Difference between revisions of "Order of the Invisible Hand"

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== Structure ==
 
== Structure ==
  
No leadership figures have been identified by Knootian Intelligence Agencies]] at present. The Order has not been successfully infiltrated by the [[AIVD]] at present. The cult is speculated not to have a strong hierarchical structure, but is founded on an intricate international network. The possibility of a pyramidal system with monetary attachments cannot be excluded. Methods of Cult financing are unknown.
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No leadership figures have been identified by Knootian Intelligence Agencies]] at present. The Order has not been successfully infiltrated by the [[[[Knootian Intelligence Agencies]]|AIVD]] at present. The cult is speculated not to have a strong hierarchical structure, but is founded on an intricate international network. The possibility of a pyramidal system with monetary attachments cannot be excluded. Methods of Cult financing are unknown.
  
 
== Security risk to governments ==
 
== Security risk to governments ==

Revision as of 08:16, 23 October 2004

The Order of the Invisible Hand

Summary

The Order of the Invisible Hand is a rapidly growing cult that worships the (free) Market and the workings of the Market. The belief in the Market, in Market forces, has been separated from the factual production of goods and services. It has become an end in itself. The ‘invisible hand’ is a reference to Adam Smiths work: ‘An Inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of Nations.’ (1776) which tells of an invisible hand that every individual labours with, that by promoting intentionally the self-interest the interest of the whole is unintentionally best furthered. Order Doctrine has been identified via public sources and will be laid out in this report. Membership of the cult and the amount of penetration of societal elites however remains mysterious.

Origins

At present, the exact origins of the Order are unknown. The first signs of activity of this new cult have been found by our agency amongst key figures in South American corporate and political elites. (See: Knootian Colombia) However it would seem to be logical that the origins of this cult lie in more advanced western economies where the culture to feed such a movement exists. The capitalist crisis, with its shrinking profit rates, may have inspired the corporate elite to revive 19th century economic liberalism and push it to its very limits.


Structure

No leadership figures have been identified by Knootian Intelligence Agencies]] at present. The Order has not been successfully infiltrated by the [[Knootian Intelligence Agencies|AIVD]] at present. The cult is speculated not to have a strong hierarchical structure, but is founded on an intricate international network. The possibility of a pyramidal system with monetary attachments cannot be excluded. Methods of Cult financing are unknown.

Security risk to governments

Contrary to what ideology would suggest, the Order appears to be either benign in its resistance, or outright friendly towards States.

Doctrine suggests that the Market needs the state because without the State there would be no free Market, no Market forces, and no resulting Market society. The existence of a police and a legal system are not condemned by cult doctrine. In scriptures, the (ideal) government is mentioned as an 'ideal all-around capitalist', who must uphold not just the society as such, but the 'Market element'. The different forms of state interventionism are explained both as an expression of functional needs of the accumulation and reproduction process of capital. The general requirements of capital accumulation such as basic infrastructure, functioning law systems and legitimisation mechanisms are tasks that cannot be carried out by individuals, but instead require a "fictive all-around-capitalist". This "Market referee" must guarantee the fulfilment of these tasks in the interest of maintaining the system of the Market.

The relationship between supporters of the Order and opponents of the free Market is similar to that of democrats and anti-democrats. They are enemies, inherently, without the possibility of compromise. According to doctrine, the free Market either exists, or it does not exist. It can disappear by consent or without consent. Any attempt to end the free Market is, by definition, an attempt to overthrow the fundamental social structure. To quote Order Scripture: “The state exists to preserve the Market. It uses force to defend the Market and advance its power. Obey a state that protects the Market.”

The security risk to governments deemed by the Order as ‘defending the Market’ is very low. The effects of possible infiltration in the higher ranks could be political, however, as Order cultists can be expected to push for pro-business, anti-welfare and anti-government interference neo-liberal policies.

The risk to governments not seen by the cult as ‘defending the Market’ (ie. Communist nations that have illegalised private enterprise) is unknown at present, but analysts predict it to be medium-to-high. What measures the cult is willing to deploy against ‘enemies of the Market’ is unknown. Suicidal attacks are deemed unlikely, however. There is a high probability of cultists attempting to use public power against such governments.


Ideology

The definition of Order Doctrine presented suggests that the Order has been underestimated.

General Characteristics of the Order ideology

  • The belief in the moral necessity of Market forces in all areas of society is probably the first defining feature of the Order. The Market is the sacred primary process, and Market transactions are the primary interaction. Cultists believe that important aspects of society should be determined by the Market, certainly the distribution of income and wealth. Order Doctrine extends this belief, claiming that all social life should be determined by the Market.
  • A general characteristic of Order Doctrine is the desire to intensify and expand the Market, by increasing the number, frequency, repeatability, and formalisation of transactions. The ultimate (unreachable) goal of the Order is a universe where “every action of every being is a Market transaction, conducted in competition with every other being and influencing every other transaction, with transactions occurring in an infinitely short time, and repeated at an infinitely fast rate.” This overlaps with semi-religious beliefs in the interconnectedness of the cosmos.

Some specific aspects of Order Doctrine

  • The belief in ‘entrepreneurs’, as the good and necessary social group. Without the entrepreneur there is no free Market, therefore Cultists demand a privileged social status for the entrepreneur. Documents take a have a quasi-heroic attitude to the this profession, and the general idea is that everyone should be an entrepreneur.
  • The Order is hostile to economic self-sufficiency and has repeatedly published against it. This antipathy is so strong that they believed in war to 'open up Markets'. (See also: ‘Security risk to governments’)
  • Cultists are hostile to trade barriers: "free trade" is a classic slogan of Market liberalism. That meant traditionally, the free flow of goods and capital: Order Doctrine later developed a more diffuse version, where 'flow' and 'interaction' are treated as quasi-ethical values.
  • All Cultists are hostile to interference in the Market, by church, state or others Cultists are clearly anti-utopian, in the sense of opposing economic planning, especially centralised state control of the entire economy. They believe that the Market produces the best 'design for society', and that is is wrong to substitute any other design. However, as mentioned before there is no inherent hostility to governments seen as ‘defending the Market.’
  • Followers tend to see the world in term of Market metaphors. Referring to nations as companies is typical. In such a view Reichskamphen GmbH competes with Iansisle Ltd, Knootoss BV and Menelmacar Inc. This looks back on the theory of mercantilism - which saw the countries of Europe as competing units.

Competition for inward investment is seen by Knootian analysts as a core doctrine where it regards political activism. These policies are easy to understand and generally unpopular: wage cuts, less money for public services, less tax on the rich. The nation according to IH principles, in other words, behaves like a caricaturally mean and nasty capitalist.

  • Order Doctrine has provided answers to stereotypical philosophical questions such as "Why are we here" and "What should I do?". We are here for the Market, and you should compete. Sentient beings exist for the Market, and not the other way around. Those who do not participate have failed in some way. In personal ethics, the general vision is that every human being is an entrepreneur managing their own life, and should act as such.

The general ethical precept of Order Doctrine can be summarised approximately as:

  • 1) "act in conformity with Market forces"
  • 2) "within this limit, act also to maximise the opportunity for others to conform to the Market forces generated by your action"
  • 3) "hold no other goals"

Conclusion

For followers of the Order of the Invisible Hand it is not sufficient that there is a Market: there must be nothing which is not Market. There is therefore no distinction between a Market economy and a Market society in Order Doctrine. With the attitudes and ethics set out above, there is only Market: Market society, Market culture, Market values, Market persons Marketing themselves to other Market persons. In a sense Order Doctrine has returned to the position of early liberalism - which also combined culture, values and ethics with economics. But Order Doctrine brings a far more intensive 'Market' - replacing not only traditional social forms, but also the concept of private life. At the same time this 'Market' is increasingly remote from the necessity of production, which was so real for the early liberals - when there were still regular famines in Europe.

Writings

The Great Monopolist

The indestructible foundation of the whole edifice of the Market is reality. The Entrepreneur regards the world as it actually is, views it in the light of the data provided by progressive science and social experience. The Order of the Invisible hand is, itself, a Market actor on the Market of ideologies. This Market has long been monopolised by the Great Moral Monopolists of Church and State. But there is competition on this Market, and eventually the truth will prevail through natural selection. The followers of the old faiths are dieing or sinking into moral indifference, and they make way for a new generation that recognises Market principles and applies them in competition with the old. That great ancient CEO of the Church – the Pope – has now realised the danger of the Order to his comfortable Market share and is attacking the Order’s very foundation. We stand upon the edge of a great threshold that will determine who will out-compete who.

Ironically, the Church itself acts driven by the very Market forces it condemns for being worshiped as ‘idolatry’. It seeks to become a monopolist of morality. The church teaches that (non-Market) goals can be achieved only as the reward for obedience and meekness. The church threatens the wrath of God and the torment of hell for those who dare to oppose its teaching. But the Free Market liberates us, teaches us not to hope for happiness beyond the grave but to prize life on earth and strive always to improve it. The Market does not take power away, but reaffirms the will to power. The power of man! A sentient being, a Market actor, is not a worm condemned to crawl in the dust, but a being destined to master the forces of nature. It was man, not some god who created the Real Existing Market! The Order of the Invisible Hand has faith in man and his ability to transform the world by his own efforts.

Our history has been marked by a ceaseless struggle against ignorance and superstition, carefully nurtured by the Church. In ancient Greece the works of the philosopher Democritus, who first taught the atomic theory of matter, were destroyed. Anaxagoras was banished from Athens for being an Atheist. Epicurus, revered by the ancients for having liberated man from fear of gods and for asserting the validity of science, was for 2000 years falsely depicted as an enemy of morality and a disseminator of vice. The Alexandria library, housing 700,000 scientific and literary works, was burned by Christian monks in 391 AD. Pope Gregory I (590-604) destroyed many valuable works by ancient authors. In every Market there have been actors that have stood to lose by the dissemination of progressive scientific views. In the past the Church, in pursuing its monopoly, either directly persecuted progressive scientists and philosophers or sought to distort scientific discoveries so as to deprive them of their implications.

The Inquisition, a papal invention for suppressing all opposition to the Catholic Church, savagely persecuted all progressive thinkers; Giordano Bruno, Ludilio Vanini, and Galileo come readily to mind. The persecution continued. Voltaire was imprisoned in the Bastille, and Diderot was sent to prison. Thomas Paine, the Salem witch trials, Ingersoll, Einstein.

The Order does not direct its main assault against the Bible because it is an irrelevant book with a good marketing strategy. Whether or not the Bible is pornographic literature (as several Knootian politicians suggest) is only a side issue. Politicians, as usual, address side-issues and make them the main issue. What is important is that the church teaches a contempt for the Market because to reach some imagined "heaven" is the main goal of life. It violates the third rule that to follow the rules of the Market is "to hold no other goals!"

It is true that today our kind are no longer burned at the stake, but there are many other ways of competing on the ideological market. Reactionary religious propaganda by the Churches moral monopolists is unceasingly drummed into unthinking minds through the captive media of mass communication. Our competitors today are formidable and still dominate the Moral Market. But the strength of the Order lies in the positive approach of uncovering and publicizing the laws of the Market, and in applying these laws. We need not waste our time with endless arguments about tortuous paths in the endless labyrinths of theology.

The Market is based upon the philosophy that nothing exists but natural phenomena. There are no supernatural forces or entities, nor can there be any. Nature simply exists. Entrepreneurs have no need for intellectual deceptions designed to enslave them..

The monopolists in the Holy Vatican See see the Market and man as subordinate to religion. The ultimate objective of the monopolist is to fabricate evidence of the existence of "god" to reaffirm their own power. They preach of meek submission, of passive acceptance, and thus, of rejection of the Market. Their entire philosophy is contrived, deliberately, to bolster the status quo where the perfectly balanced Market is withheld from us. The church is an obstacle to our economic destiny. The Order pledges to compete on the market of ideologies with the same means the church uses, and it pledges to win! The balanced Market can only exist with the complete and utter destruction of the power of the Church and Christian thought.


Fair competition?

Recently, the government of Cherry Ridge arrested innocent people, said to be members of the Order of the Invisible hand ‘cult’. The Order would like to plead for the immediate release of these people, in that they are not in any way affiliated with the Order because these arrests are based on a fundamental misconception.

The Order is not so much a religion or a cult. It is not a group of deluded people who perform strange and pointless rituals to appease some higher ‘spiritual’ force. The Order does not have institutions designed to repress thought and impose its beliefs. It is not how we compete on the Market of ideologies. We do not need to compete like this because our system is superior to worship. There are no ‘souls’ we need to save because there is no soul. There is only Market. The Order is committed to spreading the word of the Market.

So long as Cherry Ridge has a private sector and a Cheese Exports industry the idea of Market, however marginal, will live. Now that this Catholic agent has shown its desire to destroy the Market it may as well arrest every entrepreneur, or for that matter everyone working in their already dismal private sector.

The recent arrests are proof again of how the monopolist s of Church and State combine forces to impose their moral monopoly. It is proof that nothing has changed since ancient times. What is the value of a church that – by mouth of Cardinal Johannes Meisner - preaches religious tolerance but at the same time allows harsh political repression? How can it be that something that is claimed contrary to Church teaching and doctrine is practiced consistently, century after century?

Our competitors are clever and control the means of power, but they are growing desperate. That they still have to revert to open religious persecution in the third millennium since their existence shows how unstable their monopoly really is. It shows that their monopoly will not hold. Meanwhile, our numbers grow as former followers dedicate their Sundays to the Market and no longer accept others to think for them.


Anonymous

[...] The condemnations sent out recently in condemnation of the Order and Market principles are made by a small group of old men wearing silly purple skirts. Some of these plutocrats may even arouse the mobs, scaremongering the people by making them afraid of competition on the Market, willing to deny them from following their own self-interest. At the same time, the church refers to its followers as if they are the shepherds of mindless cattle, the ‘flock’.

They comfort their ‘flock’ by denying the inevitable truth that the principles of competition apply to the weak, as well as the strong. Market principles apply to those rejecting the Market as well as those who embrace it. In the end, the weak will either adapt or perish. The lies coming from Tanah Burung, lead by the Anti-Market Alkatiri, are all too obvious. His little group says it speaks for human rights, but at the same time is silent when alleged followers of the Order are arrested. Religious repression is, in that case, not a problem apparently and the repressed can freely be condemned.

The truth about the Market is: Everyone can compete. Everyone must compete. A Free Market serves the rich, as well as the poor. If anything, the investments by corporations in developing countries are a start for them to come along and share in the progress of the Market Society. The industrialisation of yesteryear is now globalising, expanding across the globe. Just as the power of the Invisible Hand brought wealth to the west a century ago, so will the sweatshops of today be the wealthy Market Societies of tomorrow. The real and existing Markets have worked hard for their wealth. Now it is the turn for the poor nations to join in the competition enthusiastically and grab what they want.

Related Articles

Capitalizm

External links