Polytropy

Summary. Suppose your society has certain rites and customs, perceived as essential to its functioning. When some persons among you reject those rites and customs, what are you going to do? Persecution would be the normal response of a society that aimed to preserve itself. In the example to be considered here, the society is medieval Christendom, where

• buildings called churches were customarily the abode of friendly spirits, and
• the rite of swearing an oath was a sign of special commitment.

Oaths and churches were rejected by persons called Paulicians, or Bogomils, or Albigensians. Their beliefs were Manichaean. These persons were persecuted so successfully that we do not understand them very well. Therefore we must leave open the question of whether they were barbarists.

Here I am going to review, among other things,

• what it means to fight barbarism;
• the response to German bombardment described in Goodbye, Mr. Chips;
• what Jesus Christ says about swearing;
• how the United States accommodates various beliefs (as by allowing affirming instead of swearing, or allowing Muslims to swear on a Quran);
• the threat of a lying President;
• the threat of ignoring climate change;
• the etymology of heresy;
• the discussion of mythos and logos in Pirsig.