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The general idea of Nietzsche's writing here (though I found it rather hard to parse at times)

seems to be that philosophy is necessarily warped by the morality of the philosopher;


essentially, in a more general sense, your preconceptions determine your world-view and the
things you are likely to believe. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne takes place in a 'Vortex World', a
world between the end of a world (ours, in this case) and the beginning of the next. The purpose
of this world is for the few survivors of the previous world to determine the shape the next
world will take--you must formulate a philosophy, or Reason, which will govern the new world.
The player's character is a powerful force within the Vortex world, and effectively chooses which
Reason will govern the new world. The way the game presents it, this is essentially the concept
Nietzsche writes about in this excerpt, writ large.

"Indeed, to understand how the abstrusest metaphysical assertions of a philosopher have been
arrived at, it is always well (and wise) to first ask oneself: "What morality do they (or does he)
aim at?"" The three Reasons are all heavily colored by the nature and morality of the person
proposing them--Musubi is formulated by an introverted man, a Reason of complete isolation, in
which each being exists within their own universe, unable to effect anything beyond their own
bubble; Yosuga is a formulated by a cutthroat young woman--it amounts to social Darwinism, in
which the strong have free reign to prey on the weak and prove superiority through brutality;
and Shijima is formulated by a rich, powerful man, and is a Reason of perfect order, in which free
will is erased, and each individual is simply a mindless cog within a great cosmic machine. The
player is also allowed to choose to return the world to its state before the apocalypse, though
they are berated for their indecisiveness and weak will for doing so.

Which is the correct solution? None, as it turns out. They are all flawed, all colored by moral
extremes. The true answer, the most involved and difficult solution, is to reject all Reasons. By
refusing to allow the new world to take shape, you break the cycle of rebirths, and in doing so,
you bring about the end of the world--the final battle between God and Lucifer

--relate this (and the Nietzsche part) back to religion with thoughts about religious doctrine and
scripture being influenced and shaped by personal philosophies--different writers and translators
had their own beliefs and agendas, and the selection of the books which make up Christian
biblical canon were selected by people within the church with their own agendas; there is
evidence to suggest there was a strong political component to what was considered 'canon'.
example from bible: Paul's condemnation of homosexuality; Paul was a man who may have been
divinely inspired, but still a man regardless, with his own set of beliefs which may or may not
reflect the will of God.

--SMT's version of God is a tyrant; the philosophy of 'Law' is embodied in perfect obedience to
God's will, with no deviation, no free will; like Shijima, it is a philosophy in which an individual is
no more than a cog in the machine. Research/address how this runs counter to the current
conception of the Christian god. The philosophy of Chaos is Yosuga-like, consisting of no set law
beyond the right of the strong to prey upon the weak. The 'neutral' philosophy is explicitly
humanist--it rejects both God and demons, allowing humanity to choose its own path.

--Strange Journey turns this on its head somewhat; in ancient times, God conquered the earth's
'mother goddesses' and, as belief in God wavers in the modern day, they attempt to reclaim the
Earth from God and humanity. It is implied that humanity is destroying the environment, and the
end result of a neutral path is shown to be a wasteland, an Earth devastated by man's actions.
The game seems to imply that the proper path is Chaos--to restore the Mother Goddesses and
reshape the world to protect life

--

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