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.