=To Establish the Existence of the Spiritual Faculties, the Detailed
Analysis of which I have undertaken.=
Whoso wishes to describe anything whatsoever before proceeding to
establish first its [6]reality of existence, such a one is counted
by the wise among those who deviate from the broad beaten track of
perspicuous statement. It is incumbent upon us, therefore, to first
set to work to establish the existence of the spiritual powers, before
starting to define each one of them singly, and enlarge upon it.
And whereas the most peculiar characteristics of spiritual properties
are two--one of them Setting in Motion (Impulsion), and the other
Perception--it is incumbent upon us to show that to every moving body
there is a [A]moving cause (ground, reason, motive, pretence). Then it
will become evident to us therefrom that bodies moving in motions over
and above the natural motions--an example of natural motions is the
sinking of the heavy, and the rising of the light--have moving[B]
causes, which we call souls or spiritual powers; and that we further
show that any body, in so far as it shows signs (traces) that it is
perceptive, such perception by it cannot be validly ascribed to its
body, except because of powers (faculties) in it that are capable of
perception.
We now start by saying that not a shadow of doubt or perplexity
hampers the mind, as to things, that some of them share some one thing
in common, and differ in an other; and that that which is shared in
common is other than that in which they differ. The mind encounters all
bodies whatsoever as having this in common, viz. that they are bodies;
and afterwards it encounters them as differing in that they move (in
different ways); otherwise there would be no such thing as rest of a
body, and not even such a thing as motion of a body, except along a
circle, seeing that of motion in a straight line it is established
by its very form that it will not proceed save from stoppings and to
stoppings (resting-places to resting-places). Hence it is evident that
bodies are not to be clothed with the attribute of motion because they
are bodies, but for reasons (causes) above and beyond their corporeity,
from which causes their motions proceed, like the resulting of the
footprint from the walker (or, just as the effect proceeds from the
agent).
So much having become clear to us, we say that we find, among bodies
generated from the Four Elements,[7] such as moves, not by constraint,
in two kinds of motion between which there is more or less difference:
The one kind inherent in its element by reason of the supremacy over
it of the power of one of its constituents, and thus decreeing its
motion towards the position in space naturally appointed for it, as for
example a man’s moving by the nature of the preponderating[8] heavy
element in his body downwards; nor will this kind of the motions of
bodies be found to take place save in one direction and with a constant
tendency; The second kind of motion going against the decree of its
element, which decree is either rest in the natural position as soon
as it reaches that position, as for example a man’s moving his body
along its natural home which is the Earth’s surface; or else a moving
away from the natural position when already separated from it, like
a flying bird’s motion with its heavy body high up through the sky.
It has thus been made manifest [to the reader] that the two motions
have two accounting causes, and that they are quite different one from
the other: the one is called Natural, and the second called Soul or
Spiritual Faculty. Hence it is quite sound, as to motion, to affirm
the existence of spiritual faculties.
Whereas, in respect of Perception, because that bodies exist with this
in common, viz. that they are bodies, and with this in distinction,
viz. that they are repeatedly perceptive, it is quite manifest by the
first (preceding) process of discrimination that perception will not
ever differ from bodies through difference of their substance, but by
certain powers or faculties borne within those bodies. It therefore
becomes quite clear by this sort of exposition that spiritual faculties
have an existence: and this is what we wished to demonstrate.