The Factions are fictional philosophically based power groups in the Planescape campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game .
98-564: While the Lady of Pain is considered the ultimate ruler of the planar metropolis called Sigil , "the City of Doors", the Factions perform virtually all the actual administrative and practical functions of the city. They are the ones the people look to for authority; the Lady only gives edicts or appears personally under rare circumstances. Each of the Factions is based around one particular belief system ; many of
196-504: A chattel . It has appeared necessary to devote some space to this subject, inasmuch as that usually acute writer Sir Henry Maine has accepted the word "tenure" in its modern interpretation and has built up a theory under which the Irish chief "developed" into a feudal baron . I can find nothing in the Brehon laws to warrant this theory of social Darwinism, and believe the further study will show that
294-548: A certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them. The Committee of Union and Progress in the Ottoman Empire adopted Social Darwinist ideology. Belief that there was a life-or-death conflict between Turks and other ethnicities motivated them to carry out genocides and ethnic cleansing campaigns against the Armenians . Social Darwinism enabled them to view extermination of entire population groups and
392-557: A factol or an official headquarters, though Sigil's Great Bazaar serves as an unofficial one. They believe in individual freedom as the highest good. "Hardheads" believe that peace and stability can only be established under one rule — theirs. The planar faction known as the Harmonium is actually just a small part of a much larger political entity which rules over the entirety of the Prime Material world of Ortho. In Sigil, they serve as
490-410: A high degree probable—namely, that any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, the parental and filial affections being here included, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience, as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well, or nearly as well developed, as in man. For, firstly, the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of its fellows, to feel
588-601: A large business is merely a survival of the fittest ... the working out of a law of nature and a law of God." Robert Bork (1927–2012) backed this notion of inherent characteristics as the sole determinant of survival in the business-operations context when he said: "In America, the rich are overwhelmingly people—entrepreneurs, small-business men, corporate executives, doctors, lawyers, etc.—who have gained their higher incomes through intelligence, imagination, and hard work." Moreover, William Graham Sumner (1840–1910) lauded this same cohort of magnates, and further extended
686-581: A library of magically stored experiences. They are reminiscent of ancient Epicurianism (if not hedonism more generally), as well as the more modern empiricism . The Cipher believe that by tapping into the 'cadence' of the planes and acting through pure instinct they can achieve a higher state of being. Their headquarters is the Great Gymnasium , where members can train to improve their bodies and minds. Their philosophy could be considered similar to Taoism and Zen Buddhism. "Chaosmen" who believe that
784-465: A man or of a race. Ernst Haeckel 's recapitulation theory was not Darwinism, but rather attempted to combine the ideas of Goethe , Lamarck and Darwin. It was adopted by emerging social sciences to support the concept that non-European societies were "primitive", in an early stage of development towards the European ideal, but since then it has been heavily refuted on many fronts. Haeckel's works led to
882-493: A moral guide in human society. While there are historical links between the popularization of Darwin's theory and forms of social Darwinism, social Darwinism is not a necessary consequence of the principles of biological evolution. While the term has been applied to the claim that Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection can be used to understand the social endurance of a nation or country, social Darwinism commonly refers to ideas that predate Darwin's publication of On
980-674: A scientific and medical conference held in Munich in 1877. He noted how socialists, although opponents of Darwin's theory, used it to add force to their political arguments. Schmidt's essay first appeared in English in Popular Science in March 1879. There followed an anarchist tract published in Paris in 1880 entitled "Le darwinisme social" by Émile Gautier . However, the use of the term was very rare—at least in
1078-534: A tenuous faith in their faction's philosophy and are thus members in name only. Also known as "the Defiers" or "the Lost", they deny not only the gods' right to pass judgment over mortals, but their very divinity. They claim that the gods (whom they call "powers") are powerful but have limits and do not deserve worship. Instead, Athar priests channel divine power from what they call the "Great Unknown", or what they believe to be
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#17328834004461176-414: A warlike and restless clan, for example, the sicklier man may have occasion to be alone, and may therefore become quieter and wiser; the one-eyed man will have one eye the stronger; the blind man will see deeper inwardly, and certainly hear better. To this extent, the famous theory of the survival of the fittest does not seem to me to be the only viewpoint from which to explain the progress of strengthening of
1274-455: Is Sigil's Prison , where they carry out the sentences of convicted criminals. " Anarchists " who believe that social order and man-made laws are inherently corrupt and must be destroyed—though none of their members can agree on what, if anything, should replace them. Like the Indeps, they have no headquarters and gather in many safe houses and secret meeting places. "Signers" believe that everyone
1372-519: Is Sigil, the City of Doors. [...] The city of Sigil would be the ideal starting location for a campaign centered around the Outer Planes, as portals between each of the planes are commonplace. It could also provide a resting point between adventures, allowing the party to catch their breath between forays into D&D' s dangerous outer planes". The main setting [in Planescape], a city "at the center of
1470-608: Is Struggle ). Hitler often refused to intervene in the promotion of officers and staff members, preferring instead to have them fight amongst themselves to force the "stronger" person to prevail—"strength" referring to those social forces void of virtue or principle. One key proponent was Alfred Rosenberg , who was hanged later at Nuremberg. Such ideas also helped to advance mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Germany, especially Aktion T4 , which targeted mentally ill and disabled people in Germany. The argument that Nazi ideology
1568-711: Is a fallacy of appeal to nature . While most scholars recognize historical links between the popularisation of Darwin's theory and forms of social Darwinism, they maintain that social Darwinism is not a necessary consequence of the principles of biological evolution . Social Darwinism is generally accepted to be a pseudoscience . Scholars debate the extent to which the various social Darwinist ideologies reflect Charles Darwin 's own views on human social and economic issues. His writings have passages that can be interpreted as opposing aggressive individualism, while other passages appear to promote it. Darwin's early evolutionary views and his opposition to slavery ran counter to many of
1666-605: Is a struggle between one social group and another. The weak invariably become the prey of the strong, the stupid invariably become subservient to the clever. By the 1920s, social Darwinism found expression in the promotion of eugenics by the Chinese sociologist Pan Guangdan . When Chiang Kai-shek started the New Life movement in 1934, he "... harked back to theories of Social Darwinism", writing that "only those who readapt themselves to new conditions, day by day, can live properly. When
1764-479: Is a test, and that every person has the potential to become a god. Their headquarters is the Great Foundry , symbolizing their belief that the multiverse constantly forges and refines all beings. Shares many parallels with Hindu , Buddhism , and most sects of Mormonism . However, the ultimate goal is not Nirvana but apotheosis . "Bleakers" or "Madmen" deny that any belief system has any merit; as they see it,
1862-546: Is also featured prominently in some later Planescape rulebooks, including In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil (1995), The Factol's Manifesto (1995), and Uncaged: Faces of Sigil (1996), as well as in many adventures , such as The Eternal Boundary (1994), Harbinger House (1995), and Faction War (1998). A short description of Sigil appears in this edition's Dungeon Master's Guide (2003). Information on Sigil can also be found in various 3.0 and 3.5 sourcebooks, such as
1960-447: Is also highly morphic, allowing its leader to alter the city at her whim. Theoretically, Sigil is a completely neutral ground: no wars are waged there and no armies pass through. Furthermore, no powers (such as deities) are allowed to enter the city (though some have broken this rule). Sigil is also the setting for the 1999 video game Planescape: Torment , in which the player is the immortal "Nameless One". The team chose to place
2058-569: Is an elegant gaming construct, yet it can often feel a little hollow", feeling that life in Sigil should be "a swirl of plots, factions and sedition that leaves players' heads spinning, wounds bleeding and experience points tally in overdrive". Sigil as depicted in Planescape: Torment was praised by Evan Narcisse from Kotaku as one of the richest science fiction and fantasy worlds in video games. Ari David, for CBR , commented that "Sigil
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#17328834004462156-422: Is located on the inner surface of the ring. There is no sky, simply an all-pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day and night. Sigil cannot be entered or exited save via portals; although this makes it quite safe from any would-be invader, it also makes it a prison of sorts for those not possessing a portal key. Thus, sometimes Sigil is called " The Cage ". Though Sigil is pseudo-geographically located "at
2254-511: Is power; they learn and exploit both the natural laws of the universe and the laws of society. Their headquarters is the City Court , where they serve as judges and legal advocates. They recall the Sophists of Classical Athens. As "Indeps", they reject the other factions and their bureaucratic, hierarchical dogmatism and do not consider themselves a faction at all. For this reason, they don't have
2352-488: Is that everything ends. Their headquarters is Sigil's Armory , where they forge weapons as tools of destruction. Also known as "the Dead", they believe that the life people live in now is a false state of existence, that there is a state of "True Death" which can only be accomplished by denying one's emotions, physical wants and needs (a conception similar to eternal oblivion , but also conceivably to Nirvana ). Their headquarters
2450-450: Is the Mortuary , where Sigil's dead are interred or cremated. Their philosophy is closely related to that of Arthur Schopenhauer , along with some shared similarities with Buddhism, Stoicism and acosmism . "Takers" or "The Heartless" believe that those with power and ability have the right to own what they control and to take what they can from those who are unable to keep it, and that it
2548-566: Is the center of their own reality, and that reality can be reshaped by the power of imagination. Their headquarters is the Hall of Speakers , which houses Sigil's legislature. Some of them are solipsists , though most are not so extreme. Sensates believe that accumulating experiential knowledge through the senses is the only way to achieve enlightenment. Their headquarters is the Civic Festhall , which features an endless series of entertainments and
2646-459: Is the ultimate inter-dimensional trading post, offering goods and transport not only to other planes but allows passage between the multitude of Material Planes that comprise D&D ' s campaign settings". Daniel Colohan, also for CBR , included Sigil in the "15 D&D Outer Planes That Would Make Great Campaign Settings" list — Colohan highlights that "the most notable location in the Outlands
2744-418: Is their right to exploit any situation to their advantage, regardless of how it affects anyone else (a position akin to " might makes right ", and achievement through work ). Their headquarters is the Hall of Records , where they serve as the tax collectors of Sigil. They are derived from real-life Social Darwinists and the philosophies of Max Stirner and Ayn Rand . These "Guvners" believe that knowledge
2842-510: The Cáin Saerrath and the Cáin Aigillne relate solely to what we now call chattels, and did not in any way affect what we now call the freehold , the possession of the land. Despite the fact that social Darwinism bears Charles Darwin's name, it is primarily linked today with others, notably Herbert Spencer , Thomas Malthus , and Francis Galton , the founder of eugenics. In fact, Spencer
2940-524: The Transactions of the Royal Historical Society . Fisher was commenting on how a system for borrowing livestock called "tenure" had led to the false impression that the early Irish had already evolved or developed land tenure ; These arrangements did not in any way affect that which we understand by the word "tenure", that is, a man's farm, but they related solely to cattle, which we consider
3038-461: The Dungeons & Dragons cosmology: any bounded opening (a doorway, an arch, a barrel hoop, a picture frame) could possibly be a portal to another plane, or to another point in Sigil itself. Thus, the city is a paradox : it touches all planes at once, yet ultimately belongs to none; from these characteristics it draws its other name: " The City of Doors ". Sigil is ruled by the Lady of Pain. Sigil
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3136-537: The Gilded Age . Some argue that the rationale of the late 19th-century " captains of industry " such as John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) and Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) owed much to social Darwinism, and that monopolists of this type applied Darwin's concept of natural selection to explain corporate dominance in their respective fields and thus to justify their exorbitant accumulations of success and social advancement. Rockefeller, for example, proclaimed: "The growth of
3234-778: The Manual of the Planes and the Planar Handbook . A small reference to Sigil also appears in the Epic Level Handbook aside other planar metropolis such as Tu'narath . Sigil is described in the 4th edition Manual of the Planes and expanded upon in Dungeon Master's Guide 2 . The City of Doors, unlike many planes, remains almost completely unchanged from earlier editions. Shannon Appelcline, author of Designers & Dragons , commented that while Sigil "had been largely ignored during
3332-700: The Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler. Scholars opposed to this interpretation, however, have pointed out that the Monists were freethinkers who opposed all forms of mysticism , and that their organizations were immediately banned following the Nazi takeover in 1933 because of their association with a wide variety of causes including feminism , pacifism , human rights, and early gay rights movements . Within American society, ideas of social Darwinism reached their greatest prominence during
3430-433: The social classes owe each other nothing, synthesizing Darwin's findings with free-enterprise capitalism for his justification. According to Sumner, those who feel an obligation to provide assistance to those unequipped or under-equipped to compete for resources, will lead to a country in which the weak and inferior are encouraged to breed more like themselves, eventually dragging the country down. Sumner also believed that
3528-479: The state of nature seems analogous to the competition for natural resources described by Darwin. Social Darwinism is distinct from other theories of social change because of the way it draws Darwin's distinctive ideas from the field of biology into social studies. Darwin, unlike Hobbes, believed that this struggle for natural resources allowed individuals with certain physical and mental traits to succeed more frequently than others, and that these traits accumulated in
3626-610: The 1860s and crossed the Atlantic in the early twentieth century. But before he wrote, it was used only on rare occasions; he made it a standard shorthand for a complex of late-nineteenth-century ideas, a familiar part of the lexicon of social thought." Social Darwinism has many definitions, not all of which are compatible with one another. As such, social Darwinism has been criticized for being an inconsistent philosophy, which does not lead to any clear political conclusions. For example, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics states: Part of
3724-457: The 3e era", it "was faring better in 4e, despite the large-scale restructuring of D&D's cosmology" due to small inclusions in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2008) and Manual of the Planes . Appelcline highlighted that it was the 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide 2 which "saw the return of the fan-favorite setting of Sigil" which "was laid out as a full paragon-level setting. There's not much new here for old-time fans of Planescape , but there
3822-603: The Doomguard "that believes that entropy is the ultimate destination of the universe and that they should do whatever they can to help it along". Haring notes that "there's more, all colorful and unique". Sigil (Dungeons %26 Dragons) Sigil ( / ˈ s ɪ ɡ ɪ l / SIG -il ) is a fictional city and the center of the Planescape campaign setting , for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . Sigil
3920-707: The English-speaking world (Hodgson, 2004) —until the American historian Richard Hofstadter published his influential Social Darwinism in American Thought (1944) during World War II . Hypotheses of social evolution and cultural evolution were common in Europe. The Enlightenment thinkers who preceded Darwin, such as Hegel , often argued that societies progressed through stages of increasing development. Earlier thinkers also emphasized conflict as an inherent feature of social life. Thomas Hobbes 's 17th-century portrayal of
4018-548: The Factions' beliefs make them enemies where their other goals and actions might have made them allies. All Factions hold many secrets from non-members and even their own members, for the fewer who know a secret, the more secret it is (and these are secrets of power, either wielded or potentially gained by the Faction's adversaries). There are fifteen Factions in total, per decree of the Lady of Pain; any additional factions emerging would be subject to her wrath (unless they destroy one of
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4116-638: The Fraternity of Order "that believes that there is a law governing absolutely everything in the universe, and that all you have to do is learn them and you'll rule everything"; the Society of Sensation "that believes that the only way to comprehend the meaning of the universe is to personally experience every facet of it"; the Dustmen "who believe that everybody on all the planes is already dead, and that everybody came here to this depressing afterlife from somewhere else"; and
4214-507: The Gilded Age in fact displayed little support for the ideas of social Darwinism. The Englishman H. G. Wells (1866–1946) was heavily influenced by Darwinist thought, but reacted against social Darwinism. American novelist Jack London (1876–1916) wrote stories of survival that incorporated his views on social Darwinism. American film-director Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999) has been described as "just an old-fashioned social Darwinist". On
4312-744: The Origin of Species . Others whose ideas are given the label include the 18th-century clergyman Thomas Malthus , and Darwin's cousin Francis Galton who founded eugenics towards the end of the 19th century. The massive expansion in Western colonialism during the New Imperialism era fitted in with the broader notion of social Darwinism used from the 1870s onwards to account for the phenomenon of "the Anglo-Saxon and Latin overflowing his boundaries", as phrased by
4410-509: The Principle of Population , was incredibly popular and widely read by social Darwinists. In that book, for example, the author argued that as an increasing population would normally outgrow its food supply, this would result in the starvation of the weakest and a Malthusian catastrophe . According to Michael Ruse , Darwin read Malthus' famous Essay on a Principle of Population in 1838, four years after Malthus' death. Malthus himself anticipated
4508-604: The Source and Sign of One from the post-Faction War period, and the new Hands of Havoc. The Hands of Havoc are a group composed of anarchists and artists with no single leader or headquarters who believe in tearing down oppressive institutions by force. They mostly fill the role of the Revolutionary League from the original Planescape boxed set, with some influences from the Free League and Xaositects. What would have been sects in
4606-559: The anti-philanthropic implications of Sumner's theory. Instead they gave millions to build schools, colleges, hospitals, art institutes, parks and many other institutions. Andrew Carnegie , who admired Spencer, was the leading philanthropist in the world in the period from 1890 to 1920, and a major leader against imperialism and warfare. For these and other reasons (such as the general lack of interest in academic pursuits most Gilded Age barons displayed) other writers, such as Irvin G. Wyllie and Thomas C. Leonard , argue that businessmen in
4704-531: The basis of U.S. theory and practice, commercial Darwinism operates in markets worldwide, pitting corporation against corporation in struggles for survival. Social Darwinism has influenced political, public health and social movements in Japan since the late 19th and early 20th century. Social Darwinism was originally brought to Japan through the works of Francis Galton and Ernst Haeckel as well as United States, British and French Lamarckian eugenic written studies of
4802-442: The basis of his Lamarckian belief that struggle for survival spurred self-improvement which could be inherited. A proponent in Germany was Ernst Haeckel , who popularized Darwin's thought and his personal interpretation of it, and used to contribute to a new creed, the monist movement. Sociobiology has replaced social Darwinism in attempts to explain human social behavior in terms of evolutionary biology. The term Darwinism
4900-658: The best equipped to win the struggle for existence was the American businessman , and concluded that taxes and regulations serve as dangers to his survival. This pamphlet makes no mention of Darwinism, and only refers to Darwin in a statement on the meaning of liberty, that "There never has been any man, from the primitive barbarian up to a Humboldt or a Darwin, who could do as he had a mind to." Sumner never fully embraced Darwinian ideas, and some contemporary historians do not believe that Sumner ever actually believed in social Darwinism. The great majority of American businessmen rejected
4998-433: The center of the planes" (where it is positioned atop the infinitely tall Spire), scholars argue that this is impossible since the planes are infinite in all dimensions, and therefore there can never truly be a center to any or all of them; thus, Sigil is of no special importance. Curiously, from the Outlands one can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire. Sigil contains innumerable portals that can lead to anywhere in
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#17328834004465096-683: The city streets. The Xaositects are not mentioned as an ascendant or a minor faction, so their role in the current incarnation of Sigil, if any, is unknown. The Ring Givers, first introduced in the post-Faction War period, reappear as a minor faction, as does the historic faction known as the Incanterium. First mentioned in the Monstrous Compendium Planescape Appendix II, the Incantifers absorb magic from spells and items to gain power and prolong their lifespans. Their headquarters,
5194-483: The city's police force, and their headquarters is the City Barracks . They are related to present day authoritarianism . They take offense to the term "Hardhead". "The Red Death" believe in justice and retribution at the expense of all else. Their name does not come from "killing out of mercy," but rather "killing mercy." Their credo that mercy is for the weak, and the merciful should be punished. Their headquarters
5292-738: The claims that social Darwinists would eventually make about the mental capabilities of the poor and indigenous peoples in the European colonies. After publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859, one strand of Darwin's followers argued natural selection ceased to have any noticeable effect on humans once organised societies had been formed. However, some scholars argue Darwin's view gradually changed and came to incorporate views from other theorists such as Herbert Spencer . Spencer published his Lamarckian evolutionary ideas about society before Darwin first published his hypothesis in 1859, and Spencer and Darwin promoted their own conceptions of moral values. Spencer supported laissez-faire capitalism on
5390-619: The course of an extensive series of translations of influential Western thought. Yan's translation strongly impacted Chinese scholars because he added national elements not found in the original. Yan Fu criticized Huxley from the perspective of Spencerian social Darwinism in his own annotations to the translation. He understood Spencer's sociology as "not merely analytical and descriptive, but prescriptive as well", and saw Spencer building on Darwin, whom Yan summarized thus: Peoples and living things struggle for survival. At first, species struggle with species; they as [people] gradually progress, there
5488-614: The current 15). At one point there were many more Factions, but after a war referred to as the Great Upheaval amongst the factions, the Lady of Pain decreed that they had two weeks to get the number down to 15 or she would kill them all. The Free League membership swelled to over a million, compared to the 20,000 or so members present day. Factions are led by a Factol. Other high-ranking faction members are called Factors, and mid-level faction members are called Factotums. The lowest-ranking members are called Namers because many of them have only
5586-455: The difficulty in establishing sensible and consistent usage is that commitment to the biology of natural selection and to 'survival of the fittest' entailed nothing uniform either for sociological method or for political doctrine. A 'social Darwinist' could just as well be a defender of laissez-faire as a defender of state socialism, just as much an imperialist as a domestic eugenist. The term social Darwinism has rarely been used by advocates of
5684-477: The early 20th century actually supported better working conditions and salaries. Such measures would grant the poor a better chance to provide for themselves yet still distinguish those who are capable of succeeding from those who are poor out of laziness, weakness, or inferiority. One of the earliest uses of the term "social Darwinism" was by Eduard Oscar Schmidt of the University of Strasbourg , when reporting at
5782-491: The end of Chapter 2. Scott Haring , in his review of the Planescape Campaign Setting for Pyramid , described Sigil as "a strange city with doors to every plane and every reality, and inhabitants from all those planes and realities living together in (more or less) harmony". Trenton Webb of British RPG magazine Arcane calls the city "splendidly bizarre" and declares that "Sigil, The Lady of Pain's citadel,
5880-431: The end of World War II—partially due to its association with Nazism and due to a growing scientific consensus that eugenics and scientific racism were groundless. References to social Darwinism since have usually been pejorative. Some groups, including creationists such as William Jennings Bryan , argued social Darwinism is a logical consequence of Darwinism . Academics such as Steven Pinker have argued this
5978-627: The factions to the status quo from before the Faction War while retaining some of the aftermath and adding new changes besides. The factions themselves retain their official status and role in Sigil’s governance, and most are led by their original factols. This boxed set introduces the idea of ascendant factions, of which there are currently twelve, which are widely recognized and involved in the daily life of Sigil’s residents, and minor factions, of which six are named but many more are purported to exist. Ten of
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#17328834004466076-548: The formation of the Monist League in 1904 with many prominent citizens among its members, including the Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Ostwald . The simpler aspects of social Darwinism followed the earlier Malthusian ideas that humans, especially males, require competition in their lives to survive. Further, the poor should have to provide for themselves and not be given any aid. However, amidst this climate, most social Darwinists of
6174-461: The game around a central fixture of Planescape, the city of Sigil, and the game begins with the character waking up on a cold stone slab in the Mortuary of Sigil, with no idea of who he is, what he is doing there or how he died. In an interview with RPGWatch, Chris Avellone commented on the use of Sigil as the game's main setting: "We felt Sigil was the part of Planescape we really had to get right from
6272-438: The ideological war effort against fascism to denote a reactionary creed that promoted competitive strife, racism, and chauvinism. Hofstadter later also recognized (what he saw as) the influence of Darwinist and other evolutionary ideas upon those with collectivist views, enough to devise a term for the phenomenon, Darwinist collectivism . Before Hofstadter's work the use of the term "social Darwinism" in English academic journals
6370-499: The late 19th and early 20th centuries. Eugenism as a science was hotly debated at the beginning of the 20th century, in Jinsei-Der Mensch , the first eugenics journal in the empire. As Japan sought to close ranks with the west, this practice was adopted wholesale along with colonialism and its justifications. Social Darwinism was formally introduced to China through the translation by Yan Fu of Huxley's Evolution and Ethics , in
6468-860: The late-Victorian sociologist Benjamin Kidd in Social Evolution , published in 1894. The concept also proved useful to justify what was seen by some as the inevitable "disappearance" of "the weaker races ... before the stronger" not so much "through the effects of ... our vices upon them" as "what may be called the virtues of our civilisation." Winston Churchill , a political proponent of eugenics, maintained that if fewer "feebleminded" individuals were born, less crime would take place. Herbert Spencer's ideas, like those of evolutionary progressivism, stemmed from his reading of Thomas Malthus, and his later theories were influenced by those of Darwin. However, Spencer's major work, Progress: Its Law and Cause (1857),
6566-398: The life of a people is going through this process of readaptation, it has to remedy its own defects, and get rid of those elements which become useless. Then we call it new life." In the 1860s and 1870s, social Darwinism began to take shape in the interaction between Charles Darwin and his German advocates, namely August Schleicher , Max Müller and Ernst Haeckel. Evolutionary linguistics
6664-461: The multiverse" called Sigil, was run by groups called factions. The factions each had a different outlook on the universe. Thus, by joining one of the factions, or simply by dealing with them as players, you were compelled to think and sometimes even argue about the nature of reality. Sigil is located above the tall Spire at the center of the Outlands . It has the shape of a torus ; the city itself
6762-510: The murder of women and children as a necessary and justified course of action. Final solution Parties Nazi Germany's justification for its aggression was regularly promoted in Nazi propaganda films depicting scenes such as beetles fighting in a lab setting to demonstrate the principles of "survival of the fittest" as depicted in Alles Leben ist Kampf (English translation: All Life
6860-451: The nature of the setting". Sigil's fifteen factions were created because " Vampire: The Masquerade was a particularly hot game at [the] time and one of the ideas in it that we really liked was the clans. Jim Ward wanted to be sure that players had something to identify with and to give them a sense of belonging in this alien venue [Sigil]". Sigil is first described in the Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set, released in 1994. It
6958-528: The only truth is revealed in chaos. The Xaositects have been quite accurately described as being "totally off their rockers, every one of 'em." Their headquarters is the Hive , the most disorganized part of the Sigil ward of the same name. Compare with real life discordianism . In The Faction War , many Factions were destroyed or merged. Fifth edition’s ‘Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse’ partially returned
7056-399: The original Planescape are now called minor factions, a mix of fallen ascendant factions and up-and-coming factions that haven’t yet reached a critical mass. The Free League are listed as a minor faction, but otherwise are little changed from the 2nd edition incarnation. The Revolutionary League is also considered a minor faction, whose fractured membership have now retreated to Undersigil below
7154-822: The original factions are listed among the ascendant and are relatively unchanged from previous incarnations: the Athar, the Bleak Cabal, the Doomguard, the Fated, the Fraternity of Order, the Harmonium, the Heralds of Dust (the Dustmen renamed), the Mercykilllers, the Society of Sensation, and the Transcendent Order. The other two ascendant factions are the Mind’s Eye, a union of the Believers in
7252-446: The outset in case we made more games. It's the signature city, but... we did sacrifice other planar locations so that we could do it". Social Darwinism Social Darwinism is the study and implementation of various pseudoscientific theories and societal practices that purport to apply biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology, economics and politics. Social Darwinists believe that
7350-457: The phrase " survival of the fittest ", a term coined by sociologist Herbert Spencer . Creationists have often maintained that social Darwinism—leading to policies designed to reward the most competitive—is a logical consequence of "Darwinism" (the theory of natural selection in biology). Biologists and historians have stated that this is a fallacy of appeal to nature and should not be taken to imply that this phenomenon ought to be used as
7448-512: The population over time, which under certain conditions could lead to the descendants being so different that they would be defined as a new species. However, Darwin felt that "social instincts " such as "sympathy" and " moral sentiments " also evolved through natural selection, and that these resulted in the strengthening of societies in which they occurred, so much so that he wrote about it in Descent of Man : The following proposition seems to me in
7546-407: The question of artificial selection, yet Nietzsche's principles did not concur with Darwinian theories of natural selection. Nietzsche's point of view on sickness and health, in particular, opposed him to the concept of biological adaptation as forged by Spencer's "fitness". Nietzsche criticized Haeckel, Spencer, and Darwin, sometimes under the same banner by maintaining that in specific cases, sickness
7644-534: The shimmering Tower Sorcerous, mysteriously reappeared in the Clerk’s Ward overnight. Scott Haring , in his review of the Planescape Campaign Setting for Pyramid , notes that designer Zeb Cook's three-word summary of the Planescape experience is, "Philosophers With Clubs." Haring commented, "And what a batch of philosophers!", noting that "Sigil is rife with philosophical factions, all with their own take on how
7742-474: The social Darwinists in suggesting that charity could exacerbate social problems. Another of these social interpretations of Darwin's biological views, later known as eugenics, was put forth by Darwin's cousin, Francis Galton, in 1865 and 1869. Galton argued that just as physical traits were clearly inherited among generations of people, the same could be said for mental qualities (genius and talent). Galton argued that social morals needed to change so that heredity
7840-614: The strong should see their wealth and power increase, while the weak should see their wealth and power decrease. Social Darwinist definitions of the strong and the weak vary, and differ on the precise mechanisms that reward strength and punish weakness. Many such views stress competition between individuals in laissez-faire capitalism , while others, emphasizing struggle between national or racial groups, support eugenics , racism , imperialism and/or fascism . Social Darwinism declined in popularity following World War I, and its purportedly scientific claims were largely discredited by
7938-451: The study of the history and spread of nations. Some of their ideas, including the concept of living space were adopted to the Nazi ideology after their deaths. Social evolution theories in Germany gained large popularity in the 1860s and had a strong antiestablishment connotation first. Social Darwinism allowed people to counter the connection of Thron und Altar , the intertwined establishment of clergy and nobility, and provided as well
8036-500: The supposed ideologies or ideas; instead it has almost always been used pejoratively by its opponents. The term draws upon the common meaning of Darwinism , which includes a range of evolutionary views , but in the late 19th century was applied more specifically to natural selection as first advanced by Charles Darwin to explain speciation in populations of organisms . The process includes competition between individuals for limited resources, popularly but inaccurately described by
8134-496: The theory of "corporate Darwinism". Sumner argued that societal progress depended on the "fittest families" passing down wealth and genetic traits to their offspring, thus allegedly creating a lineage of superior citizens. However, contemporary social scientists reject such claims and have understood that economic status is largely a result of other factors. In 1883 Sumner published a highly-influential pamphlet entitled "What Social Classes Owe to Each Other", in which he insisted that
8232-534: The true divine force behind everything. Their headquarters in Sigil is the Shattered Temple , the former temple of the dead god Aoskar . Following the faction war, and banned from Sigil, they moved their headquarters to the base of the infinite spire where divine magic does not function in protection of the many gods they have offended. The Athar are broadly derived from real-world atheists , agnostics , and Deists . Known as "Godsmen" they believe that each life
8330-503: The universe has physical rules, but no metaphysical or philosophical ones, therefore any meaning in life must come from within. Their headquarters is the insane asylum of Sigil, called the Gatehouse. They are derived from real-life existentialists and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche . The "Sinkers" believe in the sanctity and inevitability of entropy, particularly the inevitable destruction of all things. The core of their belief
8428-407: The universe works and what it's all about. [...] Each faction is continuously struggling to gain converts from other factions and to hang on to what they've got. Because the more people who believe the basic laws of the universe work a certain way, the more the universe tends to work in just that way. Alignment and philosophy are more than roleplaying tools -- they're the main point." Haring described
8526-494: The works of Lamarck and Auguste Comte 's positivism than with Darwin's. Jeff Riggenbach argues that Spencer's view was that culture and education made a sort of Lamarckism possible and notes that Herbert Spencer was a proponent of private charity. However, the legacy of his social Darwinism was less than charitable. Spencer's work also served to renew interest in the work of Malthus. While Malthus's work does not itself qualify as social Darwinism, his 1798 work An Essay on
8624-452: The world was interpreted by Haeckel as supporting the idea that nations, despite having rather similar physiology, represented such distinct lines of 'evolution' that mankind should be divided into nine different species. Haeckel constructed an evolutionary and intellectual hierarchy of such species. In a similar vein, Schleicher regarded languages as different species and sub-species, adopting Darwin's concept of selection through competition to
8722-729: Was a conscious decision, to avoid both the over-breeding by less fit members of society and the under-breeding of the more fit ones. In Galton's view, social institutions such as welfare and insane asylums were allowing inferior humans to survive and reproduce at levels faster than the more "superior" humans in respectable society, and if corrections were not soon taken, society would be awash with "inferiors". Darwin read his cousin's work with interest, and devoted sections of Descent of Man to discussion of Galton's theories. Neither Galton nor Darwin, though, advocated any eugenic policies restricting reproduction, due to their Whiggish distrust of government. Friedrich Nietzsche 's philosophy addressed
8820-518: Was coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in his March 1861 review of On the Origin of Species , and by the 1870s it was used to describe a range of concepts of evolution or development, without any specific commitment to Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. The phrase social Darwinism first appeared in Joseph Fisher's 1877 article on The History of Landholding in Ireland , which was published in
8918-452: Was necessary and even helpful. Thus, he wrote: Wherever progress is to ensue, deviating natures are of greatest importance. Every progress of the whole must be preceded by a partial weakening. The strongest natures retain the type, the weaker ones help to advance it. Something similar also happens in the individual. There is rarely a degeneration, a truncation, or even a vice or any physical or moral loss without an advantage somewhere else. In
9016-539: Was not described as a social Darwinist until the 1930s, long after his death. The term "social Darwinism" first appeared in Europe in 1880, and journalist Emilie Gautier had coined the term with reference to a health conference in Berlin 1877. Around 1900 it was used by sociologists, some being opposed to the concept. The American historian Richard Hofstadter popularized the term in the United States in 1944. He used it in
9114-532: Was one big change as a result of Faction War (1998). The factions that caused much of the conflict in Planescape are now gone. [...] The Dungeon Master's Guide 2 also contains 'A Conspiracy of Doors', the first Sigil adventure to see print in many years". Sigil is briefly mentioned in Appendix C of the 5th edition's Player's Handbook . There is also some information on Sigil in Dungeon Master's Guide at
9212-418: Was originally created for Planescape as the setting's "home base". According to Steve Winter in 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons , "a movable base, like a vessel of some sort (or an artifact, which was the original idea for the means of traversing the planes) wouldn't do it. It had to be a place that characters could come home to when they needed to, and it had to be central to
9310-418: Was quite rare. In fact, ... there is considerable evidence that the entire concept of "social Darwinism" as we know it today was virtually invented by Richard Hofstadter. Eric Foner , in an introduction to a then-new edition of Hofstadter's book published in the early 1990s, declines to go quite that far. "Hofstadter did not invent the term Social Darwinism", Foner writes, "which originated in Europe in
9408-446: Was released two years before the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species , and First Principles was printed in 1860. In The Social Organism (1860), Spencer compares society to a living organism and argues that, just as biological organisms evolve through natural selection, society evolves and increases in complexity through analogous processes. In many ways, Spencer's theory of cosmic evolution has much more in common with
9506-460: Was strongly influenced by social Darwinist ideas is often found in historical and social science literature. For example, the philosopher and historian Hannah Arendt analysed the historical development via social Darwinist ethics to racist ideology. Another example is recent scholarship that portrays Ernst Haeckel's Monist League as a mystical progenitor of the Völkisch movement and, ultimately, of
9604-461: Was taken as a platform to construe a Darwinian theory of mankind. Since it was thought at the time that the orangutan and human brain were roughly the same size, Darwin and his colleagues suspected that only the invention of language could account for differentiation between humans and other Great Apes . It was suggested that the evolution of language and the mind must go hand in hand. From this perspective, empirical evidence from languages from around
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