The phrase “Compassion is the vice of kings” from AL II, 21 is another in a long line of passages from The Book of the Law which modern-day Thelemites regularly attempt to pervert to their own moral and ideological ends. In particular, comments such as “we are told to indulge our vices” from Gerald del […]

[Read part one] [Read part two] If moral realism is the idea that moral propositions express objective facts, moral anti-realism is the idea that they do not. Anti-realism can take three potential forms: moral statements are propositions which express subjective facts (individual subjectivism); moral statements are propositions which are false (error theory); or moral statements […]

[Read part one] We need to begin by addressing in more detail the philosophical objection we alluded to in the preceding discussion before we proceed too far into a discussion of meta-ethics. As we saw, some people fundamentally object to this type of philosophical analysis on the grounds that they know perfectly well what they […]

Ethics may be defined broadly as the study of values as they relate to human conduct. The subject matter is extremely broad, and the field has historically been divided into through main categories: Normative ethics is the study of what should be done, the study of what it is that makes an action `right’ or […]

As the Sun enters the ascendant decan of Pisces, we turn our thoughts to nature. The main distinction between Thelema and paganism (“paganism” here referring to actual folk religion, as opposed to the modern phenomenon of “neo-paganism” and Wicca which are little but thinly veiled versions of Christianity with the exception that the morbid sexual […]

Yes, the fundamental postulates of that philosophy being the non-existence of objective moral qualities of any kind, and the natural conclusion that the “proper” course of action for any given individual is therefore that course of action which is most natural to him, as opposed to an alternative course of action which is mandated by […]

The Moon reflects the light of our Sun, and when the Moon is full that reflection is at its greatest; the Moon is positioned at the opposite side of the Earth to the Sun, enabling it to reflect fully the light of the Sun back down to us. On an individual level, the Sun represents […]

Erwin wrote: I include this whole evaluative tendency under the heading of “morality,” and the moral layer of narration is probably the most pernicious of all, since if you manage to let go of the idea of what you “should” be doing, then all you really have to go on is what you are naturally […]

From private correspondence. The correspondent refers to my essay True Will, quotes AL I, 42-44, and asks “Why then, in so many circumstances, did so many people oppose Crowley or come into his way with an unfavourable outcome for him?” I presume you are referring to “no other shall say nay,” here. My essay The […]

[From private correspondence] On the question of “organisation” and “legal” law — which is always a thorny issue in Thelema — legal restrictions (e.g. on the dumping of waste, to continue this example), while apparently preserving the freedoms of others can actually have the reverse effect. In the above example, the scientist “responsibly” disposed of […]