The Great Chain of Being

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Revision as of 12:06, 25 November 2023 by 192.42.116.196 (talk) (Undo revision 15837 by KestrelGirl (talk))

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The Great Chain, also known as the Great Chain of Being, Great Chain of Existence,[1] or the Chain, is the natural hierarchy of all living things.[2] It is a tool made by the Judgements[3] to ensure that the universe behaves according to their design.

All Living Things Are Joined in the Great Chain

Every species occupies a place in the hierarchy of the Chain.[4] To change one's place is not only forbidden by the Judgments,[5] but made incredibly difficult where their laws apply. However, in places like the Neath where their laws cannot reach, one's nature is a bit more... mutable.[6] The art of breaking the Chain is called the Red Science. [4]

The Prehistoricist faction believes that the Chain not only dictates one's place, but also one's purpose, which manifests itself through a species' natural desires. If one believes this, given the fact that a desire can be caused by a part of the body,[7][8] one may assume that their place in the Chain can be determined by a part of their species' body. The Prehistoricists also believe that the Chain contains gaps; there are tasks that human find unpleasant, such as hard manual labor, so ideally these gaps should be fixed by creating beings who desire to do such work.[9][10] (At least, that's what the faction's philosophers believe; other members would simply rather create giant dinosaurs.)

Supporters of the Liberation of Night, however, see the Chain as a tool of oppression that was never intended to help humanity; therefore, in their eyes, the Prehistoricists are wasting their time.[11] In fact, the Liberationists see the body itself as a prison,[12] and believe that the order of the universe is fundamentally unjust.[13]

Real-Life Origins

Chain is just Food Chain, biological concept that show what species are eaten and who eat them.</ref>

References