E3P17S
Scholium — Part III
Latin
Hæc mentis constitutio quæ scilicet ex duobus contrariis affectibus oritur, animi vocatur fluctuatio, quæ proinde affectum respicit ut dubitatio imaginationem (vide scholium propositionis 44 partis II) nec animi fluctuatio et dubitatio inter se differunt nisi secundum majus et minus. Sed notandum me in propositione præcedenti has animi fluctuationes ex causis deduxisse quæ per se unius et per accidens alterius affectus sunt causa; quod ideo feci quia sic facilius ex præcedentibus deduci poterant; at non quod negem animi fluctuationes plerumque oriri ab objecto quod utriusque affectus sit efficiens causa. Nam corpus humanum (per postulatum 1 partis II) ex plurimis diversæ naturæ individuis componitur atque adeo (per axioma 1 post lemma 3, quod vide post propositionem 13 partis II) ab uno eodemque corpore plurimis diversisque modis potest affici et contra quia una eademque res multis modis potest affici, multis ergo etiam diversisque modis unam eandemque corporis partem afficere poterit. Ex quibus facile concipere possumus unum idemque objectum posse esse causam multorum contrariorumque affectuum.
English (Elwes 1883)
This disposition of the mind, which arises from two contrary emotions, is called vacillation; it stands to the emotions in the same relation as doubt does to the imagination (II. xliv. note); vacillation and doubt do not differ one from the other, except as greater differs from less. But we must bear in mind that I have deduced this vacillation from causes, which give rise through themselves to one of the emotions, and to the other accidentally. I have done this, in order that they might be more easily deduced from what went before; but I do not deny that vacillation of the disposition generally arises from an object, which is the efficient cause of both emotions. The human body is composed (II. Post. i.) of a variety of individual parts of different nature, and may therefore (Ax.i. after Lemma iii. after II. xiii.) be affected in a variety of different ways by one and the same body; and contrariwise, as one and the same thing can be affected in many ways, it can also in many different ways affect one and the same part of the body. Hence we can easily conceive, that one and the same object may be the cause of many and conflicting emotions.
Modern English
This condition of the mind, arising from two contrary affects, is called vacillation of the mind (animi fluctuatio). It stands in the same relation to the affects as doubt stands to imagination (E2P44S). Vacillation and doubt differ from each other only in degree.
Note that I derived this vacillation in the preceding proposition from causes that are the through-itself cause of one affect and only the accidental cause of the other. I did this because that way it could be deduced more easily from what preceded. But I do not deny that vacillation of the mind generally arises from an object that is the efficient cause of both affects. The human body is composed of a great many individuals of different nature (E2Post1), and can therefore (E2AInt3) be affected in many different ways by one and the same body. Conversely, because one and the same thing can be affected in many ways, it can also affect one and the same part of the body in many different ways. From this we can easily conceive that one and the same object can be the cause of many contrary affects.