Philosophy 101

Introduction

Here is a brief survey of the well known answers to some of the big questions in life. They are questions of philosophy rather than religion because they deal with the natural world rather than the super-natural. For the most part they are matters of perception with out any authoritative right answers. 

What is perfection?

            When talking about ideas and their influence we find that there are three levels of reality. First the Divine Real; is an idea in its perfect form, as it is understood by the gods. Second the Ideal Concept; is an idea in its logical abstract form, as understood by the mortal philosophers. Third the Practical Real; is an idea as it is used by the common people in life.

For example: Justice. Divine justice considers a question in great detail and is able to get to the truth of the matter. It offers punishments and rewards that are fitting to the event in question. Conceptual justice claims that only the guilty should be punished and that an accused person should be considered innocent until proven guilty. Practical justice as expressed by real laws and courts is constantly faced with tricky situations, unknown factors, insufficient time and social pressures, thus it is very difficult to provide good quality justice to all.

For a more lengthy examination of perfection one must read from holy books of Bennatur: Prince of perfection - who is peaceful and strait forward. He is idealism and goodness personified. His basic philosophy is to look at the intention and attempt of an action rather than the end results.

Is there such a thing as the idea of progress on Carsis?

The Dwarves have preserved most of the technology of the ancient time and have a written ( if somewhat limited ) record of all history. Political relations and placement of population centers have changed over time, but the basic makeup of their societies and technology has not.  They would see change, not progress in history.

The Elves have always maintained a low tech level, living in harmony with nature. Their pattern of life has changed little over time, although their relationships to neighbors have. Again, there is a felling of change but not progress in history. 

The Humans represent a different situation. Their grasp of technology and civilized organization was seriously damaged when the ancient catastrophe occurred. The past was nearly erased, as the struggle for survival took center place in the lives of many generations. Eventually they recovered and built new societies.

This series of events gives Humans the felling that there is progress in history. They believe that things will get better, more advanced, technology and social structures will lead to improvements in quality of life. However, the march of technology is quite slow on Carsis. Few inventions drastically alter the way people live within a single lifetime.

Of course the strongest support for the idea of progress is often presented by clerics, such as Progresurus, who claim that all history has a point. “As we follow the advice given by the gods about how to live a good life, we built better societies. Eventually the perfect civilization will emerge.” He said 

            Despite the evidence of progress many sages, especially Elvin ones, claim that history has a patter much like that of an individual’s life. All things, including nations, are born, to grow, become strong, reproduce, then age and finally die. The rise and fall of civilizations is expected.

             

Ways to view history and current events.

Power Politics

This view concerns itself with the actions of powerful men. It claims that a nation acts in accordance with the will of its leader. Thus we must consider the mind of a leader to understand the activities of a nation. Motives such as honor, lust, greed, love, and vengeance, all figure prominently. There is the question of who gives his advice, but above all, is the will and skill of the leader to make his desires felt in reality that matter. Incompetent or lazy rulers accomplish little yet may cause the downfall of their nations.

Economic Theory

This view concerns itself with the costs of actions. It claims that the motive behind any reasonable action is an economic one. It assumes that a cost – benefit analysis is done before any national policy is implemented; although such an analysis may be faulty, leading to an incorrect policy. In this theory, revenue and expense are the driving forces. For any new expense a state must find a new source of income.     

Cultural Conflict

This view concerns itself with the social stress of relations between cultures. It claims that the actions of a leader must be in keeping with the norms of his culture. A leader may be influenced by outside ideas, but if he goes against tradition, a rebellion will result. According to this theory, a culture holds beliefs which are incompatible with those of another culture. Although there may be peaceful relations, there will be permanent stress. Deliberate or accidental misunderstandings will then quickly lead to war. Most typically will be the idea “They are not like us, so we can’t trust them.” 

Regarding Gender

Men and Women are different, physically and mentally.

Because of these differences, certain social roles have developed. Women are able to bear children, men are not. Women tend to feel a strong attachment to their offspring and to children in general, men have a lesser degree of these emotions. The task of bearing and caring for a child is seen as woman’s prime role in most societies.

The idea of work is traditionally divided into two categories; at home and away from home. Women with their devotion to children are best suited to work at home, an environment that is generally secure. Men with their more aggressive nature are better suited to work away from home. Thus it is often claimed that the woman’s role is to maintain and manage a home, while the man’s role it to provide for it and defend it.

The most important mental difference is man’s aggressive nature combined with a tendency to quickly resort to physical action.  Women in general are more passive and tend to use indirect means of getting what they want. In simple terms, men prefer to act, while women prefer to talk. While men usually see conflict as a welcome test of their abilities, women tend to seek compromise situations that will give them a sort of victory without unnecessary risk.

According to some thinkers; “These facts should not be taken as proof of the inferiority of either gender. Difference does not mean a distinction of better or worse.” Other thinkers are more pragmatic, they claim; “Because of man’s tendencies he will dominate most social organizations from the family to the nation. Women are thus placed into an inferior role in life.”