Good and Evil: Part 3

One-third of one's time should be spent in pondering.

Gurdjieff International Review

Discussion on "Good and Evil"

with A. R. Orage

November 19th [1927] — Part 3 of 3

Orage: So far we've agitated the bushes in this discussion of good and evil, but I doubt if we've startled the hare. Instead of recollections to start off with, I wish one or two of you would attempt formulations of the ideas so far thrown out. This last discussion is staged really for Larry Morris, who was so dissatisfied with the first two. Larry, would you summarise what you think we've arrived at?

Larry: Last time we started with a resummary and ended by discussing new things. It's much better I think to start where we left off last week. I recollect that we stopped with a discussion of God's situation at the inception of the universe and considered the conditions under which He was forced to invent some design for it.

Orage: Forced?

Larry: He was driven by His state of fear to form this purpose.

Orage: Not driven. Is a motive called a force?

Larry: He desired to escape a disagreeable situation.

Orage: It was a free desire. He had the alternatives of passing to extinction and of willing to overcome it.

Larry: But He was terrified of extinction.

Orage: Not terrified. There was no compulsion in the matter. The reason Gurdjieff insists on this point is that the universe is non-mechanical, and maintained by a will.…

[The complete text is available in the printed copy of this issue.]