Re: Belief Systems

From: Sergio Mascarenhas <sermasalmeida_at_mail.telepac.pt>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998 11:45:25 +0100

> OK. But your original chart implies that theistic/materialist cultures,
> say, would be unlikely at best. Whereas the picture I outlined allows all
> options - or at least as many as we think we can find. And the Lunars
> would, IMO, be theistic/materialist/mystic, so clearly they're the best
;-)

I'm fairly convinced by now that the chart doesn't represent oppositions, but a network of related magical systems based on the 4 basic magical types. In fact, there is all type of possible combinations here generating different magical cultures:

• - Single magical system cultures
• - two magical system cultures
• - three MSC
• - the whole MS cultures

This means (if my arytmethical skill doesn't fumble) 15 possible combinations.

If we had different degrees of importance of each magical system within a given culture (say, for Polythiests Theism is dominant, Spiritualism is secondary, Mysticism is marginal, and Mundanism/Materialism is not present) the number of possible combinations grows exponentially (if my mathematical skill doesn't fumble).

Can I spell Ouroboros?

Sergio

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