Kevin Fishburne commented, on the penultimate post in this series, that it would be interesting to hear a meditation on the anti-Virtues. And, indeed, it has been my wont in the past to touch on that which opposes whichever Virtue I am discussing in a meditation series. As such, that will be the topic for today’s post.

So what is the anti-Virtue of Spirituality?

I think that, more than any other Virtue in the Ultima series, Spirituality arguably has multiple opposing anti-Virtues. The obvious one to point to, the school of thought that also gives us the name of the anti-Spirituality dungeon, is Hylotheism. I’ve actually discussed Hylotheism previously; it’s a bizarre doctrine that kit-bashes elements of secular materialism with various theistic principles. It posits that the supernatural does not exist, but that the universe is itself God (or a god), and that the distinction between matter and other elements of the universe is a semantic one only.

Spirituality is, as previously discussed, the concern for one’s innermost being, one’s approach to the principles of Truth, Love and Courage, and one’s awareness of how one is united, via those principles, to the inner and outer beings of others. Hylotheism, conversely, would posit that the inner being either does not exist or is indistinct from the physical being, and would likely also posit that Truth, Love, and Courage do not exist (since they aren’t directly observable constituents of the universe), and thus cannot serve as moral touchstones. Thus, it is arguably the case that Hylotheism is one of the anti-Virtues of Spirituality.

Interestingly, Hylotheism shares some elements of panentheism with Hasidic Judaism…albeit Hasidism arguably views the consubstantiality of the Divine and the physical as something which bolsters the Spiritual call and connection between persons.

But in looking at how Ultima has portrayed that which opposes Spirituality in the past, we cannot ignore the twisting of the Virtue that took place in Ultima 5:

Thou shalt enforce the laws of virtue, or thou shalt die as a heretic.

This isn’t Hylotheism. The most obvious real-world parallel here is state-sanctioned religion, or perhaps religious compulsion. Certainly, one could point to any number of historical examples, in which conversion to one religion or another, or away from religion entirely, was imposed upon large populations at once, and/or upon individuals.

Underlying the law above, though, is an exhortation to legalism. Consider the effect of the law as stated: one satisfies its requirements (and, indeed, can arguably thrive under same) by maximizing the external affectations of Virtue. If you can call to mind the Biblical parable of the hypocrites in the Temple who give alms very visibly, and to great fanfare, then you have some idea of the sort of “Virtue” (or, at least, the demonstration thereof) that becomes commonplace under this law.

It is the concern for affectation, rather than the outpouring of affection, that animates this anti-Spirituality. One need not actually be Virtuous; one need only appear as such. This attitude stands in stark contrast to Spirituality at its core, which is not intrinsically glamorous. I’m reminded here of the “Little Way” of St. Thérèse of Lisieux:

“Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love.”

Put more plainly, Thérèse’s “Little Way” was not to strive to do great deeds, but to do little, everyday deeds with great love. And I think that the Spiritual ideal of Ultima is something like that; it does not call on a person to be grandiose, but simply to be authentic and acting fully out of Truth, Love, and Courage in every action, no matter how mundane. In contrast, “Spirituality” under Blackthorn, is the twisting of that ideal to instead service Falsehood, Hatred and Cowardice: it encourages inauthentic action, discourages the mundane and exalts the grandiose demonstration of the externals of Virtue, whilst caring not for what is at the core of those actions.

I’ve talked before about how, to my mind, each of the Eight Virtues arguably exists as a golden mean between two opposing anti-Virtues, only one of which ever seems to come up for dicusssion in the Ultima games (e.g. Valour is opposed, yes, by Cowardice, but also arguably by Recklessness). I think this is actually quite formally evident in how Spirituality is portrayed in the series, however; we can see here how the Virtue does exist as a kind of midpoint between two extreme, and arguably opposite, opposing principles.