivesnothing:
therefore,infact,heissaidtoperceivethewholeobjectandduringthewholetimesimplybecauseheperceives[somepartoftheobject]
insomepartofthetimeab。Butthesameargumentholdsalsointhecaseofag[theremainder,regardedinitsturnasawhole];foritwillbefound[onthistheoryofvacanttimesandimperceptiblemagnitudes]thatonealwaysperceivesonlyinsomepartofagivenwholetime,andperceivesonlysomepartofawholemagnitude,andthatitisimpossibletoperceiveany[really]whole[objectinareallywholetime;aconclusionwhichisabsurd,asitwouldlogicallyannihilatetheperceptionofbothObjectsandTime]。
Thereforewemustconcludethatallmagnitudesareperceptible,buttheiractualdimensionsdonotpresentthemselvesimmediatelyintheirpresentationasobjects。Oneseesthesun,orafour—cubitrodatadistance,asamagnitude,buttheirexactdimensionsarenotgivenintheirvisualpresentation:nay,attimesanobjectofsightappearsindivisible,but[visionlikeotherspecialsenses,isfalliblerespecting’commonsensibles’,e。g。magnitude,and]nothingthatoneseesisreallyindivisible。Thereasonofthishasbeenpreviouslyexplained。Itisclearthen,fromtheabovearguments,thatnoportionoftimeisimperceptible。
Butwemustherereturntothequestionproposedabovefordiscussion,whetheritispossibleorimpossibletoperceiveseveralobjectscoinstantaneously;by’coinstantaneously’Imeanperceivingtheseveralobjectsinatimeoneandindivisiblerelativelytooneanother,i。e。indivisibleinasenseconsistentwithitsbeingallacontinuum。
First,then,isitconceivablethatoneshouldperceivethedifferentthingscoinstantaneously,buteachwithadifferentpartoftheSoul?Or[mustweobject]that,inthefirstplace,tobeginwiththeobjectsofoneandthesamesense,e。g。Sight,ifweassumeit[theSoulquaexercisingSight]toperceiveonecolourwithonepart,andanothercolourwithadifferentpart,itwillhaveapluralityofpartsthesameinspecies,[astheymustbe,]sincetheobjectswhichitthusperceivesfallwithinthesamegenus?
Shouldanyone[toillustratehowtheSoulmighthaveinittwodifferentpartsspecificallyidentical,eachdirectedtoasetofaisthetathesameingenuswiththattowhichtheotherisdirected]
urgethat,astherearetwoeyes,sotheremaybeintheSoulsomethinganalogous,[thereplyis]thatoftheeyes,doubtless,someoneorganisformed,andhencetheiractualizationinperceptionisone;butifthisissointheSoul,then,insofaraswhatisformedofboth[i。e。ofanytwospecificallyidenticalpartsasassumed]isone,thetrueperceivingsubjectalsowillbeone,[andthecontradictoryoftheabovehypothesis(ofdifferentpartsofSoulremainingengagedinsimultaneousperceptionwithonesense)iswhatemergesfromtheanalogy];whileifthetwopartsofSoulremainseparate,theanalogyoftheeyeswillfail,[forofthesesomeoneisreallyformed]。
Furthermore,[onthesuppositionoftheneedofdifferentpartsofSoul,co—operatingineachsense,todiscerndifferentobjectscoinstantaneously],thesenseswillbeeachatthesametimeoneandmany,asifweshouldsaythattheywereeachasetofdiversesciences;forneitherwillan’activity’existwithoutitsproperfaculty,norwithoutactivitywilltherebesensation。
ButiftheSouldoesnot,inthewaysuggested[i。e。withdifferentpartsofitselfactingsimultaneously],perceiveinoneandthesameindividualtimesensiblesofthesamesense,afortioriitisnotthusthatitperceivessensiblesofdifferentsenses。Foritis,asalreadystated,moreconceivablethatitshouldperceiveapluralityoftheformertogetherinthiswaythanapluralityofheterogeneousobjects。
Ifthen,asisthefact,theSoulwithonepartperceivesSweet,withanother,White,eitherthatwhichresultsfromtheseissomeonepart,orelsethereisnosuchoneresultant。Buttheremustbesuchanone,inasmuchasthegeneralfacultyofsense—perceptionisone。Whatoneobject,then,doesthatonefaculty[whenperceivinganobject,e。g。asbothWhiteandSweet]perceive?[None];forassuredlynooneobjectarisesbycompositionofthese[heterogeneousobjects,suchasWhiteandSweet]。Wemustconclude,therefore,thatthereis,ashasbeenstatedbefore,someonefacultyinthesoulwithwhichthelatterperceivesallitspercepts,thoughitperceiveseachdifferentgenusofsensiblesthroughadifferentorgan。
Maywenot,then,conceivethisfacultywhichperceivesWhiteandSweettobeonequaindivisible[sc。quacombiningitsdifferentsimultaneousobjects]initsactualization,butdifferent,whenithasbecomedivisible[sc。quadistinguishingitsdifferentsimultaneousobjects]initsactualization?
OriswhatoccursinthecaseoftheperceivingSoulconceivablyanalogoustowhatholdstrueinthatofthethingsthemselves?Forthesamenumericallyonethingiswhiteandsweet,andhasmanyotherqualities,[whileitsnumericalonenessisnottherebyprejudiced]
ifthefactisnotthatthequalitiesarereallyseparableintheobjectfromoneanother,butthatthebeingofeachqualityisdifferent[fromthatofeveryother]。Inthesamewaythereforewemustassumealso,inthecaseoftheSoul,thatthefacultyofperceptioningeneralisinitselfnumericallyoneandthesame,butdifferent[differentiated]initsbeing;different,thatistosay,ingenusasregardssomeofitsobjects,inspeciesasregardsothers。
Hencetoo,wemayconcludethatonecanperceive[numericallydifferentobjects]coinstantaneouslywithafacultywhichisnumericallyoneandthesame,butnotthesameinitsrelationship[sc。accordingastheobjectstowhichitisdirectedarenotthesame]。
Thateverysensibleobjectisamagnitude,andthatnothingwhichitispossibletoperceiveisindivisible,maybethusshown。Thedistancewhenceanobjectcouldnotbeseenisindeterminate,butthatwhenceitisvisibleisdeterminate。WemaysaythesameoftheobjectsofSmellingandHearing,andofallsensiblesnotdiscernedbyactualcontact。Now,thereis,intheintervalofdistance,someextremeplace,thelastfromwhichtheobjectisinvisible,andthefirstfromwhichitisvisible。Thisplace,beyondwhichiftheobjectbeonecannotperceiveit,whileiftheobjectbeonthehithersideonemustperceiveit,is,Ipresume,itselfnecessarilyindivisible。
Therefore,ifanysensibleobjectbeindivisible,suchobject,ifsetinthesaidextremeplacewhenceimperceptibilityendsandperceptibilitybegins,willhavetobebothvisibleandinvisibletheirobjects,whetherregardedingeneraloratthesametime;butthisisimpossible。
ThisconcludesoursurveyofthecharacteristicsoftheorgansofSense—perceptionandtheirobjects,whetherregardedingeneralorinrelationtoeachorgan。Oftheremainingsubjects,wemustfirstconsiderthatofmemoryandremembering。