WHAT I THINK

1. No less than soul is the essence of being, so holiness is the wisdom of metaphysics.

2. No less than ego is the quality of taking, so unholiness is the folly of physics.

3. No less than spirit is the quantity of giving, so clearness is the goodness of chemistry.

4. No less than will is the appearance of doing, so unclearness is the evil of metachemistry.

5. The soul does not exist except in relation to the essence of being. Neither therefore does holiness exist except in relation to the wisdom of metaphysics.

6. The ego does not exist except in relation to the quality of taking. Neither therefore does unholiness exist except in relation to the folly of physics.

7. The spirit does not exist except in relation to the quantity of giving. Neither therefore does clearness exist except in relation to the goodness of chemistry.

8. The will does not exist except in relation to the appearance of doing. Neither therefore does unclearness exist except in relation to the evil of metachemistry.

9. If metaphysics is holy because wise, then so, too, is the soul which, being noumenally subjective, is an impression of metaphysical being - the holy soul of Heaven.

10. If physics is unholy because foolish, then so, too, is the ego which, being phenomenally subjective, is an impression of physical taking - the unholy ego of man.

11. If chemistry is clear because good, then so, too, is the spirit which, being phenomenally objective, is an expression of chemical giving - the clear spirit of purgatory.

12. If metachemistry is unclear because evil, then so, too, is the will which, being noumenally objective, is an expression of metachemical doing - the unclear will of the Devil.

13. The wisdom of metaphysics, which is the essence of being, leads to the holiness of grace, which is the soul of Heaven.

14. The folly of physics, which is the quality of taking, leads to the unholiness of sin, which is the ego of man.

15. The goodness of chemistry, which is the quantity of giving, leads to the clearness of punishment, which is the spirit of purgatory.

16. The evil of metachemistry, which is the appearance of doing, leads to the unclearness of crime, which is the will of the Devil.

17. The holy soul of Heaven (the universal metaphysical self) is no less superior to the holy spirit of Heaven (the universal metaphysical not-self) than the holy ego of God (the personal metaphysical self) to the holy will of God (the personal metaphysical not-self).

18. The unholy ego of man (the personal physical self) is no less superior to the unholy will of man (the personal physical not-self) than the unholy soul of earth (the universal physical self) to the unholy spirit of earth (the universal physical not-self).

19. The clear spirit of purgatory (the universal chemical not-self) is no less superior to the clear soul of purgatory (the universal chemical self) than the clear will of woman (the personal chemical not-self) to the clear ego of woman (the personal chemical self).

20. The unclear will of the Devil (the personal metachemical not-self) is no less superior to the unclear ego of the Devil (the personal metachemical self) than the unclear spirit of Hell (the universal metachemical not-self) to the unclear soul of Hell (the universal metachemical self).

21. The self is only superior to the not-self in the subjective elements of physics and metaphysics, vegetation and air.

22. The not-self is only superior to the self in the objective elements of metachemistry and chemistry, fire and water.

23. Subjective elements, being male, are those in which the self is primary, whether as ego or soul, and the not-self secondary, whether as will or spirit.

24. Objective elements, being female, are those in which the not-self is primary, whether as will or spirit, and the self secondary, whether as ego or soul.

25. Thus females are characterized by the dominance, within not-self primacy, of will and spirit - with especial reference to their per se manifestations in metachemistry and chemistry, fire and water.

26. Conversely, males are characterized by the dominance, within self primacy, of ego and soul - with especial reference to their per se manifestations in physics and metaphysics, vegetation and air.

27. In no respect are the genders equal but, rather, demonstrably dissimilar in their respective elemental predilections. In fact, insofar as fire and water are the primary elements, and vegetation and air the secondary ones, deriving their subjectivity from the prior existence of the objective elements, so, too, are females primary and males secondary.

28. Males cannot, in their subjectivity, dominate females the way or to the extent that females dominate males, though they can opt to 'turn their back' on females through the cultivation of either vegetative or airy sensibility, becoming either Christian or, in the latter case, effectively Buddhist, and hence transcendentalist.

29. This distinction is not only between phenomenal and noumenal modes of male sensibility, the former appertaining to volume and the latter to space, but is also indicative of a class distinction between 'lower' and 'upper' alternatives, in which the former effectively excludes the latter, and vice versa.

30. Vegetative sensibility exists on the plane of voluminous volume, and airy sensibility on the plane of spaced space - the former masculine and the latter divine.

31. In plane organic terms, this is simply a distinction between the brain and the lungs, cerebral physics and respiratory metaphysics.

32. In religious terms, such a distinction is reducible to prayer on the one hand, and to meditation (or transcendental meditation) on the other hand, with egocentric (intellectual) and psychocentric (emotional) implications.

33. Sensibility gives males the delusion - and nothing more - of ascendancy over females; for, in reality, vegetation and air remain secondary to water and fire, subjectivity being by definition secondary to objectivity.

34. In most cases of male ascendancy through sensibility, the sensibility in question loses ground, sooner or later, to the struggle by females to return to sensuality, wherein the female side of things is hegemonic.

35. Thus the confinement of females either to the phenomenal sensibility of massed mass or to the noumenal sensibility of repetitive time, to the chemical sensibility of the womb or to the metachemical sensibility of the heart, is sure to be at best intermittent and at worst temporary, since females have an inbuilt - one might even say genetically-programmed - tendency to return to the higher planes of either (depending on the circumstances) chemical or metachemical sensuality, the former definable in terms of the hegemony of volumetric volume (feminine) over massive mass (masculine), and the latter definable in terms of the hegemony of spatial space (diabolic) over sequential time (divine).

36. Females are saved to and by the planes of sensual space (spatial) and sensual volume (volumetric), but damned to and by the planes of sensible time (repetitive) and sensible mass (massed).

37. Conversely, males are dammed to and by the planes of sensual mass (massive) and sensual time (sequential), but saved to and by the planes of sensible volume (voluminous) and sensible space (spaced).

38. Those affiliated to the objective elements of fire and water will not, as females, tolerate damnation (to a subordinate status in sensibility under air and vegetation) for very long, since the primary natures of metachemistry and chemistry vis-à-vis metaphysics and physics are such that their maximum satisfaction can only be guaranteed by sensuality, wherein they are truly hegemonic.

39. Males are naturally resentful of their 'secondary' status as 'fall guys' in the 'once-born' contexts of vegetative and airy sensuality, but their sporadic endeavours to be saved (from sensual subjection to a sensible ascendancy over females) are bedevilled by the inescapable fact that, being subjective, vegetation and air, the male elements par excellence, are ever secondary to water and fire, their objective counterparts, and unable, in consequence, to prevail in the ascendancy for very long.

40. Exceptions to the rule notwithstanding, it would seem that unless steps were duly to be taken by males to undermine if not reduce the objectivity of females, salvation for them will remain at best problematic, at worst a rather intermittent or even temporary achievement ... steeped in delusion and hypocrisy.

41. For if life is a gender tug-of-war, it is one in which, due to the primacy of objectivity, females (despite suggestions to the contrary) have the upper hand.

42. And that is an upper hand which makes a Devil out of God and a Pan-like fool out of man - at any rate in sensual, or 'once-born', contexts.

43. Unfortunately for males, the world is not a context that greatly conduces towards the 'rebirth' of sensibility, least of all in metaphysical terms.

44. Even a physical 'rebirth' is about as relevant or germane to the world as the planet Mars, bearing in mind its Christic nature in what amounts to a cerebral parallel beyond the phallic parallel of terrestrial vegetation.

45. Genuine religion, by which is meant metaphysical religion, can only be tangential to the world; for the world is primarily a context of politics and economics, as befitting its mundane nature.

46. Even science, when genuine, will be tangential to the world, if rather more on a Venusian than, say, a Saturnian basis, bearing in mind its materialist nature.

47. For the world is primarily a context of woman and man, water and vegetation, and not therefore a place in which either the Devil or God, fire or air, can expect to significantly flourish.

48. The Devil and/or God can only flourish in relation to woman and man, not independently of them.

49. In like manner, science and/or religion can only flourish in relation to politics and economics, not independently of them.

50. This does not necessarily imply that science and religion must be lowered to the level of the world and become merely worldly, even though science and religion can and are in fact obliged to do this; but, rather, that they must leave room for woman and man, politics and economics, whether in the event of science ruling the world through materialism or of religion leading it through transcendentalism.

51. The will of science contrasts absolutely with the soul of religion, as absolute power with absolute content(ment).

52. The spirit of politics contrasts relatively with the ego of economics, as relative glory with relative form.

53. The above would only of course apply to the per se manifestations of the respective disciplines - from science and politics on the female (objective) side of the gender fence ... to economics and religion on its male (subjective) side, as from fire and water to vegetation and air.

54. In literary terms, one would have to speak of a distinction between poetry and drama on the one hand and ... fiction and philosophy on the other, the former disciplines corresponding to fire and water, the latter ones to vegetation and air.

55. Which is to distinguish, after all, between appearance and quantity on the one hand and ... quality and essence on the other hand - the hand not of will and spirit, but of ego and soul.

56. As a philosopher, my principal concern is with soul, since I am the writer (sic.) of essence, not of quality (fiction), of quantity (drama), or of appearance (poetry), wherein knowledge, strength, and beauty rather than truth are - or should be - the respective means.

57. And I am an upper-class manifestation of philosophy, a per se manifestation of philosophy that has reference to aphoristic space rather than to, say, essayistic volume.

58. Such philosophy, which is alone true and genuine, can only be alien to a society rooted, democratically, in lower-class values, wherein the essayistic notion of philosophy tends to prevail.

59. But even then, philosophy remains peripheral to the worldly norms of fiction and drama, corresponding to economics and to politics.

60. For philosophy is closest of the literary branches to religion, and even religion of a lower-class order, like Christianity, will remain, in the nature of things, peripheral to the world, with its politics and economics, its novels/novelists and plays/dramatists.

61. Being peripheral to the world, like the essayistic philosopher, is one thing; being beyond the world in a philosophical Heaven is quite another!

62. And that is a distinction between the philosopher of knowledge, an enlightened man, and the philosopher of truth, effectively a god.

63. It is the philosopher of truth who, in proclaiming the truth, reveals himself as a divinity, a devotee of space who transcends volume as air transcends vegetation or as religion transcends economics or as grace transcends sin.

64. This philosopher cannot be bought and sold in the market place; for he is above the market place and its economic dominion. He lives not for physical wealth but for metaphysical wealth, which is the proclamation of truth and the attainment of joy ... in the holy soul of Heaven.

65. In such metaphysical fashion is wealth duly transposed into health, the divine ego eclipsed by the sublime soul.

66. Soul is always essence, the being of things, but it is not invariably wise or holy or graceful. We can speak of the first-rate, because per se, soul of metaphysics; of the second-rate, because 'once bovaryized', soul of physics; of the third-rate, because 'twice bovaryized', soul of chemistry; and of the fourth-rate, because 'thrice bovaryized', soul of metachemistry. But we cannot logically speak of second-rate wisdom or third-rate holiness or fourth-rate grace.

67. Wisdom, holiness, and grace are comparable attributes not simply of being but, more particularly, of metaphysical being, the soul of souls. Thus the holy soul of Heaven is alone wise, since its essence (as joy) is graceful.

68. Compared to the holy soul of Heaven, what may be termed the unholy soul of (the) earth, the physical soul, is foolish, since its essence (as pleasure) is sinful.

69. Contrasted to the unholy soul of (the) earth, we shall find that what may be called the clear soul of purgatory, the chemical soul, is good, since its essence (as pride) is just.

70. Compared to the clear soul of purgatory, what may be termed the unclear soul of Hell, the metachemical soul, is evil, since its essence (as love) is criminal.

71. Thus not only do we find distinctions between wise soul, foolish soul, good soul, and evil soul, but such distinctions mirror the elemental distances between metaphysics, physics, chemistry, and metachemistry, corresponding, in social terms, to God, man, woman, and the Devil.

72. Soul thereby recedes, in essence, from the most essential soul of metaphysics, which is wise, to the least essential soul of metachemistry, which is evil, via the more (relative to most) essential soul of physics, which is foolish, and the less (relative to least) essential soul of chemistry, which is good, as from first- to fourth-rate via second- and third-rate orders of being.

73. Now what applies to positive soul applies no less to negative soul, its primal counterpart, wherein not joy but woe, not pleasure but pain, not pride but humility, not love but hatred are the prevailing passions - passions receding from wisdom and folly on the male side of the gender divide ... to goodness and evil on its female side, the side not of the holy antisoul of Antiheaven and the unholy antisoul of anti-earth, but of the clear antisoul or antipurgatory and the unclear antisoul of Antihell.

74. As there is wise soul, so there is wise ego, wise spirit, and wise will - the holy (or metaphysical) ego of primary God (corresponding, in a manner of speaking, to God the Son), the holy (or metaphysical) spirit of secondary Heaven, and the holy (or metaphysical) will of secondary God (corresponding, in a manner of speaking, to God the Father), all of which complement the holy (or metaphysical) soul of primary Heaven.

75. Likewise, as there is foolish soul, so there is foolish ego, foolish spirit, and foolish will - the unholy (or physical) ego of primary man, the unholy (or physical) spirit of secondary earth, and the unholy (or physical) will of secondary man, all of which complement the unholy (or physical) soul of primary earth.

76. Similarly, as there is good soul, so there is good ego, good spirit, and good will - the clear (or chemical) ego of secondary woman, the clear (or chemical) spirit of primary purgatory, and the clear (or chemical) will of primary woman, all of which complement the clear (or chemical) soul of secondary purgatory.

77. Finally, as there is evil soul, so there is evil ego, evil spirit, and evil will - the unclear (or metachemical) ego of secondary Devil, the unclear (or metachemical) spirit of primary Hell, and the unclear (or metachemical) will of primary Devil, all of which complement the unclear (or metachemical) soul of secondary Hell.

78. As we have distinguished the first-rate soul of metaphysics from the second-rate soul of physics, the third-rate soul of chemistry, and the fourth-rate soul of metachemistry, working backwards from the per se manifestation of soul in the most essential element (of air) to once, twice, and thrice 'bovaryized' orders of soul in the more (relative to most), less (relative to least), and least essential elements (viz. earth, water and fire), so we shall do the same for ego, spirit, and will, starting with the qualitativeness (in taking) of ego.

79. Thus as ego is in its per se manifestation in the most qualitative element of vegetation (earth), it is 'once bovaryized' and second-rate in the more (relative to most) qualitative element of air, 'twice bovaryized' and third-rate in the less (relative to least) qualitative element of fire, and 'thrice bovaryized' and fourth-rate in the least qualitative element of water, thereby receding from physics to chemistry via metaphysics and metachemistry. Let us now turn to the quantitativeness (in giving) of spirit.

80. Thus as spirit is in its per se manifestation in the most quantitative element of water, it is 'once bovaryized' and second-rate in the more (relative to most) quantitative element of fire, 'twice bovaryized' and third-rate in the less (relative to least) quantitative element of air, and 'thrice bovaryized' and fourth-rate in the least quantitative element of vegetation, thereby receding from chemistry to physics via metachemistry and metaphysics. Let us turn, finally, to the appearance (in doing) of will.

81. Thus as will is in its per se manifestation in the most apparent element of fire, it is 'once bovaryized' and second-rate in the more (relative to most) apparent element of water, 'twice bovaryized' and third-rate in the less (relative to least) apparent element of vegetation, and 'thrice bovaryized' and fourth-rate in the least apparent element of air, thereby receding from metachemistry to metaphysics via chemistry and physics.

82. What applies to the positivity of supreme ego, spirit, and will applies no less to their negative, or primal, counterparts, whose folly, goodness, and evil will be per se or 'bovaryized' according to the element with which any one of these factors is individually associated.

83. Rather than dwell on negativity, I should like to continue with a discussion of the positive manifestations of ego, spirit, will, and, indeed, soul, the chief concern, after all, of the philosopher, particularly the moral philosopher.

84. Metaphysics provides us with a distinction, overall, between second-rate ego and first-rate soul in relation to the self (both personal and universal), and fourth-rate will and third-rate spirit in relation to the not-self (both personal and universal); for first-rate being is not possible on any other basis than that in which the doing is fourth-rate, the giving third-rate, and the taking second-rate.

85. Physics provides us with a distinction, overall, between first-rate ego and second-rate soul in relation to the self (both personal and universal), and third-rate will and fourth-rate spirit in relation to the not-self (both personal and universal); for first-rate taking is not possible on any other basis than that in which the giving is fourth-rate, the doing third-rate, and the being second-rate.

86. Chemistry provides us with a distinction, overall, between second-rate will and first-rate spirit in relation to the not-self (both personal and universal), and fourth-rate ego and third-rate soul in relation to the self (both personal and universal); for first-rate giving is not possible on any other basis than that in which the doing is second-rate, the being third-rate, and the taking fourth-rate.

87. Metachemistry provides us with a distinction, overall, between first-rate will and second-rate spirit in relation to the not-self (both personal and universal), and third-rate ego and fourth-rate soul in relation to the self (both personal and universal); for first-rate doing is not possible on any other basis than that in which giving is second-rate, taking third-rate, and being fourth-rate.

88. Thus in the airy context of metaphysics, the holy soul (universal self) of primary Heaven, the first-rate soul of metaphysical being, is only possible in relation to the holy ego (personal self) of primary God, the holy will (personal not-self) of secondary God, and the holy spirit (universal not-self) of secondary Heaven.

89. Thus in the vegetative context of physics, the unholy ego (personal self) of primary man, the first-rate ego of physical taking, is only possible in relation to the unholy soul (universal self) of primary earth, the unholy will (personal not-self) of secondary man, and the unholy spirit (universal not-self) of secondary earth.

90. Thus in the watery context of chemistry, the clear spirit (universal not-self) of primary purgatory, the first-rate spirit of chemical giving, is only possible in relation to the clear will (personal not-self) of primary woman, the clear ego (personal self) of secondary woman, and the clear soul (universal self) of secondary purgatory.

91. Thus in the fiery context of metachemistry, the unclear will (personal not-self) of the primary Devil, the first-rate will of metachemical doing, is only possible in relation to the unclear spirit (universal not-self) of primary Hell, the unclear ego (personal self) of the secondary Devil, and the unclear soul (universal self) of secondary Hell.

92. In metaphysics, the primary God and Heaven of truth and joy require the support of the secondary God and Heaven of calmness and lightness.

93. In physics, the primary man and earth of knowledge and pleasure require the support of the secondary man and earth of excitableness and heaviness.

94. In chemistry, the secondary woman and purgatory of strength and pride offer support to the primary woman and purgatory of slowness and dimness.

95. In metachemistry, the secondary Devil and Hell of beauty and love offer support to the primary Devil and Hell of quickness and brightness.

96. Conversely, in negative metaphysics, the primary God and Heaven of falsity and woe require the support of the secondary God and Heaven of softness and thinness.

97. In negative physics, the primary man and earth of ignorance and pain require the support of the secondary man and earth of hardness and thickness.

98. In negative chemistry, the secondary woman and purgatory of weakness and humility offer support to the primary woman and purgatory of quietness and coldness.

99. In negative metachemistry, the secondary Devil and Hell of ugliness and hatred offer support to the primary Devil and Hell of loudness and hotness.