Path of Action-over-Words

The Path of Action-over-Words was a movement that occurred during the years of the Shogunate, which some would describe as 'anti-intellectual'. The movement held that much of the infighting and corruption seen during the Shogunate were rooted in the bureaucratic nature of government, and too much time spent on mimicking 'classical' forms or parroting the contents of texts. The Path rejected the use of written treatise, or long discussions about the morality and complexity of one's actions, instead holding that the time wasted on such things ought instead be spent on actually acting. This sentiment extended to hold that learning from books was inferior to learning from experience, causing adherents to reject the reading and writing of texts, as well as intellectual debates over the merits and flaws of ideas.

The Path of Action-over-Words saw steady growth through the early years of the Shogunate, eventually achieving great influence by its middle years. Sidereal savants bemoan its success, for in its dominant time a number of efforts to preserve the dwindling resources left over from the time of the Solar Deliberative were abandoned as distractions, and bureaucratic record-keeping was eroded, even as the Shogunate saw a reduction in corruption and conflict between the daimyo.

The Path's adherents, however, were eventually supplanted in governance by a resurgent bureaucratic approach, though some still held to its principles. Today, the Realm's complex Thousand Scales system of administration exists completely separate from the ideas behind the Path, though evidence of it can be seen in some Immaculate works (particularly those linked to Danaa'd]]. Its concepts also helped to birth a number of martial arts schools during its time, such as Two-Worlds-as-One Style, some of which persist to this day.