Philosophies in the Core

[Jack of Tears]

While reading "Dark Tales and Disturbing Legends" I stumbled upon the argument two npcs were having about the nature of evil; whether it was inherrent or whether it human nature was molded through experience. The scene fit quite well in the adventure and it got me wondering which other, popular, philosophies one might hear discussed in learned (or even not-so-learned) society. What do you suppose are the big philosophical topics of the day in the Core overall?

Nurture vs Nature, obviously, but what else?

The origins of evil ...

Proof that humans, and men specifically, are the superior race ...

The definition and nature of the soul ...

The origins of disease, whether they be natural or supernatural ... (such as the punishment of gods, spirits, etc.)

The deffinition of life, specifically in relation to magic constructs, or necromancy ...

The difference between divine and arcane magic, philosophy or reality?

The existence of good or evil outside of human perception ...

The origin of non-human races ...

The concept of inalliable human rights vs inherrent rights of class and station?

Freedom of choice vs state enforced peace?

Chaose vs Law, or civilization vs barbarism?

What else might one hear discussed in the Solons of the Core? This sort of list might be a useful GM tool to help liven up social encounters.

[cure]

Should calibans be killed at birth?

Should demihumans be suffered to live?

Is there really a Grim Reaper?

Do you believe in the Headless Horseman?

Who took the Headless Horseman's head?

What is the best way to identify a witch? (Tepest)

What is the best way to torture a confession from a witch? (Tepest)

What is the best way to execute a witch? (Tepest)

Is being being towards death? (Darkon)

Why can't the dead rest in peace? (Darkon)

What happens to the moon during the Darkest Night? (Darkon)

What are the stars?

Did man domesticate wolves or did wolves domesticate man? (Kartakass)

Are animals moral agents too? (Kartakass)

Who tastes better, elves or humans? (Verbrek)

Who tastes better, Invidians, Borcans, the Mordentish, Valchans or Sithicans? (Verbrek)

Is madness nurture or nature?

Is Vlad Drakov obsessed with phallic symbols?

Could Bloody Jack be reformed? (Paridon)

Who is more beautiful, Gabrielle or Ivana?

Can gold buy happiness?

What is the worst thing that can happen to a man?

Do the gods exist?

Do they care?

Do they help?

Does a ship that travels too far fall off the sea?

Can one go beyond the Mists?

Why are we here?

[Gwenfloor]

Is Vlad Drakov obsessed with phallic symbols?

Yes. With all those concubines, it should be quite obvious that Vlad Drakov is a sex addict.

[HuManBing]

Are morals absolute (some things will always be bad, some things will always be good, no matter what) or relative (some bad things become okay once society rises - or falls - to a new level of objectivity)?

Should you kill the immature offspring of evil creatures or hope to turn them to good?

Is it possible to define evil as a force that is anything other than self-destructive?

Does evil depend on the existence of good for its definition?

Does my bum look big in this?

Is equality for all, regardless of talents, a good thing? Is a pure meritocratic order a good thing?

If the border between Necropolis and Darkon vanished, which ruler would get to control the other?

Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?

If God knows everything, why pray?

If God sees everything, how can free will exist?

Does a religion need to answer to human logic? If it does so, does that make it weaker or stronger?

If you ate your own foot, would you gain weight?

Is the Demiplane of Dread expanding or contracting? If it's expanding, what is the radius of the maximum observable Demiplane in parsecs given the speed of light?

Have you heard of the Millennium Falcon?

More importantly, should you have?

Why would a perfect God create a universe filled with so much that is evil?

Why would a perfect God create a universe at all?

If a person is extremely evil, is it a good act or an evil act to further add to his suffering?

If a person is extremely evil and suffering, is it a good act to release him of his suffering, by death?

[LouisVendredi]

Should you kill the immature offspring of evil creatures or hope to turn them to good?

My players wrestled with this one.

[Jakob]

Should you kill the immature offspring of evil creatures or hope to turn them to good?

My players wrestled with this one.

I always thought ANY group wrestled with this one, at least once.

[Jack of Tears]

I don't know, my group gleefully slaughtered a nest of goblin babies they came across, after wiping out the larger encampment ... mind you, they weren't in Ravenloft ... but sometimes the argument just never comes up - to some people evil is evil and that's enough.

[Cole Deschain]

I forced on Non-RL group to bodyguard a bunch of goblin women and children on a "trail of tears" sort of deal after they'd helped wiped out all of the tribe's adult warriors.

A bunch of small humanoids, forced to trap rats just so they have food, being forcibly resettled far from the mountains they grew up in.

Those guys never went massacre-happy again.

[LouisVendredi]

They also wrestled with defending a man who hit his children and killed his wife from his wife's ghost who was trying to kill him.

[NeoTiamat]

I forced on Non-RL group to bodyguard a bunch of goblin women and children on a "trail of tears" sort of deal after they'd helped wiped out all of the tribe's adult warriors.

A bunch of small humanoids, forced to trap rats just so they have food, being forcibly resettled far from the mountains they grew up in.

Those guys never went massacre-happy again.

Brilliant, if a bit heavy-handed. I'm going to borrow that idea next time any PCs of mine get slash-happy. Kudos.