255、(5)最后，纯属世人的生命和动物生命之间的区别的性质。我们将在论述生命的地方详细讨论这种区别。在此只说明，区别在于，人有三个心智层级，或有三个理解力和意愿的层级，这些层级可依次被打开。由于这些层级是透明的，所以人在理解力方面能被提升到天堂之光中，并看见真理，不仅能看见文明、道德的真理，还能看见属灵的真理，并能从所看见的许多真理中得出关于在其秩序中的真理的结论，从而完善理解力，直到永远。但动物没有这两个更高层级，只有属世层级；没有更高层级，它们就没有能力思想任何事，无论文明、道德的事，还是属灵的事。动物的属世层级因无法被打开，从而被提升到更高的光中，故无法以先后秩序，只能以同步秩序进行思考；这不是思考，而是出于与它们的爱相对应的一种知识的行动。它们因不能分析思考，并从高层思维来看待低层思维，故不能说话，只能照着属于它们爱的知识发出声音。然而，处于最低的属世层的感官人与动物的区别仅在于：他能用知识填充记忆，由此思考和说话。他从每个人所享有的、如果他愿意就能理解真理的官能中获得这种能力；正是这种官能造成这种区别。然而，许多人却因滥用这种能力而使得自己比动物还低级。
255, 5. The difference between the life of an earthly-minded person and the life of an animal. I need to deal with this difference more specifically later, in discussing life. At this point I need to say only that we humans differ in having three levels of mind or three levels of discernment and volition, and that these levels can be opened in sequence. Since they are translucent, we can be raised in discernment into heaven's light and see things that are not only civically and morally true but spiritually true as well. Once we have seen many such truths, we can on that basis draw a series of true conclusions, and keep perfecting our discernment in this way forever.
Animals, though, do not have the two higher levels, only the earthly levels, and apart from the higher levels the earthly levels have no ability to think about any civic, moral, or spiritual issue. Further, since these earthly levels cannot be opened and therefore raised into higher light, animals cannot think in sequential order. They can think only in a simultaneous pattern, and that is not really thinking. It is simply acting on the basis of the knowledge that answers to their love; and since they cannot think analytically or survey their lower thought from any higher vantage point, they cannot talk. All they can do is make sounds that suit their love's knowledge.
The only difference between sense-centered people (the lowest of the earthly-minded) and animals is that they can fill their minds with information and think and talk on that basis. They get this from an ability we all possess, our ability to understand what is true if we want to. This ability makes the difference. However, many people have made themselves lower than animals by their abuse of this ability.
255. (5) The nature of the difference between the life of the natural person and the life of an animal. We will speak in particular of this difference in subsequent discussions where we take up the subject of life. Here we will say only that the difference consists in this, that a person possesses three degrees mentally, or three degrees of intellect and will; that these degrees can be progressively opened; and that because these degrees are transparent, the person can in respect to his intellect be elevated into the light of heaven and see truths, not only civil and moral truths, but also spiritual truths, and from seeing a number of these deduce still further truths in turn, and so perfect his intellect to eternity.
Animals, on the other hand, do not have the two higher degrees, but only natural degrees, and without the higher degrees these natural degrees lack the capacity for thinking about any civil, moral or spiritual concern. Moreover, because animals' natural degrees cannot be opened and so elevated into a higher light, they cannot think in accord with sequential order but only in accord with concurrent order, which is not to think but simply to act from a knowledge corresponding to their love. So, too, because they cannot think analytically and view a lower thought from the perspective of some higher one, therefore they cannot speak, but make sounds in accordance with the knowledge connected with their love.
Despite this distinction, however, the sensual person, who is in the lowest degree natural, differs from the animal only in his ability to fill his memory with facts and to think and speak in accordance with them, an ability he derives from the faculty inherent in every person, which is to be able to understand truth if he wills to. This is the faculty that distinguishes the human being. But still, many by abuse of this faculty have made themselves lower than animals.
255. (v) The nature of the difference between the life of a natural man and the life of a beast. This difference will be particularly treated of in what follows where Life is the subject. Here it may merely be stated that the difference is that in man there are three degrees of the mind, or three degrees of understanding and will, and that these degrees can be opened successively. And because these are translucent, man as to his understanding, can be elevated into the light of heaven and can see truths, not only civil and moral, but also spiritual, and from many truths seen, can form conclusions about truths in their order, and thus perfect the understanding to eternity. Whereas the beasts have not the two higher degrees, but only the natural degrees, and without the higher degrees, they have no capacity to think on any matter, civil, moral or spiritual. And because their natural degrees are incapable of being opened and hence raised into higher light, they are unable to think in successive order, but can only think in simultaneous order, which is not thinking but acting from a knowledge corresponding to their love. And because they are unable to think analytically, and to see a lower thought from any higher thought, therefore, they are unable to speak but can utter sounds in accordance with the knowledge pertaining to their love. But yet the sensual man who is in the lowest natural, differs from the beast only in this that he can fill his memory with knowledges, and can think and speak from them. This power he draws from a capacity proper to every man, of being able to understand truth if he chooses. It is this capacity that makes the difference. Still many by the abuse of this capacity have made themselves lower than the beasts.
255. (5) The nature of the difference between the life of a natural man and the life of a beast. This difference will be particularly discussed in what follows, where Life will be treated of. Here it may be said only that the difference is that man has three degrees of mind, that is, three degrees of understanding and will, which degrees can be opened successively; and as these are transparent, man can be raised as to his understanding into the light of heaven and see truths, not only civil and moral, but also spiritual, and from many truths seen can form conclusions about truths in their order, and thus perfect the understanding to eternity. But beasts do not have the two higher degrees, but only the natural degrees, and these apart from the higher degrees have no capacity to think on any subject, civil, moral, or spiritual. And since the natural degrees of beasts are incapable of being opened, and thereby raised into higher light, they are unable to think in successive order, but only in simultaneous order, which is not thinking, but acting from a knowledge corresponding to their love. And because they are unable to think analytically, and to view a lower thought from any higher thought, they are unable to speak, but are able only to utter sounds in accordance with the knowledge pertaining to their love. Yet the sensual man, who is in the lowest sense natural, differs from the beast only in this, that he can fill his memory with knowledges, and think and speak therefrom; this power he gets from a capacity proper to every man, of being able to understand truth if he chooses; it is this capacity that makes the difference. Nevertheless many, by abuse of this capacity, have made themselves lower than beasts.
255. [V.] Quale discrimen est inter vitam Naturalis hominis et inter vitam Bestiae; de hoc discrimine in sequentibus, ubi de Vita, in specie dicetur; hic solum, quod discrimen sit, quod homini sint tres gradus Mentis, seu tres gradus Intellectus et Voluntatis; et quod illi Gradus successive possint aperiri, qui quia diaphani sunt, quod homo quoad Intellectum possit elevari in lucem Coeli, ac videre vera, non solum civilia et moralia, sed etiam spiritualia, et ex pluribus visis concludere vera in ordine, ac sic intellectum perficere in aeternum. At Bestiis non sunt bini Gradus superiores, sed sunt modo Gradus naturales, qui absque gradibus superioribus in nulla facultate cogitandi sunt de aliqua re civili, morali et spirituali; et quia Gradus illorum naturales non sunt apertibiles et inde elevabiles in lucem superiorem, non possunt cogitare in ordine successivo, sed in ordine simultaneo, quod non est cogitare, sed ex scientia amori eorum correspondente agere; et quia non possunt analytice cogitare, ac cogitationem inferiorem a quadam superiore 1 videre, ideo non possunt loqui, sed convenienter scientiae amoris eorum sonare. At usque sensualis homo, qui est infime naturalis, a bestia non differt nisi per quod possit memoriam implere scientificis, et ex illis cogitare et loqui, quod trahit ex facultate cuivis homini propria, quae est quod possit intelligere verum si velit; haec facultas distinguit; sed usque plures per abusum hujus facultatis se inferiores bestiis reddiderunt.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: superione