| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Philebus by Plato: to open a new world to him, like the religious conceptions of faith or the
spirit of God. The difficulties of ethics disappear when we do not suffer
ourselves to be distracted between different points of view. But to
maintain their hold on us, the general principles must also be
psychologically true--they must agree with our experience, they must accord
with the habits of our minds.
When we are told that actions are right or wrong only in so far as they
tend towards happiness, we naturally ask what is meant by 'happiness.' For
the term in the common use of language is only to a certain extent
commensurate with moral good and evil. We should hardly say that a good
man could be utterly miserable (Arist. Ethics), or place a bad man in the
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard: which will certainly involve your eternal damnation, since the
failure will be no fault of yours."
Then I spoke also, saying:
"I implore you, Lord Oro, to let this business be. I do not
know exactly how much or how little you can do, but I understand
that your object is to slay men by millions in order to raise up
another world of which you will be the absolute king, as you were
of some past empire that has been destroyed, either through your
agency or otherwise. No good can come of such ambitions. Like
Bastin, for your soul's sake I pray you to let them be."
"What Humphrey says I repeat," said Yva. "My Father, although
 When the World Shook |