Quote:
Originally Posted by combatmedic
A very brief, and necessarilly incomplete and imperfect, summation of 'Imperial Values' as seen in the late/modern Imperium-
- Glory to the Emperor!
- The autocratic powers of the Emperor are as necessary and just as the autocratic powers of a starship captain.
- The Emperor enjoys the Blessing of God/Mandate of Heaven (not universal, but many people do feel this way)
- Social equality of ranks and station is unnatural and undesirable; hierarchy is natural and good. God did NOT make all men equal.
- Blood will tell.
- Personal loyalty is tremendously important.
- A man's word is his bond.
- Cowards are despicable.
- Duelling is a fine old tradition.
- A gentleman always pays his debts.
- The profession of arms in an honorable one.
- Humans are the most important race in Charted Space, but it's rude to trumpet this around the other sophonts. They've made contrbutions too, often under human leadership.
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The glorification of the Emperor and the invocation of Divine Favor is not all that prevalent IMTU (especially the divine favor bit), but none of these are actually mutually exclusive with my Imperial Bill of Rights. And not just because people are fully capable of compartamentalizing their minds and holding several mutually exclusive beliefs simultaneously (although that alone would do it), but also because most of them are not actually mutually exclusive with it. People can be created with equal rights and still not have equal starts in life. Societies can have social ranks (actually, I find it hard to imagine one that hasn't) and still profess to believe that all ranks are worthwhile (I'd still give reaction modifiers, though). People can believe in social differences AND in meritocracy and social mobility. People can admire the Emperor and still realize he puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like anyone else, etc., etc.
Yes, I can see all of these sentiments existing in my Imperial Culture too.
Hans