For this post I'll only discuss principles discussed within the Principia, no other documents. Please mind that these ideas might be highly biased and are only my interpretation of the Principia.
The Principia Discordia describes the Discordian Society as a form of secret society with a semi-religious tone. Many assume Discordianism to be no more than a joke, or not even a religion at all. It is this doublespeak and paradoxical state of being that permits the Discordian Society to be everything at once, therefore The Discordian Society has no definition.
It's also important to note that this manifestation of the Discordian Society is based on POEE, which is the primary sect, unitary to the POEE manifestation of the Discordian Society. We'll only be talking about this manifestation.
Since 0 YOLD or the start of the curse of Greyface, Chaos has been artificially split into two, known as Order and Disorder. Ever since then, The Sacred Chao has been out of balance. The Sacred Chao can be described as a pendulum, somehow similar to the pendulum theory of the Overton window. This pendulum theory is very similar to the Law of Eristic Escalation, which is not named in the Principia Discordia (except wrongly explained in the intro) but hinted at and later named as such, it is the idea of the following.
Imposition of Order = Escalation of Disorder
Many believe (and it is hinted in the Principia) that the world has been more orderly than disorderly since the Curse of Greyface came about. Since then, the Sacred Chao (and therefore the world) has been a pendulum, ever swinging back and forth between Disorder and Order in an attempt to bring the world back to its natural form of unity between the two, being Chaos.
The pendulum swings back and forth because the equation works both ways, and is therefore in an everlasting loop.
Escalation of Disorder = Imposition of Order
It's my belief that the pendulum is currently swinging back towards an imposition of order, since the western world has known little of it since the end of the cold war. This is not to imply that there can't be multiple pendulums at once, describing every detail of reality as a relation between order and disorder or a magnitude of chaos.
Since the Principia was written in a time when the pendulum was swinging towards an Escalation of Disorder, it's my guess that the most orderly parts of the Principia have mostly gone ignored by most Discordians. I believe the Principia to be the perfect balance of Chaos ever seen in writing. Chaos does not have to be nonsensical, but it can be if it wants to be.
If intepretations of the Principia really are becoming more serious, then it's time to look at the different hints the Principia makes at a structured society.
The Principia describes a hierarchy as described in the POEE Disorganizational Matrix. It contains several houses, with house V (The House of Apostles of Eris) being the most important one. Through various paperwork signed by the House of Apostles of Eris we can assume that this hierarchy goes downwards, with the members of the House of Apostles of Eris being the Eristocrats of the Discordian Society.
The Eristocracy can both refer to a form of government or to the Social Class within the Society. In any case it can be assumed that all of the following are the Eristocrats of the Discordian Society.
A. The Five Apostles of Eris
B. The Golden Apple Corps (KSC)
C. Episkoposes of The Discordian Society
D. POEE Cabal Priests
E. Saints, Erisian Avatars, and Like Personages
It seems fairly obvious that the houses have an up-down hierarchy, while this can't be said for sure for the inner part of the houses, for instance, it's uncertain whether the Apostles have more power within this structure than one powerful Episkopos, due to the fact that this information is not given anywhere, we'll assume all manners within the houses are resolved in an adhocratic manner.
Since all Pope cards are authorized by the highest house, it's also unknown whether the highest house could in the same way undo said decision of authorization.
I personally fell in love and obsession with the Eristocratic model because of its decentralization. The Discordian Society is a global phenomenon with no certainty to whether it already exists or not, anyone may feel free to become an Episkopos and do things their own way if their success allows it. Based on the presumption that the Eristocracy would work on a basis of influence, this would mean that any group of people could band together and do things their own way and perhaps even influence the rest of the Discordian Society if their work was influential enough.
Of course, with this much decentralization it would be a huge mess if there was not a unitary system, which this hierarchy perfectly embodies. Since this manifestation of the Discordian Society is based on POEE principles, it's to be assumed that POEE ( who have their own hierarchy of priests and such) may serve as the unitary part of the society. In other words, those that have the most influence within the highest house - the Eristocracy - has the most say in the Discordian Society.
Though this may be completely disregarded if you choose to become your own Episkopos and become 100% autonomous of the decisions of other Eristocrats, this would mean that you would also not be able to influence said decisions.
The rest of the Hierarchy also serves useful, where the 4th house is about the Disorderly power of the masses/disciples of Discordia, the 3rd house for the Orderly Bureaucratic Affairs that must be kept up to validate the Eristocracy, and the 1st house for all miscellaneous Discordians including the Fifth Column.
To this day I have no idea what the 2nd house truly represents, though anyone may feel to add to this, I think it's something esoteric which prevents the Immanentization of the Eschaton.
I truly believe the Eristocracy to be a viable alternative political system or even Ideology. It allows for Decentralization, unitary functioning, powerful leaders, the given power to outrank those powerful leaders and more. It is both orderly and disorderly, causing it to be a perfect mix of Chaos ripe for implementation.
Discordian Sects/cabals are perfect because they require no definition, they're truly autonomous dynamic entities to the point where they could be companies, cults, websites or even a postcard. Anyone can make them, even the episkopos' doesn't have to be real person.
The following is highly personal and my reasoning for liking this system.
I'm a nationalist by heart, but then you are you come across nothing but authoritarian people, people who want nothing but more centralization. Too often it's come to my attention that provinces and municipalities have no choice but to listen to the orders of the big national government, which defeats the purpose of having elections for those lower governments in the first place, since they won't have the authority to do anything with the power they hold over their small territory within the nation. Since then I've come to reject centralization and fell in love with Decentralization.
I truly believe the Eristocracy to be a good decentralized alternative because it allows for individuals to do as they please, though said power can't be enforced if their claims to power are illegitimate. It might just be a fiction fantasy, but I love the idea regardless.
I hope to dedicate this thread to ideas that could further the idealization of the Discordian Society's political system.
Hail Eris!
The Principia Discordia describes the Discordian Society as a form of secret society with a semi-religious tone. Many assume Discordianism to be no more than a joke, or not even a religion at all. It is this doublespeak and paradoxical state of being that permits the Discordian Society to be everything at once, therefore The Discordian Society has no definition.
It's also important to note that this manifestation of the Discordian Society is based on POEE, which is the primary sect, unitary to the POEE manifestation of the Discordian Society. We'll only be talking about this manifestation.
Since 0 YOLD or the start of the curse of Greyface, Chaos has been artificially split into two, known as Order and Disorder. Ever since then, The Sacred Chao has been out of balance. The Sacred Chao can be described as a pendulum, somehow similar to the pendulum theory of the Overton window. This pendulum theory is very similar to the Law of Eristic Escalation, which is not named in the Principia Discordia (except wrongly explained in the intro) but hinted at and later named as such, it is the idea of the following.
Imposition of Order = Escalation of Disorder
Many believe (and it is hinted in the Principia) that the world has been more orderly than disorderly since the Curse of Greyface came about. Since then, the Sacred Chao (and therefore the world) has been a pendulum, ever swinging back and forth between Disorder and Order in an attempt to bring the world back to its natural form of unity between the two, being Chaos.
The pendulum swings back and forth because the equation works both ways, and is therefore in an everlasting loop.
Escalation of Disorder = Imposition of Order
It's my belief that the pendulum is currently swinging back towards an imposition of order, since the western world has known little of it since the end of the cold war. This is not to imply that there can't be multiple pendulums at once, describing every detail of reality as a relation between order and disorder or a magnitude of chaos.
Since the Principia was written in a time when the pendulum was swinging towards an Escalation of Disorder, it's my guess that the most orderly parts of the Principia have mostly gone ignored by most Discordians. I believe the Principia to be the perfect balance of Chaos ever seen in writing. Chaos does not have to be nonsensical, but it can be if it wants to be.
If intepretations of the Principia really are becoming more serious, then it's time to look at the different hints the Principia makes at a structured society.
The Principia describes a hierarchy as described in the POEE Disorganizational Matrix. It contains several houses, with house V (The House of Apostles of Eris) being the most important one. Through various paperwork signed by the House of Apostles of Eris we can assume that this hierarchy goes downwards, with the members of the House of Apostles of Eris being the Eristocrats of the Discordian Society.
The Eristocracy can both refer to a form of government or to the Social Class within the Society. In any case it can be assumed that all of the following are the Eristocrats of the Discordian Society.
A. The Five Apostles of Eris
B. The Golden Apple Corps (KSC)
C. Episkoposes of The Discordian Society
D. POEE Cabal Priests
E. Saints, Erisian Avatars, and Like Personages
It seems fairly obvious that the houses have an up-down hierarchy, while this can't be said for sure for the inner part of the houses, for instance, it's uncertain whether the Apostles have more power within this structure than one powerful Episkopos, due to the fact that this information is not given anywhere, we'll assume all manners within the houses are resolved in an adhocratic manner.
Since all Pope cards are authorized by the highest house, it's also unknown whether the highest house could in the same way undo said decision of authorization.
I personally fell in love and obsession with the Eristocratic model because of its decentralization. The Discordian Society is a global phenomenon with no certainty to whether it already exists or not, anyone may feel free to become an Episkopos and do things their own way if their success allows it. Based on the presumption that the Eristocracy would work on a basis of influence, this would mean that any group of people could band together and do things their own way and perhaps even influence the rest of the Discordian Society if their work was influential enough.
Of course, with this much decentralization it would be a huge mess if there was not a unitary system, which this hierarchy perfectly embodies. Since this manifestation of the Discordian Society is based on POEE principles, it's to be assumed that POEE ( who have their own hierarchy of priests and such) may serve as the unitary part of the society. In other words, those that have the most influence within the highest house - the Eristocracy - has the most say in the Discordian Society.
Though this may be completely disregarded if you choose to become your own Episkopos and become 100% autonomous of the decisions of other Eristocrats, this would mean that you would also not be able to influence said decisions.
The rest of the Hierarchy also serves useful, where the 4th house is about the Disorderly power of the masses/disciples of Discordia, the 3rd house for the Orderly Bureaucratic Affairs that must be kept up to validate the Eristocracy, and the 1st house for all miscellaneous Discordians including the Fifth Column.
To this day I have no idea what the 2nd house truly represents, though anyone may feel to add to this, I think it's something esoteric which prevents the Immanentization of the Eschaton.
I truly believe the Eristocracy to be a viable alternative political system or even Ideology. It allows for Decentralization, unitary functioning, powerful leaders, the given power to outrank those powerful leaders and more. It is both orderly and disorderly, causing it to be a perfect mix of Chaos ripe for implementation.
Discordian Sects/cabals are perfect because they require no definition, they're truly autonomous dynamic entities to the point where they could be companies, cults, websites or even a postcard. Anyone can make them, even the episkopos' doesn't have to be real person.
The following is highly personal and my reasoning for liking this system.
I'm a nationalist by heart, but then you are you come across nothing but authoritarian people, people who want nothing but more centralization. Too often it's come to my attention that provinces and municipalities have no choice but to listen to the orders of the big national government, which defeats the purpose of having elections for those lower governments in the first place, since they won't have the authority to do anything with the power they hold over their small territory within the nation. Since then I've come to reject centralization and fell in love with Decentralization.
I truly believe the Eristocracy to be a good decentralized alternative because it allows for individuals to do as they please, though said power can't be enforced if their claims to power are illegitimate. It might just be a fiction fantasy, but I love the idea regardless.
I hope to dedicate this thread to ideas that could further the idealization of the Discordian Society's political system.
Hail Eris!