From: chris ward (chrisward@ed.ac.uk)
Date: Fri 04 Aug 2000 - 17:06:38 EEST
Hi All,
Thomas McVey replies:
>> Sheesh, and I used to think Arkat was an unprincipled side switching
>> opportunist.
>
>No, that's Nysalor who's the unprincipled one. What else is illumination,
>except a
>licence for hypocrisy?
>I'd think of Arkat more like a fanatic who radically changes sides, but
>did believe in
>the ideologies/theologies he adhered to. It's the difference between
>promiscuity and
>serial monogamy.
My Arkat comment was just a poor joke. I don't think he was an opportunist,
but OTOH I don't believe he had a series of firmly held philosopies which
replaced each other over the years. I think he had a single goal in mind
the whole time (defeat of Gbaji) and used/exploited whatever means seemed
best to achieve it. From the standpoint of allies made and abandoned along
the way though this looks like opportunism as most Gloranthans IMHO think
in terms of their own culture's victory rather than wider goals. Or to put
it another way defeat of Gbaji for them would be seen in the context of
victory for their culturally defined "good". - Whereas Arkat was not deeply
concerned about the well being of whatever set of allies he made at a
particular time these were expendible nor with their philosophies. For
Arkat defeat of Gbaji was the goal in itself.
- - Chris
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