Is it possible that he can have made a mistake when writing this passage? Was he always completely sharp of mind with all his faculties in perfect order? Of course not. The man could have made a mistake. He has been known to contradict himself before - why then all the fuss about this passage? Because: Duty is his most open attempt at giving guidelines to all Thelemites, on how they should conduct their lives. Not only is it an attempt at that – it is also being most successfully received as that by the Thelemic community of today. Duty is a very central document in the thelemic literature. Anyone that is attracted by the Thelemic philosophy is likely to get aquainted with it at an early point in his/her search, and, since it is a profound document, serving the reader gems of wisdom by the spoonful, it is more than likely that the passage here called “Duty:C&P”, will be swallowed without second thoughts – especially given the fact that it does not appear until quite late in the read - in part C: Your Duty to Mankind. Crowley lived in the years of 1875e.v – 1947e.v. He was born “old-aeon”, which he often pointed out himself. He was influenced by his times, like everyone else. It is possible to imagine, that Crowley when touching upon topics like juridical thought, crime & punishment, and the founding of the State, was more conditioned by the mentality of British Society, than when he was writing about more direct, personal or spiritual matters elsewhere in the same document. If nobody was there to point out apparent contradictions, it is quite possible that he overlooked them too. One can also speculate (boldly) about the jargon in "Duty:C&P", as somewhat echoing the jargon of British high society, a world in which Crowley wanted to leave a respectable imprint.Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):
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