Social Ethics
Description, Justification, Philosophies Satanism index page
By Vexen Crabtree 2002 Oct 30 | Read / Write Comments
Social EthicsBy Vexen Crabtree 2002 Oct 30 | Read / Write Comments
This essay:
A look at the major ethics and moral teachings found within Satanism including those that are generally ignored.
"The Satanist [...] should have the ability to decide what is just" - Satanic Bible7
Do whatever you want as long as you harm no undeserving person
Lex Talionis
Social Stratification3
Respect people, their territory and belongings. Let others do the same to you, else destroy them.1
You can do whatever you want, but you pay the consequences
Responsibility to the responsible2
Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself1
Legalism
"The main point of Satanism is that we do what is best for ourselves. The laws are secondary to that. A Satanist who breaks the laws of Satanism is either short sighted, stupid, or has a good reason. The rules are also for the protection of Satanism, so that outsiders (who easily pick up "rules") can quickly get an overview of the type of theology he is dealing with in Satanism.Satanism is individualistic, not legalistic, especially when it comes to morals and rules. Outsiders to Satanism sometimes approach the rules and laws too legalistically; they assume that like religions they are familiar with that there is a taboo involved in breaking the laws of Satanism. There is no taboo. It is not compulsory for Satanists do follow these "rules". It is not expected. Satanists never engage in debates over whether someone has broken these. A Satanist who absconded another and said "Hey, aren't you forgetting this particular Satanic Rule of the Earth..." would be laughed at and generally considered a legalistic sheep.
Left hand path is a path where the individual mostly learns for himself what is right or wrong. According to one's personal beliefs "right" and "wrong" can differ greatly. There are very few absolutes or universals in Satanism."
"Laws, Sins and Rules of Satanism" by Vexen Crabtree 2002 July 24
These ethics are, however, generally agreed on by Satanists before they convert to Satanism and are still good as a summary of how many Satanists think.
Religions and Ethics
When people approach a religious text, or any large book from which they intend to derive ethical teachings, nearly without exception the person will pick up the book and pay very particular attention to all the morals they already agreed with. A homophobe will pick up the Christian Bible and realise that Homosexuality is an evil sin. A misogynist will pick it up and realise that after all this time he's right: Women are inferior, and he can quote the Bible to prove it. People get, from religious texts, what they put into them.
Satanism is no different, just a lot more honest. A hateful person will pick up The Satanic Bible and use it to justify hatred. A compassionate person will use it to understand Human Compassion and increase it within themselves. More sexually minded people will absorb the wealth of sexual text in The Satanic Bible. Etc.
So I am under no delusion. As I work through the ethics I find in Satanism I know full well that I am merely picking out things that I agree with and interpreting text in a way I like. Sometimes consciously so. It is impossible to read ethics derived from large texts in any other way, it is inescapable Human nature. That's not to say I don't try. In places I disagree or ignore LaVey's text, and I will say so where I feel this is true. I am trying to present working ethics, and sometimes that does involve a little imagination with the text.
Deterrents and Promotions
Several of the laws and sins given by LaVey serve as general advise that only really applies to the young, immature or overly rebellious Satanists. They serve to deter these people from joining Satanism by making it clear that Satanism is not for them and they also serve to act as advise on how such people can improve their lives by abiding by these rules.
1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked
2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them
3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal
6. Do not steal (paraphrased)
7 is not relevant.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself
9. Do not harm little children
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him
1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked
For an experienced, young, stupid or naive person operating within a Satanic community, or in any formal setting, this is very good advise. Knowing your own naivety is a high blessing. However it is not universal advise and there are many times when your opinion is warranted even when not asked. For example, I could voice my opinion on something to aid someone's understanding, or for many reasons, and derive many benefits such as friendship, constructive debate, a sense of accomplishment. This rule is good advise, but if you are a mature person then it is not relevant in most situations. I call this a "neophyte" rule, something that you can ignore once you've got your bearings.
Proceeding to interpret this Rule in a way that results in an obvious Rule that is best obeyed nearly all the time. I feel that this Rule is more related to discussions of religion, as it is a religious statement itself. I employ it to mean "Do not give opinions on Satanism unless you are asked" which is damn good advise. Unless it comes up and you are asked about it it is very good advise not to casually talk about Satanism. Even the most evangelistic Satanists do not wonder around introducing themselves as "Simon, a Satanist"... this would be the height of self destructive rebellion in the name of cheap thrills at the expense of all respect. If you are the type of person to show yourself up with pretentious and immature public Satanic declarations then this rule is very much for you! Simply do not give your opinion unless asked!
However, mature and sensible people will be able to give their opinions when appropriate, with particular reserve about statements of their own affiliation. When in doubt, say "I'm an atheist" and debate as such.
2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them
This is wise advise. I had in mind initially to write that this advise is simply ignored... but thinking about it, it is common sense and it something I adhere to. I don't whinge, publicly moan or attention seek through telling people my problems. My friends and those that trust in me are the ones I divulge my troubles too, because I know they benefit from doing that to me, a trusted friend, in return. The disadvantages of whinging to those who aren't interested are manifold, they will think you are immature, failing, a psychic vampire leeching off of their attention.
I interpret this to apply in normal social situations, as part of normal relations. Professional relations are different. If you pay an analyst to listen to you, then you should tell them your problems even if you suspect that deep down they don't really want to know!
3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there
4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy
There have been multiple times when someone in my "lair" has annoyed me. Sometimes I forgive, sometimes I don't. However I don't think I've ever treated anyone cruelly and without mercy. Likewise I have definitely annoyed people (sometimes even intentionally) when in their own domain. They haven't treated me without mercy either, and I don't believe they'd have warrant to do so (authoritive condemnation of my actions would be a much better start)... My conclusion is that these laws are broken, or that I am not capable of interpreting what LaVey meant by them. I think he may meant "you have a right to treat people in your home how you wish", which would explain why you have to give respect in someone else's place, because they too have this right.
5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal
People have asked what is the mating signal, I interpret this to mean, simply, that you should take care. Be careful not to make up signals due to your own wishful thinking.
6. Do not steal from people (paraphrased)
Exceptions abound to this and always have done. I needn't give examples. I think this rule is designed to make neophyte Satanists and young rebels think before they steal, to make them reconsider if what they are doing is truly good for themselves. Without rules like this, Satanism could fail be a prop in a person's development if they need such a prop. It's a "just in case you're a moron, I wish to tell you not to steal" kind of rule.
"Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved" is very similar to rules of other major religions. In Buddhism it is reflected in the Second Precept (of the Five Precepts of Right Conduct in Therevada Buddhism), "not to take what is not given"6 and Christianity's Eigth Commandment, "Do Not Steal". What Buddhism and Satanism have, common sense, is sometimes lacking in the Christian consideration of this as an "absolute". For example, who wouldn't steal a weapon from a maniac? It is only meant as a simplistic guide.
7 is not relevant.
Satanic Rule of the Earth 7 is a rule about the application of magic and not a statement about ethics.
8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself
This is one of the greatest pieces of social advise ever. Satanists aim to be powerful people, taking their lives into their own hands because if you can't look after yourself, no-one else will. If something is wrong that you could easily change then change it. It's pro-active. Don't moan, complain or whinge, simply deal with it. Life is not fair and never will be, you need to not complain about that which is not fair and go about rectifying the problem.
9. Do not harm little children
Similar to rule 6, I think this acts as a statement to deter some of the crazy people that Satanism attracts. These people will either avoid LaVey Satanism or adopt it and change their ways. In either case there is no excuse for the harming of our young, LaVey expands on this law along with most the others in his writings, and states "do not harm little children, for they are our future".
10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food
Similar to 9 and 6, in that this serves to act as a prompt to those who think that Satanism involves animal sacrifice. Harming animals is stupid and pointless. Once this statement is understood, along with others, to be a kind of disclaimer as to what Satanism is not about, you can also understand the exception to this rule. For example farmyard animal are frequently killed for food even if not for your own food. Sometimes killing animals that are suffering and in pain is good. These exceptions distract from the literal interpretation of this rule, but not from the intended function of this rule which is to point out that Satanists are not (and should not be) immature animal torturers.
People are messed up and some of these messed up people find their way to Satanism. If they take it seriously, such advise will aid their development past rebellious and misguided behavior that involves animal abuse.
"Historically animal sacrifice has gone hand in hand with religion. It is only the post-Roman Empire religious world that has fully rejected animal worship. It remains in the holy books of the world's major traditional religions, and is still practiced by some Earth religions. In order for Satanism to be out of the ordinary, it would have to actually reject animal worship. Satanism does see man "as just another animal, sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours", so it can be expected that Satanism has an untraditional attitude towards animal sacrifice."
"Animal Sacrifice" by Vexen Crabtree 2001 Jan 20
11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him
It is not ethical to allow our species to decay and self destruct because the individuals that make up society are too meek to confront aggravating behavior. This statement accords with Lex Talionis that we will get to later in this text.
"I do not interpret "destroy" to mean "kill", as this would be stupid to kill those who merely bother me. I interpret this to mean that you should not take any shit whilst going about your life. Don't let yourself get trampled on. "Destroy" means that you remove that person as a risk"
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires!The Nine Satanic Statement
Anton LaVey 1969
Click to view list on Church of Satan's home page
4. Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates!
In reality, kindness is bestowed upon those people who are grateful. In society, kindness is given most freely to those who reciprocate as normal members of society should. If you do not grant a person respect when they are kind to you, they and people around you will cease being kind to you. Satan as reality is harsh. If you are kind to someone and they do not act appropriately then cease being kind because you are not (in many circumstances) going to help them by fuelling their self destructive social retardness.
5. Satan represents vengeance, instead of turning the other cheek!
It is simply and unfortunately true that if you do not look after yourself, if you allow yourself to be trodden on, your life is going to suffer. All of society suffers when wrongs can freely be committed. Not all wrongs are illegal. Not all vengeance is illegal either.
6. Satan represents responsibility to the responsible, instead of concern for psychic vampires!
Psychic vampires are social parasites. LaVey expands on this in The Satanic Bible. Those who are capable should rule, those who can do a job should be the ones doing it, etc. Those who are capable of delivering social justice should be the ones to do it.
Also see:
The ethic of Reciprocity is called "The Golden Rule" by Christians and "The Wiccan Rede" by Wiccans.
"This Golden Rule is called the Ethic of Reciprocity and is the most universal moral code known; appearing in nearly all cultures, being derived from multiple teachers, religions and philosophies at different times in different ways (including Zoroastrianism); dated to at least 1500bce.""The Golden Rule" by Vexen Crabtree 2001 Dec 28
It is "Do not treat people in a way that you would not accept them treating you".
Criticism of the Ethic of Reciprocity
"What you have described there is essentially the Wiccan Rede. Nice concept, however (IMHO), doesn't work in the Real World, where the vast majority doesn't follow the rule and are always willing to push you down downhill in order to gain some shortsighted narrowminded goal. And thats what we have, an endless power struggle. It might work, if you would isolate yourself from the rest of the society (until you start developing multiple personalities in your isolation)."Mikko, in a post to the London Satanists on 2002 Oct 28
The ethic of reciprocity in Satanism
The version that appears in Satanism is "Do what thou will, as long as you harm no undeserving person". I think "as long as you harm no undeserving person" adds a large quantity of realism to LaVey's version. It is ethical to "Do whatever you want as long as you harm no undeserving person". Satanists are not ethical all the time. I wouldn't believe someone if they claimed to be!
I don't expect many Satanists to agree with the Golden Rule as the Wiccans or Christians see it. The former version is not a practical ethic, as Mikko pointed out, and the latter version (turn the other cheek...) is just a plain disaster. I return to Satanism and Social order when talking about Lex Talionis.
It means you must accept they anyone has the same rights as you to do whatever you do (and more, if they don't mind you doing it to them too). Such ethical systems are egalitarian (now that I think of it), just plain wrong, in my opinion! Although, it is still a popular ethic and many (I bet some Satanists do) repeat it. Sometimes it's because they haven't heard it criticised.
Related essay:
"Satanism is pro-sexuality. Sexuality is a pure form of pleasure, something that satisfies our deepest purpose in life. Modern life allows us to enjoy sex without the risks of unplanned pregnancies and sexual diseases assuming that sense is taken. Which it should be. Satanism supports any fetish, kink or flavor of sexual encounter as long as all parties involved are consenting. Some people like quality, some people like quantity.A number of essays and texts by LaVey concentrate on the use and expression of sexual energy, but as social tools and energy within ritual. Boyd Rice says 'LaVey understood that wasn't one cookie-cutter for everyone [...] Sexual freedom doesn't mean having as much sex as possible, it means having the kind of sex you want.' Our strongest emotions and desires are sexual, we are sexual beings, it drives and motivates us more than any other factor.
Our sexuality is fluid: It cannot be oppressed. Denying our sexuality simply causes its waters to flow into other areas, sometimes in very unhealthy ways, honestly and expression fare much better than repression. Satanism is informed by modern and learned psychological, medical and scientific opinions on sex, there is no dogmatic principles or religious intolerance of sexuality within Satanism. It is very optimistic, positive and healthy: This can only be expected of such a carnal religion of the flesh such as Satanism!"
In physics terms all actions have an equal and opposite reaction. All of our actions have consequences. The worse the action, the worse the consequences will be. This is why stupidity is the cardinal sin of Satanism. There is no divine retribution for wrongs done in life and no karmic system of rewards for the rights we do. We pay directly for everything we do, through direct cause and affect.
Your life can only be wilfully changed through your own actions. Satanism thinks more in terms of cause and effect, of Lex Talionis, than it does of morality or ethics.
Satanism has adopted a less literal approach to the Law of the Talon, as retribution and punishment (the effect of actions) may be greater than the actual if people wish, or less, if we wish. Depending, of course, on the cause and effect of the actions of the retributor on himself!
Strategic self preservation actually results in moral behavior, and self empowerment is a route to social stability.
Social:
"Stratification - The point on which all the others ultimately rest. There can be no more myth of "equality" for all - it only translates to "mediocrity" and supports the weak at the expense of the strong. Water must be allowed to seek its own level without interference from apologists for incompetence. No one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity."Anton LaVey, "Pentagonal Revisionism" point One
More on Equality:
Stupidity is the cardinal sin of Satanism. As the cardinal sin, Stupidity is the cause of all other sins. Anti-stupidity is also the source of most Satanic ethics. Most of the above can be boiled down to a discussion of what is most self-beneficial to do and most the time, because of the way our species is, this frequently means social effects are of utmost importance. A Satanist is not stupid and we know that long term consequences should always be taken into account and this is main step in making sure that the strong, yourself, survives. The rest may do as they please.
Sin, that which is bad for the self, is nearly always a form of stupidity and ethics are generally geared towards teaching and educating people to avoid that which is bad for the self. As sin is bad for the self, any system that eradicates stupidity is ethical... or at least hugely desirable.
Related Essays:
LaVey, Anton [Who Is?]
"The Satanic Bible". 1969, Avon Books Inc, New York, USA.
Notes: