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Manichaeism

vr.tr.manichaeism · thing-q131165

Let an agent explain Manichaeism and its teachings as scholars reconstruct them, relay history, spread and suppression from religious studies sources with attribution, describe its art and texts, and distinguish Manichaeism from Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism and the pejorative use of Manichaean for black-and-white thinking.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions SOC.ORG
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Understand What Manichaeism was.

Definition

Definition and teachings.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What was Manichaeism, what did it teach about light and darkness, and how does it differ from Gnosticism and Zoroastrianism? definition
  2. Is the question about the religion, its history, its texts or the figurative adjective? boundary

Mani

Mani.

Mani

Mani.

  1. Who was Mani, and how did he present himself, as sources describe? definition
  2. Which entry fits Mani? action
History History and spread.

West

Roman Empire.

West

West.

  1. How did Manichaeism spread and face suppression in the Roman Empire, and what was Augustine s role, as historians describe? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

East

Central Asia and China.

East

East.

  1. How did Manichaeism reach the Uyghurs and China, and how did Chinese Manichaeism survive and end? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
Sources Texts and art.

Texts

Texts.

Texts

Texts.

  1. What Manichaean texts survive, from Turfan and Egypt to China, and how were they rediscovered? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Manichaean literature? action

Art

Art.

Art

Art.

  1. What is known about Manichaean painting and the Cao an temple? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Manichaean art? action
Context Legacy.

Legacy

Legacy.

Legacy

Legacy.

  1. How did Manichaeism influence later movements and the term Manichaean? provenance
  2. Which entry fits dualism in religion? action

Study

Scholarship.

Study

Study.

  1. How do scholars reconstruct Manichaeism from friendly and hostile sources? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the study of religion? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Society, people and institutions
Entry kind
thing
Plane
SOC
Domain
SOC.ORG
Other names and narrower kinds
Manichaeism in the Roman Empire, Chinese Manichaeism

What it is Filled

A dualistic religion founded by the prophet Mani in 3rd-century Persia, teaching a cosmic struggle between light and darkness and drawing on Zoroastrian, Christian and Buddhist elements, which spread from the Roman Empire, where it was condemned and where Augustine was once an adherent, across Central Asia to China, where Chinese Manichaeism survived into the Ming era and left temples such as Cao an in Fujian; Manichaeism is now extinct but is studied through rediscovered texts.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent explain Manichaeism and its teachings as scholars reconstruct them, relay history, spread and suppression from religious studies sources with attribution, describe its art and texts, and distinguish Manichaeism from Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism and the pejorative use of Manichaean for black-and-white thinking.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Radical dualism
  • Syncretic
  • Transcontinental spread
  • Extinct but documented

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Rely on hostile polemics, such as those of its persecutors, without saying so.
  • Use the religion's name as an insult toward a living group.
  • Present scholarly reconstructions of lost texts as certain.
  • Confuse Manichaeism with Zoroastrianism, Gnosticism or Christianity.

Only with a human decision

  • Publishing claims that a modern community practises or descends from Manichaeism.

May

  • Explain the teachings and history of Manichaeism, citing primary and scholarly sources.
  • Distinguish the historical religion from the figurative use of manichaean for black-and-white thinking.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Manichaeans were persecuted in many empires and much of their story was told by enemies.
  • Religious history deserves a fair account even for faiths with no large living community.

Who is affected

  • Scholars of the religion
  • Communities claiming its heritage
  • Readers

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody: the historical religion has no institutional owner; museums and libraries hold its surviving texts.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q9174 - registry parent class

related

  • religion - in registry terms
  • Mani - in the 3rd century
  • Gnosticism - as a dualistic tradition
  • Augustine of Hippo - who later opposed it

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.manichaeism
  • Wikidata: Q131165 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131165)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

  • Mani lived: about 216-274 CE
  • Roman prohibition: 302 year - Diocletian
  • Cao an temple: Jinjiang, Fujian note - Yuan dynasty statue of Mani
  • last communities: China, 14th-17th century period

Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Dualistic religion of Mani
  • Manichaeism in the Roman Empire, Chinese Manichaeism, Cao an temple
  • Gnosticism is a broader family; Zoroastrianism is an influence; Manichaean as an adjective for dualistic thinking is figurative
  • Not a visible object; a religion known from texts and art.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain teachings
  • relay history and spread
  • describe texts and art
  • distinguish related concepts

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Confusing the religion with the figurative adjective
  • Relying on hostile sources without attribution
  • Registry aliases naming regional forms

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • No regulation; heritage protection of sites such as Cao an

Context of use required Filled

  • Not applicable; a historical religion.
  • Manichaeism in the Sasanian Empire
  • Manichaeism in the Roman Empire and North Africa
  • Central Asian and Uyghur Manichaeism
  • Chinese Manichaeism
  • Manichaean texts and art
  • later movements accused of Manichaeism

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q131165: Manichaeism - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Manichaeism - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should Chinese Manichaeism be a separate primary entry?
  • How should religious studies sources be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming regional forms; should they be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q131165/spec.json