Epilogue 3.4: Uncertain Future
At the time I write this, 97AC, there is both tremendous optimism for the future and a growing sense of caution. After the Last Calamity, people had nothing to lose but time. After 92 years of labor, many people feel as though there is far more to lose than there is to gain by continuing to test the boundaries. Others, especially the younger generation, approach new innovations eagerly.
Some believe it too early to call an end to the Age of Revolutions, as the most prominent historians among us have. While largely dictated by the arbitrary date in which the crown vested its remaining power in the prime minister’s office, some nonetheless believe that new fields will continue to experience new and revolutionary advances. I count myself among such cautiously optimistic people.
Others suggest that the good times cannot continue on forever, and posit that curbing optimism might be the best course for the future. Most can safely say, however, that the philosophies of the age have ceased to expand as rapidly. It was the change in attitude and approach that led to rapid advancement, and most agree that the ideas of the age can carry civilization forth for a long way.
To reflect the formative movements of the age, and to conclude this volume, I shall write out their views toward both how society should be, and how they believe society will be.
Rationalism
Formed by Arcanists who transitioned away from the religion, rationalists believe that it is the moral duty of every living person to be as rational as possible. In particular, they eschew short-term thinking, focusing instead on long-term consequences that will benefit society as a whole. They both embrace and despise ignorance—in other terms, they’re quick to admit what they don’t know, yet they strive to remedy that as quickly as possible.
They earned a great deal of ire from all directions after their founding. Deemed pretentious, absolutist, and unfailingly arrogant, some dub their movement an extremist reaction to the faiths of the previous era. Decried as a ‘cult of reason,’ pressure came from all walks of life. Rationalist artistry—be that satirical literature or caricatures of prominent priests—mocking faith in all its forms nevertheless reached great prominence, especially after the religious conflicts of the prior age.
Card-carrying Rationalists remain relatively uncommon due to their poor reputation, but their philosophies permeate the Blackgard Union. Their ideal society would be a totally rational one, wherein actions are divorced from subjectivity. Their general consensus on society’s direction, however, is both that of pessimism and optimism. They acknowledge that people will continue to be irrational, but they believe their continued efforts will eventually win out and reshape society into a better place. In part, that’s already happened. Only time will tell if that remains to be the case.
Mysticism