Not using chaos

From: Chris Lemens <chrislemens>
Date: Mon May 15 17:08:26 2006


Stephen, responding to me:
> I do not disagree with this -- but that isn't how I understood
> the recent postings. My apologies if I didn't get what you or
> others said.

No need. This is a medium rife with miscommunication.

> But I also submit that if the broos "used" at Moonbroth had
> escaped and impregnated a bunch of herds, then Waha and
> Eiritha would certainly have blamed the tribe that "used" them
> instead of killing them.

I really doubt that. Waha and Eiritha would give credit for having destroyed the largest number of them. The existence of broos in the Greatlands is an unavoidable, environmental reality. Waha and Eiritha do not expect anyone to kill them all. (Though your frieldly local Storm Khan might.)

> > There are bounds on what Praxians will do. For example, no sane Praxian would:
> > - allow broos to reproduce in their own herds

> Allow broos to reproduce in ANY herds, I would think.

No. That is ultimately a practical question, with risks and reward to be balanced. It is not an absolute duty. For example, what if it is an enemy clan? What if the only way to wipe out the broos is going to cost your own clan severely, and your clan is weak from disease? On the flip side, what if there is a nearby bull-band that can handle them, and it is a friendly clan of your own tribe? In the first case, you can ride away to fight another day. In the second, your tribesmen would spit at your feet if you didn't send a messenger to the bull-band (and you'd be challenged for leadership fo the clan).

> > Praxians would pragmatically evaluate the risk to decide whether to:
> > - stop broos from reproducing in someone else's herd
> > - clean out a scorpion man egg nest

> I disagree -- they would have a moral obligation to do something
> about both of these, IMO. Now, that obligation might be minimal
> -- notifying the clan's Storm Khan to "deal with Chaos" and then
> forgetting the matter. But broo in your enemy's herd today means
> broo in your own herd tomorrow (there is probably a Praxian proverb
> much like this), and no khan will kill his own calves to spite an enemy tribe.

You tsart by saying it is a categorical imperative, then admit that there are qualifiers. In my mind, it is not a categorical imperitive. It is a right thing to do among many other right things to do. The leaders have to figure out what is the best thing to tdo. Contrast this to worship of a chaos entity. You will risk death and destruction of your entire clan to avoid that.

> > Of course, Bulmen have a different approach. The gray area
> > resolves into binary black and white.

> Bullmen are NOT more anti-Chaos than Waha! Who has Spirits of Law
> -- Waha or Storm Bull?

Bah and Humbug. Law is not the same thing as Anti-Chaos. Anti-Chaos is a piece of Law, but not he whole thing. I view the "spirits of law" as one of the pieces of Storm Bull that was sundered from him in fighting the devil and that he did not recover before the dawn. It is precisely because Bullmen lack the broader perspective that they take a binary view.

Regards,

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