Religious Philosophy in Assassin's Creed

Assassin's Creed is a Titan of a video game series masterfully blending parkour combat and stealth in the setting of The Most Fascinating time periods in history exploring vast open worlds of ancient cities and uncovering ancient Mysteries is the hook of the franchise Ubisoft carefully crafts every world to completely immerse yourself into the culture of the time period each game is set in from the art and Architectural beauty of the Renaissance to the cold unforgiving era of the American Revolution Assassin's Creed dials in on the feelings of society at the time tackling subjects like Christian and Muslim relations during the Third Crusade and living conditions during the French Revolution these time periods are strung together by the never- ending Shadow war between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar order but there's something else that connects all these time periods together something that's ubiquitous with all forms of human civilization it's depicted in all the games and is integral to the Grand plot of Assassin's Creed as a whole yet it's barely telegraphed as being anything other than immersion and that is religion although it's never been directly explored religion is intrinsically tied to the themes of Assassin's Creed it's a backdrop for the larger story at play the societies the games are set in are obviously religious NPC dialogue is constantly speaking about God and you even fistfight the literal Pope at one point it may seem like a regular detail for the setting but religion as a concept in Assassin's Creed is layers deeper than it first appears so you may be asking yourself how is religion so integral to Assassin's Creed well Assassin's Creed is founded on the idea of its secret history and to put it very simply the secret history of Assassin's Creed is that God doesn't [Music] exist and to understand why God doesn't exist and why it's so important we need to catch up on the history of Assassin's Creed itself the Assassin's Creed timeline starts out around 77,000 years ago when the ISU were walking the Earth the ISU were extraordinarily intelligent and way more advanced than we are as a modern society the ISU are responsible for the creation of the human race they created humans in their own image albeit with less intelligence and lacking the gift of knowledge but humans were designed to be resilient so they could be used as a Workforce for the ISU essentially creating them just to make them slaves throughout time ISU human hybrids were born particularly Adam and Eve who set off a war against the ISU so that humans could be free the War lasted over a decade and came to an abrupt end when a cornal mass injection from the Sun wiped out almost all the entire population very few of each race survived and to rebuild the world the ISU and humans had to work together but the ISU eventually went extinct with the ESU extinct they faded into Legend and eventually were looked at as Gods then around 1334 BC the order of the Ancients was founded by Pharaoh smari as a religious Collective who worshiped the ISU and intended on founding a new world order and shepherding in a new era for the ISU in 44 BC the hidden ones were formed to combat the order and fight corruption and SA Safeguard free will eventually these two groups transitioned into the Assassin's Brotherhood and the Templar order the Templars and assassins both seek peace but the Templars seek it through order and absolute control while the Assassins seek it through knowledge and Free Will the Templars believe that unifying the world under a new world order is the only way to achieve world peace and believe any means justifies their in goal their fight is spearheaded by their never ending hunt for the pieces of Eden highly technically Advanced relics left behind by the ISU that were used to mind control humans and keep them docile as a Workforce the Templars intended to find all these pieces of Eden and use them to control the minds of the entire world and force them into submission under their rule the Assassins fight to keep the pieces of Eden away from the Templars and Safeguard them so that no one has access to the same power that the ISU had the Assassins have worked in the shadows to rid those who are corrupt and intend to further the Templars agenda while the Templars infiltrate every major organization or government to control the masses in the modern day they're known as abstergo Industries a mega corporation that has their hand in Tech Pharmaceuticals and entertainment we're up to speed on the history of Assassin's Creed and if you hadn't already picked up by now all the gods that have been worshiped over the course of human history were actually just ISU ancestors this is confirmed in Assassin's Creed 2 by mana's conversation with iio in the Vatican Vault you are Gods no not Gods we simply came before even when we walked the world your kind struggled to understand our existence we were more advanced in time your minds were not yet ready furthermore in Assassin's Creed Odyssey we even get to interact with the ISU themselves albeit with Cassandra inside a memory simulation created by althia this leads to bigger implications on religion such as there being no God or higher power thus making religion objectively false the most concrete evidence in the Assassin's Creed Universe proving this theory is Jesus Christ himself this piece of silver cast out Adam and Eve it turned staves into snakes parted and closed the Red Sea arys used it to start the Trojan War and with it a poor carpenter turned water into wine the Romans who were controlled by the order of the Ancients arrested Jesus crucified him and took the Shroud from this we can assume that all gods of all religions were either ISU or pieces of Eden wielders in Al's codex he starts to contemplate this reality on page 11 Addis dionis Horus Krishna Mithra Jesus similar stories color their lives too similar I think Divine Birthright persecution disciples miraculous Acts Resurrection how is it possible perhaps it isn't alamim spoke of Jesus as a real person a mortal who had mastered the art of manipulation but what if he was wrong if these men are real and if they have walked amongst us many times before does it mean they'll come again perhaps they're here now so many questions and every day even more the concept of all religions being false and there being no God is an extraordinarily nihilistic Take On The World in the the omnipotence you have as a player in this universe makes it all the more depressing you as a player are aware that the religious symbols churches and teachings are all inherently false and the only objective truth is the worst case scenario that there's no one looking out for us at the end of our Lives all the death and famine caused by religious Crusades and Wars we're all for a system of belief that in the end we'll all be for nothing Assassin's Creed as a franchise is about Hope For Humanity and freedom for all but it's also an examination of existence ential pessimism every existential fear we have as humans is fact in Assassin's Creed's Universe what if God didn't exist what if God only existed as a concept to further the agenda of evil men what if you knew the truth about God but are incapable of telling anyone but you'll be safe now held in the arms of your God have my brothers taught you nothing I know what waits for me for all of us if not your God then what nothing nothing Waits and that is what I fear you don't believe how could I given what I know what I've seen the thing is Assassin's Creed never answers any of these questions instead they're the backdrop in a world where it's only a fraction of a much larger Global conspiracy religion in Assassin's Creed is merely an undertone it gives you the lower knowledge needed to understand the story and leaves it up to you to draw conclusions as to how it fits together with what we understand as a civilization we know that ISU existed and they were worshiped as Gods when they went extinct therefore they were false gods which means that the prophets were also false therefore the religions hold no truth Assassin's Creed was made to mirror our world history with a Twist a Twist that what we accept as history is false and it's actually made by a faction help bent on controlling the world through ancient technology walking around the first Assassin's Creed and hearing a Street Preacher Ramble On sounds normal in the world but then you stop to think if Jesus was a false prophet and Apple wielder doesn't that make his faith false we slowly learn these truths of the world much like Altier did throughout his life alier is the only assassin to know the full extent of the truth about the world religion and the history of the eso due to him peering directly into the Apple so many men believe the world was created by the hand of a divine power but I see only the designs of a Madman bent on celebrating destruction and Desperation our Origins seem chaotic unintended purpose and being instilled only by the passage of time imposed first by nature and later men Assassin's Creed's gameplay structure and depiction of the world rests on violence the Templars who crusade in the name of God murder whoever opposes them they'll kidnap torture and steal if it means they can achieve their goal of becoming living gods and to stop them the Assassins must counter violence with violence the Bloodshed and the destruction of the world is endless the irony of this is not lost on Alti a why would any loving God allow Bloodshed and destruction at the beest of his own will in the case of us as players of the game we're showing that the history of the world is inherently violent and impressive man was literally made to be slaves to the ISU any God in a book or doctrine that values love and peace yet allows history to be plagued with such Madness is no God that should be worshiped an opportunity an opportunity to murder Innocents not so Innocent disident Voices cut deep as steel they disrupt order in this I do agree with the Brotherhood you'd kill people simply for believing differently than you of course not I killed them because I could because it was fun do you know what it feels like to determine another man's fate and did you see the way that people cheered the way they feared me I was like a god even before the knowledge of the Apple Altier seemed closer to the truth than he may have realized perhaps this is Ubisoft playing on Assassin's Creed's game design itself of course God can't exist in a game Universe like this look at how much death and despair is had throughout our history at the hands of two factions that are both fighting for their idea of Peace if God truly wanted peace why would there be a 2,000-year war over the very definition of Peace you can get as meta as you want with the interpretations of Altier codex but if there's one thing for certain is that Altier was wise and questioned not only the construct of society but his own Creed what follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin's order here we seek to promote peace but murder is our means here we seek to open the minds of men but require obedience to a master and a set of rules here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith yet we are practitioners ourselves toward the end of Alti A's life he became an extreme nihilist possessing the knowledge that he does even someone as wise as Alti a could not break away from this feeling of hopelessness I know that the elements of my body will return to the Earth but what of my Consciousness my identity I suspect it will end that there is no next World nor a return to this one it will simply be done forever our lives are so brief and unimportant the cosmos cares nothing for us none of it would have mattered there is no counting no Reckoning no final judgment there is simply silence and darkness utter and absolute nihilism posits that there there is no God no lasting purpose no meaning to life and that every action taken by humans is futile and in the case of Assassin's Creed and there being no God this philosophy has objective truth to it so why do the assassins and the Templars continue to fight when both are aware that human existence serves no purpose well in simple terms the Assassins believe that the meaning of human life is to create our own purpose and value as a society the question of a Divine God is proven false but who's to say we can't follow his teachings and productivity and good nness to create a thriving peaceful civilization the importance of human life is measured by how much we place on it ourselves because the only thing truly important in our existence is how we choose to live our own experiences as a species assassins don't fight to prove that the constructs of society are false but to let people draw conclusions of how to achieve peace themselves we don't need anyone to tell us what to do not SAA de we are free to follow our own path there are those who will take that freedom from us too many of you gladly give it but it is our ability to choose whatever you think is true that makes us human there is no book or teacher to give you the answers to show you the path Choose Your Own Way do not follow me or anyone else the Assassins live and die by this code nothing is true everything is permitted the quote is vague and can have a layer of meanings depending on who you ask to the Assassins it's not just permission to do whatever you want but a philosophy of freedom and the value of human life the Assassin's main goal is that of Peace whether it comes from God as a Divine being or The God within us all this school of thought categorizes the assassins as secular humanists humanism is a moral doctrine that places the importance of human advancement and purpose on humans rather than Blind Faith toward a Divine being humans fought to be free in the euu age therefore we earned the right to be leaders of our own species eto's interpretation of the code is one that aligns with the humanist thought the most to say that nothing is true is is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile and that we must be the Shepherds of our own civilization to say that everything is permitting is to understand that we are The Architects of our actions and that we must live with our consequences whether glorious or tragic nothing is true represents what we know and believe as a civilization is actually false the history we universally accept as true is a filtered version of what actually happened with the euu being forgotten and every major historical and religious event being influenced one way or another by the pieces of Eden everything is committed represents that humans have complete free will we aren't at the behest of any religious or political figures and are free to believe whatever we so desire this part has more than one meaning in my opinion it also represents that to be truly free and be a peaceful civilization we must take matters of advancement into our own hands rather than leave it up to Faith and letting those who control us make these decisions the Assassins built their philosophy of freedom and peace on knowledge without the knowledge to understand the world for what it really is we can never truly break free from what is holding us back therefore we will never know true peace while the Assassins code is that of Free Will and knowledge the Templars represent the flip side of this coin the only path to peace is authoritarianism as I mentioned before the Templars sneak their way into major religious positions but they don't necessarily believe in it they use Christianity as a tool to further their agenda since many humans run off Blind Faith the Templars use that to their advantage and control them this control method leads to bigger implications on our modern society with things like conspiracy theories Lucy Stillman mentions this in the first Assassin's Creed explaining that most of the conspiracies and rumors about the secret Templar order are made up by the order themselves as some sort of reverse psychology scheme to further the choke cold they have on society there's a strong parallel between the Blind Faith Christians have towards God the faith Society has in abstergo Industries and the mind-controlled human slaves that ISU created the Templars are misanthropists they believe humans do not have the capacity to lead their own lives and it's encoded deep into our blood to followers of a higher power and in some sense they're right humans were designed to be ISU slaves we put the importance of God above all so who's to say we're not only as free as a church lets us be instead of leaving the ISU behind and building civilizations on our own terms we took the memories of the ISU and turn them into Gods to worship because without their theistic leadership we lack the ability to find a purpose if the Assassins were to leak the knowledge of the truth that there's no God and no one to follow what choice is there for society other than the crumble to the Assassin knowledge trumps all but what if we have too much knowledge humans have had the same ideals for 880,000 years if we were flooded with the knowledge that everything we are hardwired to believe is false we aren't equipped to handle the outcome assassins walk a fine line between keeping the church alive for the sake of humanity keeping the status quo and denouncing it and causing an existential chaos across the world on the other hand when the Templars have the power they need they'll eventually denounce the church but humans will be so brainwashed by the Apple that the Templars will replace the gods we believe and become the their own version of the ISU without the values of religion and worship the Templars impose on society Humanity will inevitably slip into chaos from nihilistic thought running rampant this concept is lightly touched on in Assassin's Creed 3 Connor values absolute freedom above all while hayam argues that absolute freedom is a precursor to chaos what is it the Templars truly seek order purpose Direction no more than that it's your lot that means to confess found with this nonsense talk of Freedom time was the Assassins professed a far more sensible goal that peace freedom is peace oh no it's an invitation to chaos only look at this little Revolution your friends have started I have stood before the Continental Congress and listened to them stamp and shout all in the name of Liberty but it is just noise and this is why you favor Lee he understands the needs of this would be Nation far better than the jobels who profess to represent it it seems your tongue has tasted sour grapes the people have made their choice and it was Washington people chose nothing it was done by a group of privileged cowards seeking only to enrich themselves they convened in private and made a decision that would benefit them oh they might have dressed it up with pretty words that does not make it true the only difference Connor the only difference between myself and those you Aid is that I do not Fain affection Connor and the colonial Brotherhood are too loud and unabashed achilles the former leader of the colonial Brotherhood caused one of his own to turn to the Templars after he caused the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 the colonial assassins lost sight of what the Assassins were fighting for and their fight for freedom without discipline was destined to turn into chaos caror didn't recognize the consequences of operating out in the open and spreading the truth Achilles had to drill it into his head a are meant to be quiet quiet precise we do not go announcing conspiracies from the rooftops to all who pass by who are you to lecture anyone you locked yourself away in this crumbling Heap and gave up on the Brotherhood entirely since the day I arrived you've done nothing but discourage me and on the rare occasions you've chosen to help you've done so little you may as well have done nothing at all if I sought to dissuade you it was because you knew nothing if I was reluctant to contribute it was because you were naive a thousand times s you would have died and taken God knows how many with you let me tell you something Conor life is not a fairy tale and there are no Happy Endings no not when men like you are left in charge in your haste to save the world boy take care you don't destroy it I Believe In Assassin's Creed Universe no one is inherently right or wrong the morals of of every faction whether it be religious or military are Shades of Gray the Templars exist because they are obsessed with Freedom by control at the cost of Humanity's free will the Assassins exist because they uphold the values of personal freedom and knowledge even if it means a complete Anarchist Society so which is the most correct path for proceeding authoritarianism or chaos well it's neither the Templars fight not for a tangible item or an ideal but a concept the New World Order and as Altier puts it clever of them for how does one wage a war against the concept the Assassins fight from the Shadows because they have to you can't publicly go up against the world's largest religion or be on the front lines of a war because ultimately there's no positive outcome if you win in favor of your ideals chaos ensues if you lose the Templars rule the world alre revolutionized the Brotherhood and committed them to the Shadows rather than following in Alm mualim's footsteps and making them a military force he realized the Beast is unkillable and it's better for the world to keep it alive and cut out the corruption than face it head on and face irredeemable consequences to keep the status quo of the world the assassins and the Templars must always keep fighting for every bad man there must always be someone in the shadows to stop him theism and nihilism coexisting is the closest humans will ever get to true peace because the scale being tipped in either direction would be catastrophic for the human race the truth would set off chaos hitherto apocalyptic while Blind Faith would lead to the New World Order Altier discovered the truth in the final years of his life and instead of spreading the knowledge he discovered in his teachings he opted to lock the truth in the vault so that no one would ever be tortured by the world bending Revelations so in conclusion there are no Gods the ISU are the false gods we chose to worship because we're hardwired to do so even if we don't consciously realize it if God doesn't exist that means nihilism must be Cor existence is futile and nothing matters but you know what that doesn't matter the Assassins still get up and fight every day from the beginning of time until the end of time because what's most important to The Human Experience is ourselves God in the case of this world the ISU created man in their own image so in a sense we are all our own Gods we dictate how we view reality rather than let the ones that enslave us dictated for us what matters most is how we use our free will to build our civilization our customs our beliefs and our culture all tier taught us that nothing is true the foundations of society religion politics philosophy is all an illusion it's all as important as we collectively make it out to be and without our energy being put into these things they're extremely fragile Etso taught us that everything is permitted we must all individually decide what is important to us as creatures with free will we must act as the gods of our own realities and create a paradise right here on Earth rather than putting Blind Faith on it coming in the afterlife Connor teaches us that in our pursuit of individuality and freedom we don't step over the line and conflat with chaos and Anarchy and finally the Assassin Templar War teaches us that no matter what we believe the most important thing on earth is our own value thanks for watching see you in the next one

Channel: Dylbun

Views: 80,406

Keywords: Assassin's Creed

Id: klQLes6vHnk

Length: 24min 3sec (1443 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 16 2023