500. As mentioned before, "light" and "dark" are the same thing which, on account of the principle of perspective, are experienced and classified by the I in different ways, depending upon whether the object in question is present "above" or "below" the level of the I on the "scale of light". The definitions "light" and "dark" and the various colours of the colour spectrum are not, therefore, definitions of absolute analyses of "light", but constitute in themselves merely "relative" or "conditional" analyses. And here we have arrived at the basic principle underlying the ordinary methods of perception or analysis. All of terrestrial man's analyses and concepts – even the scientific ones dealing with matter – are only "conditional analyses". They have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the absolute or "cosmic analysis" of anything. They express merely an analysis of one thing in relation to another thing, the analysis of which also constitutes merely a recognition of this other thing's relation to further other things. As these things are transient and will eventually cease to be, then any analyses based upon anything's relation to these things will then also pass away. This again means that all such relative analyses – that is terrestrial man's scientific analyses dealing with matter, as distinct from "cosmic analyses" – are transient. The former analyses are thus "temporal" while the latter are "eternal". They are actually based on things eternal which, in this case, means on the eternal basic principle of the Universe itself which is the one and only "fixed point" in existence.
      This point will be described in more detail later in "Livets Bog" under the analysis of "cosmic consciousness". The aim at present is to make it clear to the reader that the ordinary physical principle of perception is untenable when it is a question of making an absolute analysis of matter or substance.