CYCLE THIRTY-THREE: ETHICAL DISTINCTIONS

1. Down from the noumenal man of cultural idealism through air is the phenomenal man of natural naturalism through vegetation, and this man, habituated to perfect form at the expense of perfect content, is as foolish, in his viciousness, as the higher man is wise on account of his virtuous preference for perfect content.

2. This would still be the case were we dealing with negativity as opposed to positivity, wherein the negative folly of ignorance at the expense of the negative wisdom of woe would typify the phenomenal antiman's vicious or, rather, antivicious status in relation to the antivirtue of the noumenal antiman's preference for woe at the expense, lower down, of ignorance.

3. Back and across from the folly of the phenomenal man, however, stands the goodness of the phenomenal woman, whose penchant for civilized realism through water makes her accustomed to perfect glory at the expense of perfect power, the former proud, the latter beautiful.

4. Up and behind the phenomenal woman of civilized realism is the noumenal woman of barbarous materialism through fire, and this woman, habituated to perfect power at the expense of perfect glory, is as evil, in her viciousness, as the lower woman is good on account of her virtuous preference for perfect glory.

5. This would still be the case were we dealing with negativity as opposed to positivity, wherein the negative evil of ugliness at the expense of the negative glory of humility would typify the noumenal antiwoman's vicious or, rather, antivicious status in relation to the antivirtue of the phenomenal antiwoman's preference for humility at the expense, up above, of ugliness.

6. Whatever the case, power is perfect in barbarous materialism and imperfect (as power) in civilized realism, whereas glory is imperfect in barbarous materialism and perfect (as glory) in civilized realism.

7. The noumenal woman is as viciously evil as the phenomenal woman is virtuously good, and all because barbarity emphasizes power rather than glory, whereas civility emphasizes glory rather than power.

8. Mother's pride contrasts, as civilized realism, with daughter's beauty in barbarous materialism, whilst, in negative terms, antimother's humility, if not humiliation, contrasts, as civilized antirealism, with antidaughter's ugliness in barbarous antimaterialism, the negative materialism which is as cosmic as its positive counterpart is universal.

9. Similarly, on the male side of life, son's joy contrasts, as cultural idealism, with father's knowledge in natural naturalism, whilst, in negative terms, antison's woe contrasts, as cultural anti-idealism, with antifather's ignorance in natural antinaturalism, the negative naturalism which is as impersonal (geologic) as its positive counterpart is personal.

10. Thus to contrast the noumenal man's wisdom (contented virtue) with the phenomenal man's folly (formful vice), while likewise contrasting the phenomenal woman's goodness (glorious virtue) with the noumenal woman's evil (powerful vice).

11. In the contrast between folly and wisdom, perfect form and perfect content, we have the struggle within subjective ethics between that which is low, and sinful, and that which is high, and graceful, the former affiliated to the Church and the latter (which has still to come properly to pass) having what, in relation to the concept of the Centre as that most radical and omega-oriented of institutions, I call a Centrist affiliation in relation to the context of religious sovereignty, as pertaining to 'Kingdom Come' and the development, within Social Transcendentalism, of authentic grace through meditative praxis.

12. In the contrast, on the other hand, between evil and good, perfect power and perfect glory, we have the struggle within objective ethics between that which is high, and criminal, and that which is low, and punishing, the former affiliated to the (autocratic) Kingdom and the latter to the (democratic) State.

13. Clearly, the criteria applying to subjective ethics and its objective counterpart are not identical, for in the one case that which is high, and noumenal, is more desirable than what is low, and phenomenal, whereas, in the other case, that which is low, and phenomenal, is more desirable than what is high, and noumenal.

14. The Centre, in institutional terms, is ethically more desirable than the Church, while, by contrast, the State is ethically more desirable than the Kingdom.

15. We ascribe virtue to the noumenal man and vice to the phenomenal one, since the former is graceful (kind) while the latter is a sinner (stupid). Conversely, we ascribe vice to the noumenal woman and virtue to the phenomenal one, since the former is criminal (cruel) while the latter is punishing (just).

16. This is, of course, as it should be, but we have to carefully distinguish, all the same, between the ethics of subjectivity on the male side of life and the ethics of objectivity on its female side. The two should not be confused or, worse still, treated from an identical standpoint!

17. Yet this does happen, and largely, one suspects, because of ethnic factors which impinge upon and condition ethics according to either objective or subjective criteria, only one of which can be hegemonic in any given type of society.