4. Why should we not, on arriving at the Soul, stop there, and consider
her the first principle? Because Intelligence is a power different
from the Soul, and better than the Soul; and what is better must, by
its very nature, precede (the worst). The Stoics[121] are wrong in
thinking that it is the Soul which, on reaching her perfection, begets
Intelligence. How could that which is potential pass into actualization
unless there were some principle that effected that transition? If
this transition were due to chance, it could not have occurred at
all. The first rank must therefore be assigned to that which is in
actualization, which needs nothing, which is perfect, while imperfect
things must be assigned to the second rank. These may be perfected
by the principles that begat them, which, in respect to them, play a
paternal part, perfecting what they had originally produced that was
imperfect. What is thus produced is matter, as regards the creating
principle, and then becomes perfect, on receiving its form from it.
Besides, the Soul is (often) affected; and we need to discover some
thing that is impassible, without which everything is dissolved by
time; therefore there is need of some principle prior to the soul.
Further, the Soul is in the world; now there must be something that
resides outside of the world, and which consequently would be superior
to the Soul; for since that which inheres in the world resides within
the body, or matter, if nothing existed outside of the world, nothing
would remain permanent. In this case, the (seminal) reason of man,
and all the other reasons could be neither permanent nor eternal. The
result of all these considerations, as well as of many others that
we could add thereto, is the necessary assertion of the existence of
Intelligence beyond the Soul.
INTELLIGENCE IS IN ACTUALIZATION BECAUSE ITS THOUGHT IS IDENTICAL WITH
ITS ESSENCE OR EXISTENCE.
5. Taking it in its genuine sense, Intelligence is not only
potential, arriving at being intelligent after having been
unintelligent--for otherwise, we would be forced to seek out some
still higher principle--but is in actualization, and is eternal. As
it is intelligent by itself, it is by itself that it thinks what it
thinks, and that it possesses what is possesses. Now since it thinks
of itself and by itself, it itself is what it thinks. If we could
distinguish between its existence and its thought, its "being" would be
unintelligent; it would be potential, not in actualization. Thought,
therefore, must not be separated from its object, although, from
sense-objects, we have become accustomed to conceive of intelligible
entities as distinct from each other.
REASONS, AS ARCHETYPES, MUST HAVE EXISTED BEFORE STOIC "HABIT," NATURE
OR SOUL.
Which then is the principle that acts, that thinks, and what is the
actualization and thought of Intelligence, necessary to justify the
assertion that it is what it thinks? Evidently Intelligence, by its
mere real existence, thinks beings, and makes them exist; it therefore
is the beings. Indeed, the beings will either exist outside of it, or
within it; and in the latter case they would have to be identical with
it. That they should exist outside of Intelligence, is unthinkable;
for where would they be located? They must therefore exist within
it, and be identical with it. They could not be in sense-objects, as
common people think, because sense-objects could not be the first
in any genus. The form which inheres in their matter is only the
representation of existence; now a form which exists in anything
other than itself is put in it by a superior principle, and is its
image. Further, if Intelligence must be the creative power of the
universe, it could not, while creating the universe, think beings as
existent in what does not yet exist. Intelligible entities, therefore,
must exist before the world, and cannot be images of sense-objects,
being on the contrary, their archetypes, and constituting the "being"
of Intelligence. It might be objected that the (seminal) reasons
might suffice. These reasons are, no doubt, eternal; and, if they be
eternal and impassible, they must exist within the Intelligence whose
characteristics we have described, the Intelligence which precedes
the "habit,"[122] nature,[123] and the soul,[124] because here these
entities are potential.[125]