First Physical Dissertation on the Bond Connecting Soul and Body

The original text contains significant ink bleed-through; the translation proceeds from the discernible Latin text.

...is proper to matter and constitutes its Formal aspect, we know has never been called into doubt by any of the sounder thinkers. Furthermore, what it adds concerning the Immaterial is proved when he posits an Intelligence inherent in this extended World Soul. But Intelligence, looking to the mind alone, is a faculty thereof, which therefore is neither perfected in the body itself, nor needs this for its operations. For which reason it is also called Inorganic: for matter can neither understand itself, nor contribute anything to the intrinsic production of intellections.

§. XI.

Hence, a double investigation would most of all need to be applied here: partly, how the parts of this soul—like a centaur—which differ as much as heaven and earth, as they say, are so joined that they constitute one whole soul; and partly, how this soul of diverse nature is intimately united with the universe. Where, if I were to say that it must be joined to the mundane body in different ways according to the diversity of its character regarding its various parts, then a double bond would have to be investigated: the one by which matter is coupled to matter; the other by which intelligence is coupled to matter. But if I were to assert that the extended portion of the soul is the medium or coupling of the unextended part with the extended world, then indeed, regarding the conjunction of the coupling and the mundane bodies, as two material things, no difficulty would remain; but the entire controversy would fall back onto that moment: how a material bond could affect an incorporeal thing on the other part. But such a thing would be said to affect it, partly in respect of the intelligence inherent in this extended part, partly in