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…y implies a pre- judice in favour of a negative conclusion; and the true sceptic should be perfectly unbiassed. Second, I exclude “vital scepticism.” What's the good of anyfink? expects (as we used to learn about “nonne?”) the answer, ‘Why, nuffink !” and again is prejudiced. Indolence is no virtue in a questioner. Eagerness, intentness, concen- H 113
THE SOLDIER AND THE HUNCHBACK the Academic Scepticism is a wholesale firm, I hope !—and practically, I challenge you to draw valid distinctions. All these are states of the consciousness of man; and if you seek to destroy one, all fall together. VII I must, at the risk of appearing to digress, insist upon this distinction between philosophical and practical points of view, or (in Qabalistic language) between Kether and Malkuth. In private conversation I find it hard—almost impossible— to get people to understand what seems to me so very simple …
… The digression will not have been all digression, either; for it will have thrown a deal of light on the question of the limitations of scepticism. We have questioned the Malkuth point of view ; it appears absurd, be it agreed. But the Tiphereth position is unshaken ; Tiphereth needs no telling that Malkuth is absurd. When we turn our artillery against Tiphereth, that too crumbles; but Kether frowns above us. Attack Kether, and it falls ; but the Yetziratic Malkuth is 127
…nostics ! And there is an end of the matter. VI It is surely time that we began to question the validity of some of our data. So far our scepticism has not only knocked 120
…d as for his (usually her) future, I content myself with mere common sense about the probable end of a fool. So that after all I keep my scepticism intact—and I keep my Samadhi intact. The one balances the other; I care nothing for the vulgar brawling of these two varlets of my mind! . Vil If, however, you would really like to know what might be said on the soldierly side of the question, I shall endeavour to oblige. It is necessary if a question is to be intelligibly put that the querent should be on the same plane as the quesited. Answer is i…
…it be jolly if our own second ? suddenly straightened its back and threw its chest out and marched off as ! ? Suppose then we accept our scepticism as having destroyed our knowledge root and branch—is there no limit to its action? Does it not in a sense stultify itself? Having destroyed logic by logic—if Satan cast out Satan, how shall his kingdom stand? Let us stand on the Mount, Saviours of the World that we are, and answer “Get thee behind me, Satan!” though refraining from quoting texts or giving reasons. Oho! says somebody; is Aleister Cro…
THE EQUINOX tration, vigilance—all these I include in the connotation of “sceptic.” Such questioning as has been called “vital scepticism” is but a device to avoid true questioning, and therefore its very antithesis, the devil disguised as an angel of light. [Or vice versd, friend, if you are a Satanist; ’tis a matter of words—words—words. You may write x for y in your equations, so long as you consistently write y for x. They remain unchanged—and unsolved. Is not all our “knowledge” an example of this fallacy of writing one unknown for another…
…ous lies being accepted as an essential part of his (more usually her) system; I, on the contrary, ask for facts, for observation. Under Scepticism, true, one is just as much a house of cards as the other; but only in the philosophical sense. Practically, Science is true; and Faith is foolish. Practically, 3 x 1 = 3 is the truth; and 3x 1 =1 isa lie; though, sceptically, both statements may be false or unintelli- gible. Practically, Franklin’s method of obtaining fire from heaven is better than that of Prometheus or Elijah. I am now writing by …