CYCLE EIGHTEEN: CONTENDING ORDERS OF VIRTUE AND VICE

1. Concerning evil, we have to distinguish the vicious evil of perfect power in the metachemical id from the virtuous evil of imperfect glory in the metachemical soul, the former beautiful and the latter loving.

2. Concerning goodness, we have to distinguish the vicious goodness of imperfect power in the chemical id from the virtuous goodness of perfect glory in the chemical soul, the former strong and the latter proud.

3. Concerning folly, we have to distinguish the vicious folly of perfect form in the personal ego from the virtuous folly of imperfect content(ment) in the physical mind, the former knowledgeable and the latter pleasurable.

4. Concerning wisdom, we have to distinguish the vicious wisdom of imperfect form in the metaphysical ego from the virtuous wisdom of perfect content(ment) in the metaphysical mind, the former truthful and the latter joyful.

5. In general terms, metachemistry is dominated by objective vice and is therefore evil, whereas chemistry is liberated by objective virtue and is therefore good.

6. Likewise physics is dominated by subjective vice and is therefore foolish, whereas metaphysics is liberated by subjective virtue and is therefore wise.

7. Because that which dominates rules, people are absolutely ruled by beauty and relatively ruled by knowledge.

8. Because that which liberates leads, people are relatively led by pride and absolutely led by joy.

9. Both beauty and knowledge are vicious, the difference being that whereas the one is absolutely vicious in its noumenal objectivity (metachemical immorality), the other is relatively vicious in its phenomenal subjectivity (physical morality).

10. Both pride and joy are virtuous, the difference being that whereas the one is relatively virtuous in its phenomenal objectivity (chemical immorality), the other is absolutely virtuous in its noumenal subjectivity (metaphysical morality).

11. Vicious evil is no less perfect than virtuous wisdom, but it is perfect in a contrary - and objective - way, such that affirms appearance at the expense of essence, beauty at the expense of love.

12. Virtuous folly is no less perfect than virtuous goodness, but it is perfect in a contrary - and subjective - way, such that affirms quantity at the expense of quality, knowledge at the expense of pleasure.

13. For with the noumenal planes (of time and space) we are distinguishing between appearance and essence, the absolutist extremes of elemental existence, whereas with the phenomenal planes (of mass and volume) the distinction is rather more between quantity and quality, as befitting their more relativistic integrities within molecular structures.

14. Hence whereas metachemistry provides us with a contrast between the perfect appearance of beauty and the imperfect essence of love, chemistry provides us with a contrast between the imperfect quantity of strength and the perfect quality of pride.

15. Likewise, whereas physics provides us with a contrast between the perfect quantity of knowledge and the imperfect quality of pleasure, metaphysics provides us with a contrast between the imperfect appearance of truth and the perfect essence of joy.

16. Appearance is never more perfect than when objective (powerful), essence never more perfect than when subjective (content), as in beauty and joy respectively.

17. Quality is never more perfect than when objective (glorious), quantity never more perfect than when subjective (formful), as in pride and knowledge respectively.

18. But just as perfect appearance is criminal (viciously cruel) and perfect essence graceful (virtuously kind), so perfect quality is punishing (virtuously adroit) and perfect quantity sinful (viciously stupid).

19. Evil can only be contained by the application of goodness, of punishment to crime, whereas wisdom can only be maintained by the abandonment of folly, sin duly leading to grace.

20. Hence the application of punishment to crime, of perfect quality to perfect appearance, pride to beauty, is the female counterpart, in positive objective terms, to the abandonment of sin for grace, of perfect quantity for perfect essence, knowledge for joy, which, on account of their subjective dispositions, appertain to the male side of life positively.

21. Yet just as pride can only be sustained through strength, the imperfect quantity of the phenomenal id, so joy can only be sustained through truth, the imperfect appearance of the noumenal ego.

22. Hence no more than perfect glory is possible except in relation to imperfect power, the objective quantity of strength, so perfect content(ment) would be impossible to achieve without imperfect form, the subjective appearance of truth.