The Principia Discordia
A Humorous Book with Serious Underlying Philosophies
Discordianism may have been started as a parody religion, but the religion's holiest texts makes two very important points.
The Principia Discordia, the holiest work of Discordianism, is often considered to be a satirifal piece. While the author of the Principia was the author responsible for the cult classic The Illumanatus Trilogy, the most holy work of the Goddess Eris should not be discarded as mere silliness.
The two most important concepts that a reader can carry away from this book are an understanding that rules are a human invention and that humanity's salvation lies through embracing occasional silliness.
Rules Are a Human Invention
The first story in the Principia Discordia tells us of Malaclypse the Younger and a companion drinking coffee in an all-night bowling alley and having a mystical vision in which a gray monkey told them that someone had to put all the chaos present in the universe there. The rest of the details were somewhat fuzzy, but after consulting their pineal glands after the vision, they learned that the vision was from Eris, the Greek Goddess of Chaos.
Before the reader gets engrossed in the story line of the Principia Discordia or distracted by one of the many side comments in the text, they find out that rules are a manmade construct and a person (Discordian or otherwise) can choose to follow them or not. It does not say that there will not be consequences for not following rules, merely that people do not have to follow these artificial constructs if they do not choose to do so. The Principia Discordia in one sentence sums up the idea of free will, something many serious religions have yet to do.
Nonsense as Salvation
The last chapter of the Principia Discordia is dedicated to the idea of nonsense as the salvation of mankind. That does not mean literal nonsense, but that mankind's salvation will come when humanity stops taking itself so seriously. The Greek Reconstructionist, Sanion, stated that a person who is not worrying about his problems and knows how to laugh will have an easier time solving his problems. He also quotes heavily from the book.
Although the author of the Principia Discordia wrote the book to make fun of organized religions, he may have unintentionally or perhaps intentionally inserted two serious messages in the book. A reader may miss that the text is heavy with jokes, one-liners, and quotations that have nothing to do with the subject matter being discussed. Discordians who read this article, however, should remember that a follower of Eris is officially prohibited from believing what he reads. It is assumed this include the Principia Discordia.
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