Good is positive. Evil is merely privative, not absolute: it is

The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson—“Good is positive. Evil is merely privative, not absolute: it is like cold, which is the privation of heat. All evil is so much death or nonentity. Benevolence is absolute and real. So much benevolence as a man hath, so much life hath he.”—resound with the clarity of ancient philosophy and the fire of eternal truth. In them, he teaches that good is not simply the absence of wrong, but a living, radiant force. Evil, on the other hand, is not a power equal to good, but a hollow absence, a void where life should be. Like cold without heat, evil is a negation, not a creation. Thus, Emerson proclaims that only benevolence, kindness, and love are real, eternal, and life-giving.

This teaching has its roots deep in the soil of earlier philosophy. Augustine of Hippo, the great thinker of late antiquity, wrote that evil is not a substance but a privation—a lack of goodness, much like darkness is the absence of light. Emerson echoes this, clothing it in the language of natural imagery: cold without heat, death without life. What we call evil has no lasting essence; it is parasitic, feeding upon the absence of good. Good alone is creative, good alone builds, and good alone endures.

History offers us examples that illuminate this truth. Consider the fall of Nazi tyranny in the twentieth century. Its cruelty, its hatred, its destruction—all appeared for a time to dominate the world. And yet, like darkness before dawn, it vanished when the light of justice, courage, and compassion prevailed. The evil left behind only ruins, graves, and memories of horror, but no living seed. By contrast, the benevolence of those who resisted—those who sheltered the persecuted, who sacrificed for freedom, who chose life over death—these acts bore fruit that continues to inspire generations. Evil destroyed; good created.

Emerson’s words also reveal the measure of a person’s life. He declares that “so much benevolence as a man hath, so much life hath he.” Here lies a great mystery: life is not counted merely in years, but in love. A man may live long yet be lifeless if he is selfish and cruel. Another may die young, but if he has poured forth kindness, his life is rich, radiant, and enduring. In this way, benevolence is not only moral but existential: it is the very essence of being alive in the fullest sense.

To understand evil as nonentity also brings comfort to the soul. For when we face cruelty or injustice, we may feel as though darkness is overwhelming. Yet Emerson assures us it is only the absence of good, not a rival force. Therefore, the answer to evil is not fear, but the cultivation of good. To fight cold, one adds heat; to fight darkness, one lights a flame. Likewise, to fight evil, we need not become consumed with hatred, but rather must multiply acts of benevolence until the void is filled with life.

The lesson for us, then, is clear: do not waste your energy fearing evil as if it were eternal. Instead, devote your life to practicing and spreading good. Be generous, for generosity is life. Be compassionate, for compassion is light. Be just, for justice builds while injustice crumbles. Every act of benevolence increases the measure of life in yourself and in the world. In this way, you stand not only against evil, but beyond it, proving by your deeds that goodness is the true and enduring reality.

So, dear listener, take Emerson’s words as both comfort and command. Remember that good is positive and real, while evil is only the shadow of absence. Do not be deceived by the seeming strength of cruelty, for it will always collapse under its own emptiness. Instead, fill your days with benevolence, and you will carry within you the essence of true life. For in the end, when the shadows pass, only what is good will remain—radiant, eternal, and victorious.