Last, whenever rhetoric, strategy, private and public finance and
politics weave beauty in their deeds, and they glance above, they
(discover) that they have added to their science a contribution from
the intelligible science.
The science of geometry, however, which deals (wholly) with
intelligible entities, must be referred to the intelligible world. So
also with philosophy, which occupies the first rank among sciences
because it studies essence. This is all we have to say about arts and
their products.
THE INTELLIGIBLE WORLD CONTAINS ONLY UNIVERSAL IDEAS; PARTICULARITIES
ARE DERIVED FROM MATTER.
12. If the intelligible world contains the idea of Man, it must also
contain that of the reasonable man, and of the artist; and consequently
the idea of the arts that are begotten by Intelligence. We must
therefore insist that the intelligible world contains the ideas of the
universals, the idea of Man as such, and not, for instance, that of
Socrates. Still we shall have to decide whether the intelligible world
does not also contain the idea of the individual man, that is, of the
man considered with the things that differ in each individual; for one
may have a Roman nose and the other a pug nose. These differences are
indeed implied within the idea of man, just as there are differences
within the idea of animal. But the differences between a Roman or a
snub nose are derived from matter. Likewise, amidst the varieties of
colors, some are contained within the seminal reason, while others are
derived from matter and space.
BESIDES IDEAS OF INDIVIDUAL SOULS AND INTELLIGENCE, THE INTELLIGIBLE
WORLD CONTAINS THE SOUL ITSELF AND INTELLIGENCE ITSELF.
13. It remains for us to study whether the intelligible world contains
only what is in the sense-world, or whether we should distinguish from
the individual soul the Soul itself, from the particular intelligence,
Intelligence itself, as we have above distinguished the particular
man from Man himself. We should not consider all things here below as
images of archetypes, for instance, the soul of a man as the image
of the Soul herself. Only degrees of dignity differentiate souls;
but these souls are not the Soul itself. As the Soul itself exists
really, it must also contain a certain wisdom, justice and science,
which are not images of wisdom, justice, and intelligible science, as
sense-objects are images of intelligible entities, but which are these
very entities located here below in entirely different conditions of
existence; for they are not locally circumscribed. Therefore when the
soul issues from the body, she preserves these things within herself;
for the sense-world exists only in a determinate place, while the
intelligible world exists everywhere; therefore all that the soul
contains here below is also in the intelligible world. Consequently if,
by "sense-objects" we really mean "visible" things, then indeed the
intelligible world contains entities not present in this sense-world.
If, on the contrary, we include within the "sense-world" the soul and
all she implies, then all things that are above are present here below
also.
THE SUPREME BEING ENTIRELY ONE DOES NOT EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE
MANIFOLD.
14. Can we identify the nature that contains all the intelligibles
(Intelligence) with the supreme Principle? Impossible, because the
supreme Principle must be essentially one, and simple, while essences
form a multitude. But as these essences form a multitude, we are forced
to explain how this multitude, and all these essences can exist. How
can (the single) Intelligence be all these things? Whence does it
proceed? This we shall have to study elsewhere.[146]
THE SOUL RECEIVES ACCIDENTS FROM MATTER, BUT DEFECTS ARE NOT IN THE
INTELLIGIBLE.
It may further be asked whether the intelligible world contains the
ideas of objects which are derived from decay, which are harmful or
disagreeable, such as, for instance, mud or excreta. We answer that
all the things that universal Intelligence receives from the First
are excellent. Among them are not found ideas of those dirty and vile
objects mentioned above; Intelligence does not contain them. But though
receiving from Intelligence ideas, the soul receives from matter
other things, among which may be found the above-mentioned accidents.
Besides, a more thorough answer to this question must be sought for in
our book where we explain "How the Multitude of Ideas Proceeds from the
One."[147]