Much like Krytyk, the new Daybreak chapter is overdue. Unlike Krytyk though, I haven't been abnormally busy (just my usual level of busy). What did delay this chapter was the fact it was... extremely unpleasant to write.

Still... I did not spend years talking to psychology majors, reading their works, or watch all of Crash Course: Psychology for nothing!

Link

Also per request, I did update v3ch7's maps with keys.

Speaking of which, guess what's new from Crash Course? I do really like how they started this. Instead of beginning by teaching actual philosophy, they began by teaching how to philosophize... or, how to reason, how to argue, why you should be thankful for losing an argument, why successful reasoning doesn't make it truth, and why what we perceive as truth isn't necessarily real. It's the part about philosophy that truly makes it great -- when you really think for yourself and challenge what you hear out there, instead of simply parroting others' views and opinions like some ignorant pleb.

Since we're tapping Value theory, here's a bit of a rant attached. This is particularly important for those of you who read Daybreak thinking that Kaede should dump her 'modern values' upon the world, which... I have a problem against... because it very much reminds me of colonial attitudes during the Age of Imperialism, which... is it over? I'm not really sure.

Eight hundred years ago, Christendom saw all those who reject the teachings of Christ as vile heathens.
Four hundred years ago, the White Man saw it as his destiny to lead the inferior races of the world.
Today, the 'West' exports democracy and liberalism as though they are the only acceptable means of government and society.
Are we truly moving forward?

In the end, the problem lays in that one branch of humanity believes they have the right to pass judgment upon others because they alone hold the moral high ground -- whether this branch be Islamic Jihadists or Science-worshiping Atheists or Democracy-loving Activists (...which I often find ironic when they ignore the Democratic consent of the locals to have a not-so-Democratic government because those societies/cultures Democratically believe that there are more important things than Democracy... after all, if there's one thing we all agree on, it's the abolition of the first freedom shared by all living beings: the Freedom to Starve).

Opinions are not Fact, no matter how justified they seem or sound. What one sees as "right" due to our limited domain of moral convictions, culture-bred priorities, and subconscious implicit bias may be entirely different under the examination of a different light.

The greatest truth about life, the universe, and everything... is that we know too little about life, the universe, or anything. Even elemental laws of physics have been overturned in the past as our technological capacity to perceive and analyze climb yet another step (such as when the Quantum realm was breached and we discover that many so-called laws of Newtonian Physics just... isn't quite the truth.)

To discuss science is to discuss the world as we see it today -- this is easy, as we live all in the same world and are limited by the same physical constraints. But what about more esoteric topics? Like religious beliefs? Cultural values? Political leanings? Business traditions? These are all topics where your 'universe' is defined by the society you live in and the people you interact with. Can someone in Europe truly judge another in say, Saudi Arabia or Sri Lanka or Micronesia when they have very little idea about the realities of those peoples' day-to-day lives?

Yet... we live in a society today where people have less and less time to reflect and meditate, instead spending more and more time simply accepting so-called 'facts' and first impressions at face value. Philosophy is increasingly a dying art, pushed out by the culture of mass media consumption, and made worse by the materialism of a modern society that values only lucrative careers.

No one can deny that society is on an upward spiral in Intelligence. Even those whom we view as 'stupid' know more than the common serf centuries ago.

But what about Wisdom?

Are we becoming wiser? Or are we actually declining? Falling further and further into the well of Confirmation Bias, that only those who agree with us are "reasonable", while all others are spouting rubbish? Too idiotic to see the light of 'truth'?

The moment you believe only you yourself is the reasonable one present... is also the moment you stop being a voice of reason and become a peddler to fanaticism.