A Note on Pandaren Philosophy

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Pandaria is its lack of any formal ruling body. While emperors and conquerors mar the land's early history, the pandarens have shunned such characters for the last 10,000 years. The panderen way is to govern without governing, and this seeming contradiction reveals much about their culture.

Much of ancient Pandaria suffered under the cruelty of the mogu, who warred over and eventually united the continent during the Age of Quarreling Kings. One of the reasons the mogu formed an empire was to protect against the mantid swarms to the west. The tyranny of the mogu led them to enforce a common culture and language throughout the continent. The loss of earlier art and knowledge must be mourned, but this cultural unity would benefit the panderen and other races.

Today, regardless of where they are in Pandaria, a panderen (or hozen, or jinyu, or grummle) will be able to communicate with the people around them. This is not to say that they will be especially similar—there are significant cultural differences from region to region. However, there are shared values that transcend race or location.

The most important of these is the concept of balance, or shenguo. This ideal informs the core of panderen philosophy. Balance refers not only to moderation and evenness in personal behavior, but also to the world's natural state. The first philosopher to explore this concept was Li Wo, who lived during the tumultuous Thousand Colors Period.

The Thousand Colors Period refers to the era between the fall of the Mogu Empire and the gradual rise of the Pandaren Empire. This time was marked by chaos and confusion. Starvation ravaged some corners of the continent due to the collapse of neglected infrastructure, and warlords (of all races) rallied troops to carve out their own realms. The mantids again prepared to swarm, and the scattered pandarens were not in any shape to resist. Many wondered if it had perhaps been an error to overthrow the old empire, as there was no longer any defense against the mantids. Though Kang's revolution had been a success, he'd failed to create a true alternative to the warlike mogu style of rule.

Li Wo was a wandering teacher who grew weary of the constant bloodshed. Yet she found hope in the natural world. She argued that the world tended toward balance and self-correction. If a forest's deer population grew too big, it would inevitably starve, or would be culled by wolves. This happened on its own, not willed by any emperor or magistrate.

She explained her beliefs in a book called The Three Priceless Treasures (she was a tireless self-promoter). The treasures are summarized as follows:

1. The ideal state of the world is balance.
2. When imbalance occurs, it will eventually correct itself.
3. Balance cannot be forced upon the world, as that in itself causes imbalance.

De-emphasizing conscious action resonated with the pandaren and other races, whose slavery under the mogu was still in living memory. The Three Priceless Treasures also offered hope. The Mogu Empire was imbalanced in how it enforced its many cruel and arbitrary dictates. The Thousand Colors Period was a correction to this, but one that provided its own imbalance (in the form of chaos). But sooner or later, balance would be restored. The philosophy also offered a rebuke to the warlords who sought to follow the path of the mogu.

The idea of not forcing balance is one of the reasons that pandaren culture tends to emphasize living in the moment. Things will tend toward self-correction so long as people are allowed to follow their nature (which always moves toward balance). The idea is that a person, on some level, knows what is best for them, and should not be prevented from pursuing that.

Such a philosophy might be seen as rewarding indolence and other vices. Li Wo argues that bad habits tend to be corrected. They may be corrected by fate (in which the vice causes death), or simply by time and wisdom. Vices tend to cause suffering, and most of those who undergo the suffering will eventually realize the error in their behavior and correct it. But virtue is not something that can be forced; it must be realized from within.

The last-minute defeat of the mantids at the paws of Jin of the Heavy Sandals (a devotee of Li Wo) seemed to prove her point. The pandaren had simply let things take their course, but as needed, someone stepped up to defeat the invaders. The brutality of the mogu had never been necessary. The pandaren people, as individuals and communities, had understood what was best for them and banded together for protection. They did so successfully and without force.

The shared culture of the Pandarian peoples enabled Woism to spread. Over time, it became the basis of a new empire that prized moderation and freedom. The Pandaren Empire never enslaved its subjects or forced them into war. Its primary focus was simply to ensure that the mantid swarms were kept at bay.

Of course, some philosophers argued that the existence of an empire was itself in violation of Wo's philosophy. After all, if balance were truly an innate tendency, wouldn't the empire be unnecessary? Imperial apologists said that the empire was itself an expression of balance, but this struck many as too patently self-serving.

Further, many were chagrined at the leeway Woism gave for personal behavior. A pandaren who practiced vices would eventually self-correct, but what of the suffering they underwent before that period? What of the suffering they brought upon family? Was it really so bad to encourage virtue?

The philosopher Hao Ren attempted to address what he saw as the flaws of Woism. He never rejected the concept of balance; rather, he attempted to refine it.

Taking Wo's original example of a deer population, Ren pointed out that sentient beings could also take care of the problem with hunters. Ren's argument fully embraced the first two arguments of The Three Priceless Treasures, but rejected the third. Namely, he contended that balance is something that must be encouraged. He stressed that such encouragement is different from enforcement.

Ren formulated his ideas during the Years of Sagging Bellies. This was a catastrophic famine that struck Pandaria midway through the reign of the Yangjin Emperor (almost a thousand years after the Thousand Colors Period). The famine arose due to an explosion in the virmeen population. Ren claimed that neglecting the virmeen problem had allowed the famine to happen. While balance would eventually be restored, the loss in lives made it unacceptable to sit by and do nothing.

In his book, August Virtues, Ren wrote that it is the responsibility of the individual to cultivate virtue. This included benevolence, generosity, passion/dedication (the Pandaren word implies both in equal measure), and sociability, among others. Ren believed that by mastering virtue, rather than instinct, one would have the wisdom to guide the world toward balance and maintain it. Instinct was powerful, but limited.

The tendency to live in the moment remained, though Renism tempered this by arguing that satisfaction came from tempering one's instincts. Rather than letting oneself be hurt by vice, one should avoid pain by shunning that vice.

Ren Hao frequently referred to the mantid swarms, using them as an example of guided balance. The pandaren defeated the mantids by consciously working together, and were most successful when led by august and virtuous leaders. He cites Jin of the Heavy Sandals as a prime example of such a leader.

Renism became popular, particularly in educated circles. Hao Ren was not above flattering some of the members of the imperial court, who took their own success as a sign of virtue (though in his later years, Ren warned about this in a circumspect way). Certainly, there was much more the empire could be doing to meet the needs of its subjects. Woism sometimes bordered on callousness, so the empire worked harder to help those led astray by bad habits.

This is not to say that Ren encouraged laziness. He believed that all pandaren could achieve virtue, and that all were obliged to try, from the poorest farmer to the richest landowner. The empire should facilitate this, but not force it.

The Shaohao Emperor was a proponent of Renism, and this is what inspired him to bury his dark emotions.

Woism and Renism remain the two pillars of mainland pandaren philosophy. The interplay between the two has shaped the continent's culture and society. Renism was particularly strong during the Hundred Years Sorrow, the era immediately after the Shaohao Emperor's apotheosis. Renist philosophy provided structure post-imperial Pandaria, and suggested that all pandaren could be strong and virtuous without need of an emperor.

Yet Renism became increasingly overbearing. Scholars too often dictated the behavior of others. Many mistook luck or temporary success as a sign of virtue. As the Renist scholars and bureaucrats consolidated their position, growing more flagrantly corrupt, Woism underwent a resurgence. Pandaren rejected the stifling rules and planned virtue, preferring simple and spontaneous lives.

This back-and-forth is a defining aspect of pandaren history. A minor school of philosophy, baidoism, sees the never-ending duel between Woism and Renism as an example of balance.

Currently, Woism is again making strides. The eruption of the Sha seemed a rebuttal against Renism. The Renism goal of guided emotional balance was clearly upsetting the balance by not allowing expression of darker emotions.

Balance affects the way modern pandaren view the newly revealed outside world. However, it must be stressed that respectable pandaren sages do not regard the contest between the Horde and the Alliance as an example of balance or self-correction. Both factions are relatively new, and cannot be compared to the eternal verities on which the best pandaren philosophy rests. Laypeople, however, are fond of seeing the Horde and Alliance as examples of balance in action.

This is by no means an exhaustive description of pandaren philosophy. There are numerous smaller schools. Some of them are offshoots of Woism or Renism, though others are independent. The pandaren of the Wandering Isle cultivated their own philosophies: Tushui and Huojin.

Tushui's emphasis on virtue takes clear inspiration from Renism. However, Tushui tends to be more collective in orientation, perhaps because the limited space on the Wandering Isle encouraged strong cooperation. While virtue must be cultivated, this is for the express purpose of guiding others rather than for self-edification or a better understanding of balance. Huojin seems more inspired by the stories of Kang than by any previous philosophical school. It emphasizes heroism and action as the appropriate ways to protect the community. Neither of the Wandering Isles philosophies puts as much emphasis on balance.