The UseofEvil.^189
noideaofgoodcanbepresentinthemind, for
we realise "good"only by contrast with that
whichis*'not-good"andwhichisdistinguished
fromit. Intheabsenceofthatdistinguishment
there would be nothing which we could call
"good." "Good"and "not-good,"then,are
apairof opposites,and oneis onlypossibleby
theexistence of the other. Similarlyyoumay
takeanotherpairof opposites. Compare light
withdarkness. Lightwould have no meaning
toyouinthought if itwerenotfordarknessor
no-light. Light is only cognisable by thought
becauseofno-hght. Light-givingbodiescanbe
recognisedin thought,becauseallbodiesdonot
givelight; andthisissomuchthecasethatthe
presence of non-light-givingbodies is necessary
for realisation of light. Astronomers tell us,
startlingasseemsthestatement,thatthedepths
of spacearedark, not light, althoughtheyare
fullofthevibrations of theetherwhichonthe
earth werecogniseaslight. Why? Because
there are vast spaces of the mighty universe
wheretherearenolight-reflectingbodies,them-
selves non-luminous; and in the absence of
these dark ones light cannot be thrown
back, reflected ; hence space which is full
of the vibrations of ether is absolutelydark,
because of the absence of those bodies which
