ERUDITE: THE INTELLIGENT
FACTION MANIFESTO
WE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING
STATEMENTS AS TRUTH:
1. “Ignorance” is defined not as
stupidity but as lack of knowledge.
2. Lack of knowledge inevitably
leads to lack of understanding.
3. Lack of understanding leads to a
disconnect among people with differences.
4. Disconnection among people with
differences leads to conflict.
5. Knowledge is the only logical
solution to the problem of conflict.
Therefore, we propose that in order
to eliminate conflict, we must eliminate the disconnect among those with
differences by correcting the lack of understanding that arises from ignorance
with knowledge. The areas in which people must be educated are:
SOCIOLOGY
- So that the individual understands how society at large functions.
PSYCHOLOGY
- So that the individual understands how a person functions within that society.
MATHEMATICS
- So that the individual is prepared for further study in science, engineering, medicine, and technology.
SCIENCE
- So that the individual better understands how the world operates.
- So that the individual’s study in other areas is supplemented.
- So that as many individuals as possible are prepared to enter the fields devoted to innovation and progress.
COMMUNICATION
- So that the individual knows how to speak and write clearly and effectively.
HISTORY
- So that the individual understands the mistakes and successes that have led us to this point.
- So that the individual learns to emulate those successes and avoid those mistakes.
Leaders must not be chosen based on
charisma, popularity, or ease of communication, all of which are misleading and
have little to do with the efficacy of a political leader.
An objective standard must be used
in order to determine who is best fit to lead. That standard will be an
intelligence test, administered to all adults when the present leader reaches
fifty-five or begins to decline in brain function in a demonstrable way.
Those who, after rigorous studying,
do not meet a minimum intelligence requirement will be exiled from the faction
so they can be made useful. This is not an act of elitism but rather one of
practicality: Those who are not intelligent enough to engage in the roles
assigned to us— roles that require a considerable mental capacity—are better
suited to menial work than to faction work. Menial work is required for the
survival of society, and is therefore just as important as faction work.
Information must always be made
available to all faction members at all times. The withholding of information
is punishable by reprimand, imprisonment, and, eventually, exile. Every
question that can be answered must be answered or at least engaged. Illogical
thought processes must be challenged when they arise. Wrong answers must be
corrected. Correct answers must be affirmed. If an answer to a question is
unclear, it must be put to debate. All debates require evidence. Any
controversial thought or idea must be supplemented by evidence in order to reduce
the potential for conflict.
Intelligence must be used for the
benefit, and not to the detriment, of society. Those who use intelligence for
their own personal gain or to the detriment of others have not properly borne
the responsibility of their gift, and are not welcome in our faction.
It bears repeating: Intelligence is
a gift, not a right. It must be wielded not as a weapon but as a tool for the
betterment of others.
