A Visitor to the Future - 65 - Personal Philosophies and Beliefs
"You're leaving the groups alone, now?" I questioned. It seemed like an odd choice to me.
"Yes," replied Silence, as we walked out of the building and into the fresh air, "Ensuring that the groups can manage without my mediation is essential. It is also better that any real conclusions about the resolution of their conflict occur without me actively present, otherwise a group can rarely feel that I unfairly influenced them in one direction or the other. I can coach the groups on conflict resolution, like I did with my lesson on positions and interests, point out logical errors in their negotiating stances, even help them to remain civil, but I must never be perceived to sway the decision-making process."
"You're not worried about them being at each other's throats while you're gone?"
"What a colourful idiom," Silence remarked, "Though to answer your question, no. Earlier in the arbitration process, perhaps, but they have made real progress since then - I even have hopes of facilitating a continuing dialogue between both sides after the current issue concludes. Not that I would have believed it at first - our first three sessions ended with one of the groups storming out of the room."
"Wow," I said, "I thought they already seemed pretty hostile. How difficult was it to get them talking as they are now?"
"Not too difficult. This has been one of my simpler arbitrations to deal with."
"This is simple?" I said in disbelief.
"Yes. The parties consist of three distinct groups without sub-factions, all fairly consistent in their own goals. I have arbitrated many conflicts in which that was not the case. The main difficulty I have had in this case was the lack of negotiating theory knowledge from both the Rheolists and Norannists. Thus the basic lesson on positions and interests."
"That did bother me," I said, "A friend of mine was telling me how conflict resolution is taught to children - shouldn't some of them know this already?"
"Some of the younger ones should," admitted Silence, now standing still and looking out over the University grounds. I stood beside him and admired the view, too. "But a refresher is sometimes needed - especially when one is so blinded by negative emotions like hate. It clouds logic somewhat. Almost all emotional beings are prone to the same pitfall - when we need impartiality and clear-headedness the most, it escapes us. That is why the role of the Arbiter is so essential, to remind us of what we need when we are at our most vulnerable and prone to error."
"What might have happened had they not sat down to negotiate?"
"I cannot say precisely. It may have been that the issue would eventually simmer down, and fade into obscurity. Perhaps they might have been compelled to take action on the other side somehow - likely by being of some annoyance to the other party. Any attempt they would have made may have landed them in the bad graces of the University itself. In return, the University may have been forced to try and ban both groups. Then the University may have been seen as the enemy by both sides, leading to further animosity, now between three parties. Which is why it is essential that we resolve these issues with arbitration before they escalate. To the credit of the University, they did realise that, which is why I am here today."
A small group of magpies entered my field of vision, scurrying about and chasing each other in their typical troublemaking way.
"The severity of religious conflicts has decreased dramatically over the past five hundred years," said Silence, as if voicing aloud an internal thought, "It has been some time since I last worked with two organised religious groups."
"Why?" I asked.
"There are many reasons. Better knowledge of conflict management for one. A reduction of the proportion of individuals who would consider themselves religious is another. The Norannists and the Rheolists are a perfect example of that - neither has gained what we might call significant members in some time. The number of people who self-identify as Norannists is diminishing - such is the nature of those who reject Bio-development in the long term. There is a limit to what non-Bio-development solutions can do for aging. Rheolism is a little more popular - the doctrine of change resonates well with many in the Consortium, but it too is eventually losing out to the concept of personal philosophy."
Silence paused for a moment and adjusted one sleeve of his loose robe before continuing.
"To explain, personal philosophy is a well-studied field with many different names among scholars - some call it religious agency. Others of a more dramatic inclination may call it self-apotheosis, though I personally find that name misleading. Essentially it comes down to this - the common wisdom is that all philosophies, whether religious or otherwise, have at least some merit. Individuals are encouraged to take the parts of those philosophies that they find useful - not on anyone else's judgement, but their own - and use them as they deem appropriate. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I said, "I think I see where this is going. Why tie yourself to one particular group, when you can just learn from the parts that you feel are useful?"
"Quite correct. Many of the benefits of religious organizations that existed prior to the rise of the Consortium no longer exist. If we were to think about religious oppression, for example, it made a great deal of sense to collaborate with like-minded people to pool resources and have a greater say in ensuring their views were respected. In the Consortium, each and every citizen is respected, irrespective of their religious or philosophical viewpoints. Therefore one of the greatest reasons for organized religion - religious representation - is no longer necessary."
"Surely like-minded people still get together for worship and prayer, though?" I said.
"Of course," said Silence, "They may get together at a temple to do so. But that temple is little more than a place of worship, it is no longer an institution. Which brings me onto the subject of philosophical authority. Organized religion has a tendency to place emphasis upon the position of certain key individuals - historically those were people like popes or cardinals. Citizens of the Consortium generally have no respect for such figures unless they have a legitimate authority - and in such a subjective field of study, it is almost impossible to establish such an authority. For example, people respect the opinions of a senior Bio-developer because they are appropriately qualified. There have been religions that have tried to establish such tests. Fane is a key example, their Figurehead must be able to present their viewpoint in a debate prior to being appointed to their position - though that is ultimately still a subjective test."
"The head of Fane - they're actually called a Figurehead?" I asked.
Silence nodded. "Yes, they are very self-aware. The result of the erosion of the concept of philosophical authority is that the majority of religions which now exist are decentralised and emphasise self-discovery - which means that organized religion tends to push people away from itself. After all, it is difficult to find two people who share exactly the same beliefs regarding matters that can't be objectively proved, or personal beliefs about how best to live your life."
"Thank you - I think I understand. I'm amazed at how well you explained that," I said, "I'm assuming that you're speaking from personal experience on all of this?"
He gave a brief smile at the compliment. "Your assumption is correct, I have studied the field extensively as part of my own path to understanding. If you are interested in the dynamics of it all, I would recommend visiting a forum at some point in the future. Forums are discussion events specifically designed to allow people to discuss and challenge their personal philosophies."
"I'll consider it, thank you for the suggestion," I said.