417. 愛鄰舍的本質並非愛某個人, 而是愛這人裡面的善
每個人都知道, 人之所以稱之為人, 並非因為他有一張人的臉和一個人的身體, 而是他認知之理以及他意志之善。理與善所達的層面越高, 他就越是個人。
人生來就比任何動物更野更獸, 然後通過接受教訓而成為一個人, 因接受教訓而形成他的思想, 並由於他的思想及其特定的屬性, 他真正成為的人。
有些動物的臉面看起來像人的臉, 但是它們不能去認知,或以認知為基礎去採取行動。它們照本能去行動, 屬世之愛激發它們的本能。動物與人的區別之一, 動物發聲來表達屬於它的愛的情感, 而人則將這些呈送給思想,然後以語言說出來。動物的臉面一般朝下看向地面, 而人則抬起來望向天空的任何方向。
從這些觀點可以得出以下結論:人說話越合乎理性, 心思越停留在天上, 就越是人; 越是違背理性, 心思越停在地上, 就越不是人。儘管這樣的人依然是人, 但非實際, 只不過是潛在之人。每一個人都有潛力去認知真實的事情,去意圖良善的行為。哪怕沒有去行善的意志, 沒有對真實事情的認知力, 依然持有能力去模仿與摹擬人類行為的外在動作。
417. Loving Our Neighbor Is Not in Fact Loving the Person but Loving the Goodness That Is inside the Person
Surely everyone knows that people are not people because they have a human face and body - they are people because they have wisdom in their intellect and goodness in their will. The higher the quality of this wisdom and goodness, the more human the people are.
When people are born they are more brutish than any animal. They become human through being instructed. If they are responsive to the instruction, a mind forms within them. People are human because of their mind, depending on its particular nature.
There are animals that have faces that are close to human, but they have no faculty for higher understanding or for taking any action on the basis of that understanding. They act on an instinct that is activated by their earthly love. One difference between animals and people is that animals express in sound the feelings belonging to their love, while people speak their feelings as transferred into thought. Animals turn their faces downward and look at the ground, while people look at the sky in all directions, their faces lifted up.
From these points we can draw the following conclusion: the more we base what we say on sound reasoning and the more we focus on the time we will spend in heaven, the more human we are. Conversely, the more we base what we say on twisted reasoning and focus only on the time we are to spend in the world, the less human we are. In the latter case, we are still human, but only potentially rather than actually, since all people have the power to understand things that are true and to intend actions that are good. Even if we have no intention of doing what is good or understanding what is true, we nonetheless retain the ability to ape and mimic human qualities on the outside.
417. VI. The essence of loving the neighbour is not loving a person, but the good in him.
Everyone knows that what makes a human being human is not having a human face and a human body, but the wisdom in his understanding and the goodness in his will. The higher the levels these reach, the more human he is. Man at birth is more of a brute than any animal, but he becomes a human being by receiving instruction, which forms his mind, and as a result of this and in proportion to it he becomes truly human. There are animals with faces which look like human ones, but they enjoy no ability to understand or to do anything as the result of understanding. They act by instinct, which is aroused by their natural love. The difference is that an animal makes noises to express the affections of its love, while a human being submits these to thought and utters them in words. Also an animal faces downwards and looks at the ground, while a human being holds his face up and looks at the sky all around. From this it can be inferred that a human being is human in so far as he speaks with sound reason and keeps in mind his stay in heaven; and he is not human in so far as he speaks contrary to reason and keeps in mind only his stay on earth. Still such people are human beings, not in fact but potentially. For every person enjoys the potentiality of understanding truths and willing good deeds; but to the extent that he does not wish to do good deeds and understand truths, to that extent he can externally pretend to be human and ape human behaviour.
417. VI. TO LOVE THE NEIGHBOR, VIEWED IN ITSELF, IS NOT TO LOVE THE PERSON, BUT THE GOOD THAT IS IN THE PERSON.
Who does not know that a man is not a man because of his having a human face and a human body, but because of the wisdom of his understanding and the goodness of his will? As the quality of these ascends, he becomes the more a man. At birth man is more a brute than any animal, but he becomes a man through instruction of various kinds, by receiving which his mind is formed, and from his mind and according to it man is a man. There are some beasts whose faces resemble the human face, but these enjoy no faculty of understanding or of doing anything from the understanding; but they act from the instinct which their natural love excites. The difference is that a beast expresses by sounds the affections of its love, while man speaks them as they are formulated in thought; also, a beast with his face downward looks upon the ground, while man with his face raised beholds heaven all about him. From all this it may be inferred that man is a man so far as he speaks from sound reason, and looks forward to his abode in heaven; while so far as he speaks from perverted reason, and looks only to his abode in the world, so far he is not a man. Yet even such are men potentially, though not actually; for every man enjoys the ability to understand truth and to will what is good; but so far as he has no wish to do good or understand truth, he can only counterfeit man in externals and play the ape.
417. VI. TO LOVE THE NEIGHBOR, STRICTLY SPEAKING, IS NOT TO LOVE THE PERSON, BUT THE GOOD THAT IS IN THE PERSON.
Every one knows that a man is not a man because of his human face and body, but from the wisdom of his understanding, and the goodness of his will; and as these rise towards perfection, he becomes more and more a man. A man at his birth is more a brute than any animal, but he becomes a man by instruction of various kinds; for his mind is formed by the reception of instruction, and a man is a man from his mind, and according to its nature. There are some beasts with faces resembling man's, but they have not the faculty of understanding, or of acting from understanding; but they act from instinct, which their natural love excites. There is also this difference that a beast expresses the affections of its love only by sounds, whereas man makes them the subject of his thought, and expresses them by speech. Moreover, a beast looks at the ground with its face turned downwards, but a man with face upturned views the heavens and all that lies around him. From this we may conclude that a man is a man only so far as he speaks from sound reason, and has regard to his abode in heaven; and that he is not a man so far as he speaks from perverted reason, and has regard only to his abode in the world. Yet even in this case he is a man, not, however, in his action but potentially, for every one has the power to understand what is true and to will what is good; whereas, so far as he does not will to do goods and understand truths, he may present the outward appearance of a man, and live the life of an ape.
417. Quod amare Proximum in se spectatum non sit amare Personam, sed Bonum quod in Persona est.
Quis non novit, quod homo non sit homo ex humana facie et ex humano corpore, sed ex sapientia Intellectus 1 et ex bonitate Voluntatis ejus; ascendens qualitas horum facit ut sit plus homo: homo cum nascitur est brutum plus quam ullum Animal, at fit homo per instructiones, quae sicut recipiuntur, 2 formatur Mens ejus, ex qua et secundum quam homo est homo. Dantur bestiae, quarum facies assimilantur humanis, sed illae nulla facultate intelligendi et ex intellectu aliquid agendi gaudent, sed agunt ex instinctu, quem amor illarum naturalis excitat; discrimen est, quod bestia affectiones amoris sui sonet, at homo illas illatas cogitationi loquatur; tum quod bestia prono vultu spectet terram, homo autem erecta facie Coelum undequaque; ex quibus concludi potest, quod homo tantum sit homo, quantum ex ratione sana loquitur, et spectat commorationem suam in Coelo, et quod tantum non sit homo, quantum ex ratione perversa loquitur, et spectat commorationem suam solum in Mundo: sed usque hi sunt homines, verum non actu sed potentia, unusquisque enim homo gaudet potentia intelligendi vera et volendi bona, sed quantum non vult facere bona et 3 intelligere vera, tantum in externis potest simulare hominem, ac agere ejus simiam.
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