Re: RuneQuest Daily, Fri, 01 Jul 1994, part 5

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From: Paul Reilly (paul@phyast.pitt.edu)
Date: Fri 01 Jul 1994 - 21:25:57 EEST

  Paul Reilly here.

Graeme writes:
> Much of the material I've seen about Malkionism basically works from the
>viewpoint that it's a version of Christianity that has Castes and Wizards.

  I think that it would be very very very difficult for us to invent hundreds of years of philosophical development and therefore that some cribbing is necessary from Earth. However I do my cribbing for Malkionism directly from the various Hellenistic schools of philosophy, which provide, IMO, a very good source for philosophical-religious ideas of a culture descended from the "Kingdom of Logic". I agree with Graeme that we should eschew using Christianity as a direct source.

  The Epicurean, Stoic, Platonic, Socratic, Neoplatonic, etc. philosophers have several good points to recommend them as Malkioni sources (of course I think we should modify but they can be used as inspiration). I will give four points in favor of using these guys as models:

  1. They are (mostly) monotheist but their god is very abstract and impersonal, as we are given to understand the Malkioni Invisible God is. The Christian Personal Deity does not match the IG in this respect.
  2. There are hundreds of years of development and backbiting with arguments raging, but it all starts in one land from a small base. Similar to Malkionism. These arguments rage back and forth but are very logical, which I think the KoLogic descended Malkioni are also.
  3. Some schools CLEARLY match with Malkioni schools very well and can be cribbed wholesale. The atheist Epicurus and the atheist Brithini for example.
  4. The source of our cribbing will not be so apparent to the general public. This is a serious point, no :-).

  Remember, I am suggesting using these guys (Zeno, Epicurus, Plotinus, Hypatia, Marcus Aurelius, Plato, etc.) as inspiration, not just trying to bring over whole schools wholesale but picking and choosing.

  I think having something else in mind BESIDES Xianity will help us get away from it.

  Some points will still seem similar to Xianity as the early Xian thinkers ALSO cribbed ideas from these schools on a wholesale basis.

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