Getting Married · Chapter
The Gospel of Laodicea explained
The chapter argues against the notion that one can have too much of a good thing, warning that excessive goodness is as dangerous as excessive badness.
What happens
The chapter argues against the notion that one can have too much of a good thing, warning that excessive goodness is as dangerous as excessive badness. It criticizes the idea of maintaining heroic virtue continuously, comparing ethical strain to physical strain, and advocates for a normal, sustainable level of conduct rather than fanatical piety.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Social Pretense
The chapter critiques the pretense of continuous virtue and the social pressure to appear good, arguing that such pretense is both unrealistic and harmful.
Key passages
“There is no more dangerous mistake than the mistake of supposing that we cannot have too much of a good thing.”
It is a dangerous error to believe that an excess of something good is impossible.
Central thesis of the chapter, warning against excess in virtue.
“What people call goodness has to be kept in check just as carefully as what they call badness; for the human constitution will not stand very much of either without serious psychological mischief, ending in insanity or crime.”
Goodness must be moderated just like badness, because the human mind cannot endure too much of either without leading to psychological damage or criminality.
Argues that both extreme goodness and extreme badness are harmful to mental health.
“We do not want good men and bad men any more than we want giants and dwarfs. What we do want is a high quality for our normal: that is, people who can be much better than what we now call respectable without self-sacrifice.”
Society should not aim for extremes of goodness or badness, but for a high baseline of normal behavior that surpasses current respectability without requiring sacrifice.
Advocates for a high normal standard of conduct rather than exceptional extremes.