The Pupils of Parmenides, or simply Parmenideans, are a group of mages from the 13th to 18th century, who thoroughly embraced and rejoiced in scientific theories which had been cast off from the mainstream.[1][2]
The name may have been a misunderstanding wrought by a mistranslation, as Parmenides' beliefs were counter to much of what was found in the scroll, believing in a largely eternal unchanging universe. It's more likely to have been a contemporary of his, Parmenesthes[3], although modern Etherites have found ways to adapt Parmenidean philosophy into their own beliefs.
History[]
In 1283, a scroll -- likely the famed Kitab al-Alacir -- fell into the hands of a Spanish scribe. Awakened and inspired by its contents, he created a secret society called the Pupils of Parmenides. It provides an ideological home to previous readers of the scroll, namely the Hermetic House Golo (which had disbanded in 1188), and its very brief successor, the Natural Philosophers' Guild (disbanded in 1193).
Artificers kept an eye on the nascent Pupils, hoping their society would collapse. They took on the role of "helpful" mentors, and passed on a steady supply of obscure and outmoded theories, even going so far as to sabotage experiments, hoping to disillusion the Pupils. Instead, they were stimulated by failure, and flourished. Later Technocrats would claim that their purpose was to test the limits of the Scourge and perfect Procedures that could be carried out in front of the un-Enlightened. They postulated the Scourge was the result of a logical paradox between the beliefs of the scientist and observing witnesses, which may have given rise to the term "Paradox."[4]
The Artificers encouraged the Pupils to link up with the Messianic Voices to gain the Order of Reason covert influence over the Church. The Pupils' Aristotelian philosophy was a perfect way of reinforcing Christian theology against the growing threat of science.
Then the Order of Reason struck back against the Church throughout the Renaissance as scientific advancements erupted across Europe. The "final blow" came in 1543 as Copernicus proved Aristotle's concept of the universe wrong, which devastated the Pupils and the Chœur Céleste.
The Pupils of Parmenides remained part of the Chœur Céleste until the early 19th century, swayed into the Order of Reason properly as a new convention, the Voltarian Order.[5]
Background Information[]
- Despite only ever being mentioned by full name in two books in the 30 years between 1993 and 2023, the Pupils of Parmenides are the longest-lasting incarnation of what becomes the modern Sons of Ether.
- House Golo (17 years between 1171 and 1188)
- → Natural Philosophers' Guild (five years between 1188 and 1193)
- → Pupils of Parmenides (523 years between 1283 and 1806)
- → Voltarian Order (45 years between 1806 and 1851)
- → the Guild of Electrodyne Engineers (53 years between 1851 and 1904)
- → Sons of Ether (121 years between 1904 and 2025).
- Early teasers for Mage: The Ascension mentioned a Tradition called the "Parmenideans," which was changed to "Sons of Ether" before final publication.[citation needed]
- A number of Mage sources erroneously place the "final blow" event in 1453 rather than 1543, likely due to a simple typographical error. This mistake was eventually corrected in later books, which confirmed that the event occurred in the same century in the World of Darkness as it did in the real world.
References[]
- ↑ MTAs: Mage 20th Anniversary: Victorian Age, p. 72
- ↑ MTAs: Tradition Book: Sons of Ether, p. 11
- ↑ MTAs: Sons of Ether Tradition Book, p. 14
- ↑ MTAs: Guide to the Technocracy, p. 66
- ↑ MTAs: Technocracy: Iteration X, p. 37