Philosophy drives ideology, which distinguishes the living forces of the Milky Way from machines. Unanswerable questions are its only material, experience and wisdom its only tools. Below is an exploration of the most important philosophical questions that still affect the Milky Way. The linked Answer pages explore the factions and thinkers who have fought, and sometimes killed, over these ideals. # Core Questions ### How much of our human nature should be surrendered in order to survive? When even Earth is gone… is it natural to go on at all? - Answers: - [[Natural Natalism]]: The belief that humans should carry on as before, allowing chaotic reproduction - [[Eugenicist Natalism]]: The belief that humanity should preserve and perfect itself with technology, and reproduce only with technology - [[Antinatalism]]: The belief that humanity should cease to produce new offspring - [[Transhumanism]]: The belief that humanity should intentionally pursue further evolution ### Are the machines alive? What does it mean to say that we are alive, and they are not? - Answers - [[Biologism]] - The [[Ultimate Turing Test]] as a proof for lack of sentience - [[Deception Theory]] as a taboo fear among the biological - [[Animism]] - Defined by worship of the machine minds as humanity’s new rightful overlords. Should social stability be achieved through dominance and deception, or equality and commitment to honesty? Which is more permanent, more lasting? - Answers - [[Harmony Theory]]: The idea that harmony is possible through both extremes, both "Light" and "Dark". - [[Curation Theory]]: The idea that harmony is achieved through continuous subjugation to higher life forms, especially for humans. - **[[Dominionism]]**: The idea that power, and by extension domination, itself is the natural law and the only route to enduring order. How and when should technology be used for social engineering, if it is to be used at all?