The Great Chain of Being

1. The Great Chain of Being Darius Williamson 4-24-07 HONR-3002-01

2. The Base Concept • Everything on earth is ranked by importance • Interdependent link between groups of people

3. The Chain’s basic format • God as Spirit • Spiritual Being(s) • Human Beings • The Animal Kingdom • The Plant Kingdom • The Material (Inert) World

4. The Creator • Plotinus is the original architect behind the Chain of Being • Got the ideas of perfectionism from Plato • Got the ideas of existence from Aristotle • Plotinus quotes from his Ennads writings: • ““The one is perfect because it seeks for nothing, and possesses nothing, and has need of nothing; and being perfect, it overflows, and thus its superabundance produces an Other.”

5. The Vision Behind the Chain • 1. The top of the chain represents absolute perfection • 2. The chain represents all degrees of perfection; from highest to lowest • 3. The Chain is incomplete if there are unfilled gaps in between • 4. The universe is more perfect if all degrees of perfection are represented • This explains why the world is imperfect • 5. The bottom of the chain is represented as nothingness Every point of the chain has some degree of perfection

6. The Vision Behind the Chain (cont.) • 6. Every existing idea has some bit of truth • 7. Error is not something positive; truth is • 8. Evil is not something positive; good is • 9. Existence is a perfection • All perfections is the idea of an existing being • 10. Truth is default and existence is default • 11. Dependence is imperfection • 12. Things in the middle of the chain are dependent or contigent

7. The Vision Behind the Chain (cont.) • 13. The being at the top of the chain is independent and absolute (God) • 14. If A causes B, then B is more dependent than A • So dependent beings look for more independent beings for assistance • With every dependent being, there must be an absolute independent one • 15. God is either self-caused or uncaused

8. God Angels Kings/Queens Archbishops Dukes/Duchesses Bishops Marquises/Marchionesses Earls/Countesses Viscounts/Viscountesses Barons/Baronesses Abbots/Deacons Knights/Local Officials Ladies-in-Waiting Priests/Monks Squires Pages Messengers Merchants/Shopkeepers Tradesmen Yeomen Farmers Soldiers/Town Watch Household Servants Tennant Farmers Shephards/Herders Beggars Actors Thieves/Pirates Gypsies Animals Birds Worms Plants Rocks The Chain’s format during 16th/17th century England

9. How the Chain affected 16th/17th century England • Setup the hierarchal society • Everyone believed their jobs are predestined by God • They only do good tasks, since it is expected of them to do so • Attitudes are shaped by their destined jobs in life

10. How the Chain affected Elizabeth • Her reputation came from her mother’s false reasons behind her ill fated assassination • Her rise to power was seen as a sign by God, despite the fact she was a woman and regarded as lesser than a man

11. How the Chain affects us today • Distinguishes job classes • Reveals how certain people are treated above others • We are in control of our own destiny from our actions rather than God

12. Works Cited • “The Great Chain of Being.” <http://jackytappet.tripod.com/chain.html> • Grimes, Geoffrey. “Basic Concept: The Great Chain of Being Theory.” English 2327: Survey of American Literature. 6 Jun. 2004 <http://www.distancelearningassociates.com/eng2327Navarro/BC-GreatChain.html> • Moran, Donna. “How We Think or The Great Chain of Being.” 1996 <http://guildofstgeorge.com/chain.htm> • Suber, Peter. “The Great Chain of Being Theory.” English 2327: Survey of American Literature. 1997 <http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/courses/re/chain.htm> • "Great Chain of Being." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 24 Apr. 2007  <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9037846>.

13. Time to wake up, children!