Visionary-Materialism is the foundational philosophy of the Endless Unity, a doctrine that transformed a collection of feudal tribes into a galaxy-spanning civilization capable of challenging the very fabric of reality itself. Born from the crucible of @Andarus, it is an ideology that treats technological progress not as a tool, but as the singular purpose of existence—a purpose directed by an all-powerful state toward the infinite unification of humanity.
Origins on the Desert Wastes
The birthplace of Visionary-Materialism was @Andarus; a harsh desert world that served as the cradle of the Endless Unity and, ultimately, the entire post-human project. The humans who settled @Andarus had lived through countless millennia of technological degradation, regressing from spacefaring colonists to feudal tribes practicing simple iron-working. These scattered peoples were beset by the insectoid natives of @Andarus, who dominated the planet through fear and vassalage, reducing humanity to a state of subjugation and terror.
This bleak existence persisted until the rise of Indomir Siolon, monarch of one tribe whose vision extended far beyond survival. Siolon proclaimed that the peoples of @Andarus were destined not merely to unite their own kind across the desert, but to unite the disparate, unnumbered tribes of humanity across the entire cosmos. This concept of "Unnumbered Tribes"—the countless human civilizations scattered across the galaxy, disconnected and unaware of their shared heritage—became the central ambition of his movement. Under his banner, the tribes of @Andarus overthrew their inhuman oppressors and forged the United Tribes of @Andarus, the seed from which the Endless Unity would grow.
The Start of Ascension
What followed was unprecedented in galactic history: a technological advancement so rapid it defied comprehension. Within decades, the United Tribes advanced from iron-working to nuclear energy. Within a few more decades, they reached the stars. This phenomenal rate of progress remains the cornerstone of Visionary-Materialism—the ideology's proof that when technological development is unrestrained and directed by a unified state, the impossible becomes inevitable.
The precise mechanism behind this leap remains hotly debated. Some attribute it to rediscovery of ancient archives; others claim it was pure innovation born of necessity. Visionary-Materialists, however, see it as validation of their core principle: that technological progress is humanity's manifest destiny, and that unity of purpose accelerates it exponentially. Siolon himself codified this belief in "The Prime Index," a comprehensive manifesto that outlined the path forward.
The Infinite Ambition
The name "Endless" reflects the ideology's central tenet: that human ambition must be infinite, matched only by infinite technological progress. According to Visionary-Materialism, humanity's destiny is not merely to explore or colonize, but to claim the universe itself through technological ascension.
This requires a transformation of the species into something post-human. The Prime Index foresaw that the Endless would redefine their own flesh and blood through genetic engineering—creating augmented humans, biological sub-species, and eventually the biomanufactories that mass-produce citizens as the most valuable resource in existence. Visionary-Materialism does not recognize overpopulation; it sees citizens as self-subsidizing assets whose labor and innovation drive progress forward. However, this can only be achieved under the absolute authority of a powerful state body with unlimited power, which in turn must be unconditionally supported by the people it governs.
The State as Engine
For one thousand years, the Supreme Council of the Endless Unity served as the director of this infinite project. Composed of those judged wisest and most capable by their peers, the Council wielded total authority to direct technological progress and population management. This absolutist relationship between individual and state—where psychology itself can be reshaped through technological means—flies in the face of ordinary human biology, but Visionary-Materialism treats this as merely another engineering challenge to be solved.
The ideology demands that every citizen contribute their talents toward the collective project, while the state ensures their basic needs and provides opportunity for advancement through merit. In return, the population's unconditional support legitimizes the Council's absolute authority.
Evolution of Xenology
Originally, Visionary-Materialism held a stark xenophobic position: humanity alone was worthy to rule, all other species deserving only extermination. This changed with the Traphon War, when the Endless defeated the @Traphian species yet, for the first time, allowed them to join as near-equals. Several other species have since been assimilated into the Unity's fold, though such integration invariably requires extensive manipulation of group psychology, societal restructuring, and even fundamental alterations to the species' nature.
The Psionic Dilemma
For much of its history, Visionary-Materialism treated psionics—the nethereal power—as anathema to state order. The purge of psionic knowledge on ancient @Andarus was so absolute that even as the Unity exterminated countless psionically-active civilizations across the galaxy, the average citizen remained unaware such power existed. Psionics was seen as a degrading social force incompatible with advanced science.
This belief held until first contact with the @Altarans; a species that was both psionically active and possessed more advanced technology than the Endless at the time of encounter. The War of the Chosen that followed shattered the Visionary-Materialist consensus, forcing the Unity to acknowledge and eventually integrate psionic potential into its post-human framework.
The foundational principles of Visionary-Materialism, codified in Indomir Siolon's Prime Index, treat technological progress as ultimate purpose. While interpretations vary across successor states, these core tenets remain inviolable:
Manifest Destiny of Cosmic Unification. The peoples of @Andarus bear an unshakeable destiny to unite the Unnumbered Tribes of humanity scattered across the cosmos—a biological imperative, not mere political aspiration. Humanity's fractured nature is unnatural and must be corrected through technological supremacy.
Infinite Progress as Sacred Purpose. Visionary-Materialism worships technology with all but religious fervor, believing absolutely anything can be achieved through sufficiently advanced development. Death becomes engineering, consciousness becomes data, physics becomes constraints to rewrite. The faithful venerate technology as divine will made manifest.
Post-Human Ascension. Humanity must evolve beyond biological limitations through genetic engineering and augmentation. This is mandatory—the species must transcend or stagnate. Biomanufactories and chargant engineering are sacraments, transforming flesh into malleable substrate for improvement.
Citizens as Ultimate Resource. Population is never a burden but the most valuable asset. Rejecting Malthusian concerns entirely, Visionary-Materialism holds that when directed by a competent state, citizens subsidize themselves through labor and innovation. Mass production of humanity is morally necessary.
Absolute State Authority. The Supreme Council possesses unlimited authority to direct technological and social evolution, requiring unconditional popular support. Individual psychology is an engineering problem—loyalty can be imprinted, dissent corrected. The citizen-state relationship is absolute.
Humanity's Primacy (Evolving). Originally, only humanity deserved existence; all other species merited extermination. This softened after the Traphon War, when the Endless permitted a defeated species to join as near-equals. Subsequent assimilations require extensive manipulation, but the core remains: humanity leads, others follow or perish.
Anti-Psionic Puritanism (Historical). For centuries, Visionary-Materialism treated psionic power as anathema to state order, purging all knowledge from @Andarus so completely that the Unity expanded for millennia unaware of its existence. This principle shattered only upon first contact with the @Altarans—a species simultaneously psionic and (at the time) more technologically advanced—a contradiction that forced ideological revision.
Material Focus. While Siolon possessed messianic qualities, the ideology remains fundamentally materialist, concerned with tangible progress rather than spiritual pursuits. Even spirituality becomes a tool for social engineering.
The "Endless" Principle. The Unity's name reflects infinite ambition and infinite progress toward ever-receding horizons. The civilization can never rest, never declare victory, never stop building—its purpose is perpetual self-perpetuation through infinite engineering.
State as Evolution's Engine. The Supreme Council treats all aspects of civilization as engineering challenges to be solved technologically, converting raw citizen potential into civilization-scale outputs.
These tenets form the unshakable foundation of Visionary-Materialist thought, which all successor branches trace back to Siolon's vision of infinite technology serving infinite ambition under infinite state authority.