Elves -

[This text assumes (and this includes the text itself) that 'emotions' (and everything derived from 'emotions') are 'subjective' and that a concept such as 'objective' is relatively meaningless. {Actually there is a connection between the concepts emotions-subjectiveness-relativity and nonemotions-objectiveness-absoluteness. Therefore both literally and figuratively 'objective' has no meaning 'relatively'.}
Some concepts may seem to be objective despite being derivable to emotions. Those concepts are still not objective, but they are inter-subjective...]

Note:
- Don't dig too deep in the above reasonings :)


Elvish philosophies




Elvish Philosophies (excerpts from the journals of Garth [- you may have travelled with him in Dark Age])

"I have never encountered a people like the elves. They are so utterly different from the other intelligent races in Acathia. I remember having heard of them by some sailors in a tavern in Port Kyrin (in the western parts of a land called Karn). I had been searching for the means of bringing my friend Darill back to life. All I had left of him after 15 years since his death were the memories of when we had been children, playing fondly in Iceguard, where we were born and raised..."

"Elves are an exceptionally uncommon sight nowadays. They seem to have vanished from human populated lands and I have no idea as to why...
The sailors in the tavern were speaking of an Elvish Book of Wisdom. This book was rumoured to contain all knowledge of life..."

"If this is true, then I must find it. There must be something written about retrieving the dead..."
"The sea journey to find the elves was long and arduous. It started with the problems to hire a daring crew..."

[Later notes - much later...]

"So, what are the elves like", you may be asking me.
Well they are different in every imaginable way, and this is because their emotional lives are different from ours.
It varies between species just like everything else, like eye sight for example. Did you know that insects can see colours which we can't? Yes, indeed, in their 'eyes', flowers look entirely different and because insects travel around pollinating flowers, the flowers have focused on these colours (- many flowers are beautiful in the colours we can see too).
I have been told that these 'invisible' colours are very spectacular (= emotional)...
It is the same thing about other impressions (- 'Impressions' trigger 'Emotions').
Elves feel differently and though many of their emotions seem like ours, there are many which are not.
I learned much from them during my 4 year stay (- I will return to the elves, but dangers are again knocking on the door), and the first thing I was taught was that all behaviour has consequences, like any other happenings in nature. Cultures and traditions are made up from interacting, collective behaviours where (in the human cases) rules have been established in an attempt to guide and restrict. This is, according to the elves (and now myself), a sign that something has gone wrong - an abstract, outside set of rules should not be called for... rather an insight in what life is about and a firm base which...

Cultures are not static, though. As the environment changes, so will the culture. Even though changes are not fast, cultures and traditions are dynamic...

The elves think that emotions are the corner stones of life. Without emotions there would not be life. Emotions are what motivates life to live and to develop.
Of special interest to the elves, has been to search for original primitive emotions. Something which could be considered a foundation from which mind and behaviour has developed. It seems as if 'self preservation' was this base. This is coherent with the elvish life hypotheses. Those include for example that 'the meaning of life is the preservation of life'...

The foundation evolved differently depending on species and environment. At first, it seems as it gave way for early base emotions such as 'Egoism', coupled with 'Hunger', 'Fear', 'Love', 'Anger' and so.
(- compare with colours and the ranges, shades and intensities of those; there are three base colours; Red, Yellow, Blue. Emotions can further be symbolized as mixable and this will create a flexible emotional status)
'Egoistically' shaded emotions were part of and furthered a 'competitive' environment.
'Competition' seems to be a common and unsophisticated form of maintaining a kind of balance in nature.

In the competitive environment a reaction (or other approach) appeared.
It was using other 'shades, intensities and ranges' of emotions where an emotion of 'Altruism' permeated (ie instead of 'Egoism').
(-'Egoism' and 'Altruism' are like the same base colour but on opposite sides of the range of the base colour)
This 'Altruism' emotion has tainted the elvish minds. They don't have an active 'egoistic' emotion and to us (- as in humans) this is very strange.
The Elves, however, think that if nature develops intelligent beings who are capable of drastically changing the nature, then these beings must not be too egoistically inclined, because if they are, they will destroy the balance in nature... on the other hand, Black Dragons (-they are the first (and most) tainted by the 'egoism' emotion) think the same about Altruism, so we have the 'good' vs 'evil' thing here, again.

...Further, I learned about 'the behavioural system':
In the foundation there are emotions. These are prerequisites for a conciousness and a language (body and/or any other). Language will develop a parallell (to emotions) conciousness of thoughts. Thoughts will develop reasoning. Reasoning will (partly) control behaviour.
On the other side we have the emotions, (again) also (partly) controlling behaviour. Emotions can be balanced and harmonized by using different mental techniques, known to the elves.
I have thought about it and I think it could be displayed like this (- pardon any crudenesses):

Language <-> Thoughts <-> Reasoning <->
/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Behaviour <-> (if the individuals are socially inclined) <-> Society*
Emotions <-> Balancing, Harmonizing <->

*: including culture and traditions. Many arrows are two way arrows, meaning that they can affect each other mutually (like feedback or learning).

One might wonder if emotions can be introduced/removed. I think not - unless one uses magic ('advanced engineering') or over time. Having short life cycles enables for faster changes with future generations. Elves (as a species) change much slower because of their very long life cycles. They seldom have more than two children. On the other hand, I don't think that elves need to change any further...

Now, as I sad, Altruism is a major factor in the elvish minds, whereas Egoism is a strong factor in human minds.
Human emotions are (furthermore) not being balanced properly which gives them an instable behaviour and this is why humans are regarded as primitive by the elves (- despite any human 'technological' advances).

"What about their society", you may ask. I'm coming there now:

Societies are classified according to 'who rules' and 'in who's interest the ruling is'.
Note that these are only definitions of ideal concepts. There are many kingdoms in Acathia who claim to be 'Monarchies' but are more inclined to 'Tyranny', for example.

One ruler & selfish interest (egoism) -> Tyranny
One ruler & for the good of all* (altruism) -> Monarchy**
Minority & selfish interest -> Oligarchy
Minority & for the good of all* -> Aristocracy**
Majority & selfish interest -> Democracy
Majority & for the good of all* -> Politeia**
*: within the society, that is.
**: This society is extremely rare and often considered utopian by humans. I have read ancient scrolls about them, though.

While the humans are spread along these base societies, the elves are either Monarchy, Aristocracy or Politeia but with the addition of 'for the good of all life', which means that they see themselves as protectors of life and are concerned with the balance of everything they perceive. Obviously, this demands a certain emotional life and will not work if you are too egoistic and self absorbed.
Elves have extremely long lives (compared to other intelligent beings) and this may be a factor as to why they have evolved such a unique emotional life.

In the elvish language, this 'Altruistically' tainted emotional life is reflected by (for example) the absence of concepts like 'to own' and possessive pronouns like 'mine, yours', but not concepts like violence (- even though elves try not to be violent), etc.
An 'egoistically' based resource managing/exploiting system/behaviour (eg: like the common human trade system/behaviour) is also nonexistant. Among elves there is no 'competition' and this may seem strange to other more 'egoistically' inclined species.
'Altruistic' motivations further yield a society which has the 'good' side of being (for example) 'secure' and without 'proneness to corruption' which further strengthens a stable emotional life...

But the conflict between Black Dragons and Elves is not the only conflict. A new side has appeared - The Undead!
How do the Undead perceive things? Do they feel/think? Why do they fight us? Can they be reasoned with?
Well, as I am on my way to Count Karstein, I guess I will get an answer soon...

[End of Elvish Philosophies (Journals of Garth)]