271、邪恶和良善是对立的，邪恶之虚假和良善之真理是对立的，闻听此言，人人都会承认。然而，陷入邪恶的人只会感觉、因而感知邪恶是良善；因为邪恶给他们的感官，尤其视觉和听觉的感官带来享受，并由此也给他们的思维、因而他们的感知带来享受。所以，尽管恶人承认邪恶和良善是对立的，但当他们陷入邪恶时，在这种邪恶快乐的驱使之下仍旧声称，邪恶是良善，良善是邪恶。例如，一个滥用自由思想并实行邪恶的人称这是自由；而它的对立面，就是思想并实行本身为良善的良善，他却称之为奴役；而事实上，后者才是真正的自由，前者却是奴役。
喜欢通奸的人称通奸是自由，而禁止通奸，他却称之为奴役；因为他以淫乱为快乐，不以贞洁为快乐。一个由于爱自己而陷入对统治的爱之人在这爱中感受其生命的快乐，这种快乐超越了其它各种快乐。因此，与这爱有关的一切，他都称之为良善，而反对它的一切，则称之为邪恶，而事实恰恰相反。其它一切邪恶都是如此。因此，尽管每个人都承认邪恶和良善是对立的，但陷入邪恶的人仍持守与之相反的观念，唯有那些处于良善的人才能持守正确的观念。只要陷入邪恶，没有人能看见良善；但处于良善的人却能看见邪恶。邪恶在下，如在洞穴；良善在上，如在高山。
271. Evil and false things are absolutely opposed to good and true things because evil and false things are demonic and hellish, while good and true things are divine and heavenly. On first hearing, everyone will admit that evil and good are opposites, and that the distortions of evil are opposite to the truth of what is good. However, the whole feeling and consequent sense of people who are engaged in evil pursuits is that evil is good. Evil gratifies their senses, especially sight and hearing, and therefore it also gratifies their thoughts and consequently their perceptions. Because of this, while they do recognize that evil and good are opposites, as long as they are engaged in evil they call evil good and good evil because of their delight.
For instance, if we use our freedom wrongly to think and do evil, we call it freedom; and the opposite, which is thinking what is intrinsically good, we call slavery. Yet this latter is true freedom, and the former is slavery. Again, people who love adultery call adultery freedom, and they call it slavery to be restrained from adultery. They find delight in lasciviousness and discomfort in chastity. People who love power for selfish reasons feel a living delight in that love, a delight that surpasses any other kind of delight. So they call everything associated with that love good and everything that conflicts with it bad, when in fact the opposite is true.
It is the same with every other evil; so even though everyone does admit that evil and good are opposites, people who are engaged in evil pursuits have an opposite picture of this opposition. Only people who are engaged in good pursuits have a fair picture. While involved in evil, no one can see what is good, but people who are involved in something good can see what is evil. It is as though evil were down below in a cave, and good up above on a mountain.
271. Evils and falsities stand in complete opposition to goods and truths, because evils and falsities are diabolical and hellish, while goods and truths are Divine and heavenly. Everyone on hearing it acknowledges that evil and good are opposites, and likewise the falsity accompanying evil and the truth accompanying good. But because people who are caught up in evil have no other sensation and so no other perception than that evil is good - for evil delights their senses, especially the senses of sight and hearing, and consequently delights their thoughts and so perceptions as well - therefore, even though they acknowledge that evil and good are opposites, still when they are caught up in evil, they are moved by the delight of it to say that evil is good, and good evil.
Take for example the following. A person who abuses his freedom to think and do evil calls that freedom, and calls its opposite, which is to think and do good that is in itself good, enslavement, when in fact to do the latter is to be truly free, while to do the former is to be enslaved.
[2] One who loves adulterous affairs calls the commission of adultery freedom, and to be prohibited from committing adultery he calls enslavement, for he finds delight in lasciviousness, and a lack of delight in chastity. One who is caught up in a love of ruling from a love of self feels in that love his life's delight, surpassing any other kinds of delight. Consequently he calls everything connected with that love good, and declares evil everything that opposes it, when in fact the converse is the case.
It is the same with every other evil. Consequently, even though everyone acknowledges that evil and good are opposites, still people who are caught up in evils harbor a contrary idea of that opposition, and a right idea is held only by people who are prompted by goods.
No one can see good when he is caught up in evil, but a person prompted by good can see evil. Evil lies below as though in a cave. Good sits above as though on a mountain.
271. EVILS AND FALSITIES ARE IN ALL RESPECTS OPPOSED TO GOODS AND TRUTHS, BECAUSE EVILS AND FALSITIES ARE DIABOLICAL AND INFERNAL, WHILE GOODS AND TRUTHS ARE DIVINE AND HEAVENLY
Everyone acknowledges when he hears it that evil and good are opposites, also the falsity of evil and the truth of good. But because those who are in evil do not feel and therefore do not perceive otherwise than that evil is good, for evil gives enjoyment to their senses, especially sight and hearing, and hence also gives enjoyment to their thoughts and thus their perceptions, therefore they acknowledge that evil and good are indeed opposites, yet when they are in evil, they say, from their enjoyment of it, that evil is good, and good evil. Take an example. One who abuses his freedom to think and to do what is evil calls that freedom, while its opposite, that is to think good which in itself is good, he calls bondage, when yet the latter is truly freedom, but the former, bondage. He who loves adulteries calls it freedom to commit adultery, but not to be allowed to commit adultery he calls bondage, for he feels enjoyment in lasciviousness but undelight in chastity. He who is in the love of ruling from love of self feels in that love a delight of life surpassing other delights of every kind. Hence everything belonging to that love he calls good, and declares evil everything contrary to it, when yet the reverse is the case. It is the same with every other evil. While everyone, therefore, acknowledges that evil and good are opposites, still those who are in evil cherish a contrary idea about that opposition, and only those who are in good have a right idea about it. No-one so long as he is in evil can see good, but he who is in good can see evil. Evil is below as in a cave, good is above as on a mountain.
271. EVILS AND FALSITIES ARE IN COMPLETE OPPOSITION TO GOODS AND TRUTHS, BECAUSE EVILS AND FALSITIES ARE DIABOLICAL AND INFERNAL, WHILE GOODS AND TRUTHS ARE DIVINE AND HEAVENLY.
That evil and good are opposites, also the falsity of evil and the truth of good, every one acknowledges when he hears it. Still those who are in evil do not feel, and therefore do not perceive, otherwise than that evil is good; for evil gives enjoyment to their senses, especially sight and hearing, and from that gives enjoyment also to their thoughts, and thus their perceptions. While, therefore, the evil acknowledge that evil and good are opposites, still, when they are in evil, they declare from their enjoyment of it that evil is good, and good evil. For example:-One who abuses his freedom to think and to do what is evil calls that freedom, while its opposite, namely, to think the good which in itself is good, he calls bondage; when, in fact, the latter is to be truly free, and the former to be in bondage. He who loves adulteries calls it freedom to commit adultery, but not to be allowed to commit adultery he calls bondage; for in lasciviousness he has a sense of enjoyment, but of the contrary in chastity. He who is in the love of ruling from love of self feels in that love an enjoyment of life surpassing other enjoyments of every kind; consequently, everything belonging to that love he calls good, and everything contrary to it he declares to be evil; when yet the reverse is true. It is the same with every other evil. While every one, therefore, acknowledges that evil and good are opposites, those who are in evils cherish a reverse conception of such opposition, and only those who are in good have a right conception of it. No one so long as he is in evil can see good, but he who is in good can see evil. Evil is below as in a cave, good is above as on a mountain.
271. QUOD MALA ET FALSA IN OMNI OPPOSITO SINT CONTRA BONA ET VERA, QUIA MALA ET FALSA SUNT DIABOLICA ET INFERNALIA, AC BONA ET VERA SUNT DIVINA ET COELESTIA. Quod malum et bonum sint opposita, tum falsum mali et verum boni, quisque dum audit id, agnoscit; sed quia illi qui in malo sunt, non sentiunt et inde non percipiunt aliter, quam quod malum sit bonum, malum enim jucundat illorum sensus, imprimis visum et auditum, et inde etiam jucundat cogitationes et sic perceptiones, 1 ideo agnoscunt quidem quod malum et bonum sint opposita, sed cum in malo sunt, ex jucundo ejus dicunt malum esse bonum, et vicissim. Sit pro exemplo; qui libertate sua ad cogitandum et ad faciendum malum abutitur, ille vocat id libertatem, ac oppositum ejus, quod est cogitare [et facere] bonum quod in se bonum est, servitutem, cum tamen hoc vere liberum est, illud autem servum.
[2] Qui adulteria amat, vocat adulterari liberum, ac non licere adulterari vocat servum, sentit enim in lascivia jucundum, et in castitate injucundum. Qui in amore dominandi ex amore sui est, is in amore illo sentit jucundum vitae excedens jucunda alia cujusvis generis; inde omne id quod amoris illius est vocat bonum, et declarat malum omne id quod ei contrariatur, 2 cum tamen oppositum est. Simile est cum omni alio malo; quare tametsi quisque agnoscit, quod malum et bonum sint opposita, usque illi qui in malis sunt, contrariam ideam de oppositione illa fovent, et non alii justam quam qui in bonis sunt: nemo dum est in malo potest videre bonum, sed qui est in bono, potest videre malum: malum est infra sicut in spelunca[;] bonum est supra sicut in monte.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: perceptiones;
2. Prima editio: contrariatur;