Understanding skybreakers

[Xabben]

There is something strange about the philosophy of skybreakers. They think that humans are unreliable, mostly guidad by emotions, and hence, they need a higher, inmutable "law" to guide they actions. For me, this is a clear sign of the influence of Honor in their way of thinking. However, when they were faced with the decision of whether to support humans (and hence, Honor) or singers (and hence, Odium), they quickly decided to help the Odium side, which is the one focused on emotions and all those things that skybreakers really despise. How does this make any sense?

[Ascended Grubberfly He/Him]

24 minutes ago, Xabben said:

There is something strange about the philosophy of skybreakers. They think that humans are unreliable, mostly guidad by emotions, and hence, they need a higher, inmutable "law" to guide they actions. For me, this is a clear sign of the influence of Honor in their way of thinking. However, when they were faced with the decision of whether to support humans (and hence, Honor) or singers (and hence, Odium), they quickly decided to help the Odium side, which is the one focused on emotions and all those things that skybreakers really despise. How does this make any sense?

Nale was very influential in the decision. He thought that because Roshar belonged to the singers initially, they are lawfully defending their land from invasion and therefore the group he should support in order to uphold the law. I wouldn’t say that Skybreakers despise emotion, you could say the modern ones do but on the past it was said to be different.

[earthexile]

Skybreakers under Nale are taught to revere the Law *because* it is the Law, not because it makes the most sense to them. An orderly, valid legalistic argument is more important to them than however any individual feels about something, or whether the Skybreaker in question completely approves of what it means they have to do.

When Gawx becomes a ridiculous child Prime through the cynical, cowardly assent of the legitimate government, and calls for his friend Lift to be pardoned and released, Nale does it. He is completely personally certain that Lift HAS TO DIE to STOP THE APOCALYPSE, but the rightful legal authority where he happens to be standing says he can't do that, so he can't. He drops what he's doing and leaves. It is completely obvious to everyone that what's happening is a wacky farce, but the letter of the Law is being obeyed, so that's that.

This is how they justify submitting to the Singer cause. The argument is presented that Roshar rightly belongs to the beings who have lived there the longest, and that their grievance against humanity is valid. And when it's put that way... I'm not sure I disagree, either. Those things shouldn't have been done. Singers shouldn't have been displaced, or enslaved. They were put here by God, on a world made for them by God, and the undeniable reality is that in this context, humans are weird aliens who came from somewhere else and took more than they were offered.

The argument that the Skybreakers should have remained loyal to their species, or nations, or their own hearts, is basically an emotional appeal. The facts are the facts, but I'm a human and I don't want to be exterminated or subjugated or hated. I think that's valid, in its own way. I think it's horrible to pick up ancient grudges and just keep battling each other. But where is it written in stone that people must forgive and forget what's been done to their ancestors? Where is that the Law?

[ParaTulip fae/faer (declines as she/her)]

Honor is dead. There is no thing of supporting Honor by taking Dalinar's side in the battle. Nale and the highspren allies probably balance decently against Stormfather in the Investiture scales.

And humanity had a chance to make peace with the liberated listeners. The Azish could have honored their own tradition of legality by giving their former slaves a fair trial. They dishonored themselves. The Thelians could have accepted that their ships were taken as back pay and tried to make peace with that and their former slaves. They dishonored themselves. The Alethi society was such that there was only ever going to be war when slaves revolted. They are broadly dishonorable outside of combat.

There needed to be a force for a third idea, and better idea, than honor and odium, but Korevellium is too caught up in her idea of free will to force the issue.