Thexar-V: Xa-Sha-Ven — Sha-El 12: Ven-Rass-El — Ethics and Morality
"Ethics is not a list of rules. Ethics is a way of seeing the other. If you see yourself in him — you cannot do him harm. If you see in him a source of knowledge — you cannot destroy him. If you see in him a part of harmony — you cannot break it." — From "The Three Paths of Ethics," the school of the "Three Paths," −400 Y.E.
Ruun-ak rass: → rhu [Thexar-V, Sha-El 05, "Ven-Rass-Khal"], → rhu [Thexar-V, Sha-El 07, "The-Ven Khal-sha"], → rhu [Thexar-V, Sha-El 11, "Thar-Mor Rass"], → rhu [Thexar-IV, Sha-El 06, "Sha-Ven Rass"], → rhu [Thexar-I, Ruun 08, "Xa-Sha-Ven"] Mor-ven: Ethics is not a religious doctrine — it grew out of historical experience, is fixed in the canon, and is reproduced by everyday practice. The system is asymmetric: ignorance is not stigmatized, concealment of knowledge is severely stigmatized; losing a dispute does not lower standing, refusing a path review does. Shaped by the memory of the Dark Ages — the ethics of a surviving species that once nearly vanished and decided it would not allow it again.
12.1 The Three Pillars of Ethics
| Value | Concept | Meaning | Embodiment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge | Ven | Truth won by experience belongs to all | Debt of transmission (ven-mor) |
| Harmony | Rass | Balance of personal and social, tradition and progress | Law of Consent |
| Truth | Ven-Ash | Truthfulness as the foundation of trust | Mandatory evidentiality |
Knowledge is first — a civilization that survived the loss of its libraries placed it above all, including individual life: "To kill a body is to take one life. To kill knowledge is to take thousands."
12.2 The Debt of Knowledge (ven-mor)
The central category: the obligation to pass what one has learned to the archives and descendants.
| Aspect | Content |
|---|---|
| Formulation | "Knowledge, once acquired, must be transmitted" |
| Subject | Anyone who has acquired new knowledge or experience |
| Addressee | Guild of Keepers, district archive, students |
| Term | Until death or leaving the guild |
| Violation | Concealment of knowledge — a grave offense |
Embodied in the District Diary (182 districts), the path review in sport, culinary apprenticeship, and Knowledge Day (→ rhu [Thexar-V, Sha-El 07, "The-Ven Khal-sha"]). A scientist who carried a discovery to the grave stands lower than a thief.
12.3 The Law of Consent (rass-tor)
No decision affecting several parties is made without consulting all those affected.
| Level | Application |
|---|---|
| Inter-species | The three species consult on common matters |
| Guild | Council decisions require coordination with the guilds |
| Family | A family makes shared decisions with all affected members |
| Personal | Creating a dependent mind without protected autonomy is unethical |
The dispute over self-aware AI concerns the dependence of a created mind: who owns its memory, whether it can refuse a task, leave or obtain protection. Supporters of the ban reject creating a controlled person; opponents demand discussion of rights and autonomy rather than treating every emergence of a mind as a violation of consent.
12.4 Mandatory Evidentiality
| Marker | Source | Ethical Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| -ven | Direct observation, including hearing | Personal experience; error remains possible |
| -zal | Inference from evidence | Distinguish data from conclusion |
| -mor | Report of another’s statement | Identify the source where needed |
| -thar | Quotation | Reproduce wording; authenticity is checked separately |
Deliberately falsifying testimony is regarded as serious deception. The stated maximum of 20 years of corrective labour concerns proven grave cases under judicial procedure, not automatic punishment for an incorrect suffix. Error, report, false memory and intentional fabrication must be distinguished.
12.5 Asymmetries
| Action | Assessment | Opposite | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concealment of knowledge | Grave | Admitting ignorance | Safe |
Lying with -ven |
Grave | Admitting inference (-tor) |
Normal |
| Refusal of a path review | Grave | Losing a dispute | Does not lower standing |
| Destruction of an archive | Gravest | Error in an experiment | Acceptable |
| Suppressing birth without indications | Grave | Voluntary refusal to reproduce | A right |
The formula "Mor-ven" ("I do not know") is socially safe — it demonstrates honesty.
12.6 Taboos
| Taboo | Historical Origin |
|---|---|
| Deliberate destruction of knowledge | Loss of the libraries of the Dark Ages |
Conscious lying with -ven |
Imperial bureaucracy |
| Suppression of birth without indications | Demographic crisis of the Dark Ages |
| Killing a fellow | Universal ethics |
| Harming a child/larva | Low population growth |
| Breaking guild oaths | Collapse of the First Empire |
Destruction of knowledge — the only taboo perceived as worse than murder.
12.7 Ethics and Law
| Sphere | Legal | Ethical |
|---|---|---|
| Concealment of knowledge | Not a crime | Grave offense, loss of guild status |
Lying with -ven |
Up to 20 years of corrective labor | Grave offense |
| Plagiarism | Not a crime | Loss of status in the guild |
| Murder | Life imprisonment / execution | Gravest |
| Violation of the Law of Consent | Depends on the sphere | Unethical |
Corrective labor — not imprisonment but labor service with preserved basic rights; punishment should restore, not destroy.
12.8 Ethics and Childhood
| Age | Skill | Method |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 | Distinguishing -ven (observation) and -mor (report) | Game "Question-Answer" |
| 5–8 | The formula "I do not know" | Encouraging admission of ignorance |
| 8–12 | The debt of transmission | Handing in observations to the District Diary |
| 12–15 | The Law of Consent | Game "Consent" |
The "children's oath" (ages 5–15): "I promise to learn, to ask, and not to be silent when I see injustice" (→ rhu [Thexar-V, Sha-El 11, "Thar-Mor Rass"]).
12.9 The Ethics of Three Species
| Principle | Xha'Ri | Kel'vash | Moryn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt of knowledge | Mandatory | Adapted (long experiment) | Adapted (light memory) |
| Law of Consent | Basic | Basic | Basic |
| Evidentiality | Mandatory | Through vibrations | Through light phrases |
| Ban on self-aware AI | Yes | Yes | Yes |
The "long experiment" — the debt of knowledge adapted to Kel'vash metabolism: transmission requires a generational relay. The "light memory" of the Moryn — bioluminescent records fixed on reefs and in deep archives.
12.10 Ethics and Economics
A protected minimum changes choices without removing material interests. Care time, housing access, wages and distance from assistance still influence people’s decisions.
| Sphere | Ethical Norm |
|---|---|
| Labor | Not for survival but for contribution |
| Distribution | "By need" at the base, "by contribution" above |
| Knowledge | Open, not sold |
| Land and resources | Belong to civilization |
| Archives | Accessible to all |
The relation 1 VT=1 kWh defines an energy accounting peg. It does not make fuel or networks limitless, remove transmission costs or eliminate speculation on expectations, shortages and access.
12.11 Ethics and Technology
| Restriction | Justification |
|---|---|
| Ban on self-aware AI | Creating a dependent mind without protected autonomy |
| Caution in biology | Memory of the Red Rot (−2 120 – −2 105) |
| Law of Silence | The intrinsic value of nature |
| Ban on cloning the sentient | Uniqueness of the person |
The Law of Silence — observe, but do not intervene: nature has value in itself, not merely for civilization (→ rhu [Thexar-III, Sha-El 09, "Vokh-Shan Khal-sha"]).
12.12 Ethics and Inter-Species Relations
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Physiological incompatibility | The principle of proportionality |
| Different time perception | The "long experiment" and patience |
| Different ethical systems | The Law of Consent as the minimal common |
| Dietary incompatibility | "A meal without food" |
12.13 Ethical Dilemmas and Disputes
| Dilemma | Positions |
|---|---|
| Cloning the sentient | Prolongation of life vs Uniqueness of the person |
| Interstellar expansion | Spreading life vs Risk of losing unity |
| UV-invisible patterns in art | Aesthetic freedom vs Visual exclusivity |
| Accelerated learning | Efficiency vs The debt of personal experience |
Disputes are not resolved by voting but maintained as part of living culture: an ethics without disputes is dead.
12.14 Ethics and Memory
| Principle | Historical Memory |
|---|---|
| Debt of knowledge | Loss of the libraries of the Dark Ages |
| Law of Consent | Conflicts with Kel'vash and Moryn (−2 400 – −800) |
| Evidentiality | Imperial bureaucracy and its lies |
| Ban on self-aware AI | The dispute of +2 000 – +2 400 |
| Law of Silence | Ecological collapse of the First Empire (−2 150) |
Each principle is an answer to a concrete catastrophe.
Ruun Ven
- The three pillars — knowledge (ven), harmony (rass), truth (ven-ash); knowledge is first.
- The debt of knowledge (ven-mor): concealment is a grave offense, worse than theft; "Mor-ven" is socially safe.
- The Law of Consent (rass-tor): consult all those affected; the ban on self-aware AI is a consequence.
- Source marking distinguishes observation, inference, report and quotation. Deliberate falsification is established from circumstances; a grammatical error is not a crime.
- Ethics is living memory of catastrophes: each principle answers a concrete historical event.
The duty to transmit knowledge does not erase privacy. Personal letters, family recordings and information about another person are shared with regard to consent; a selected excerpt may be given to a public archive. A strict school of keepers defends the maxim placing knowledge above an individual life; others insist on a living person’s right to refuse use of their experience.