Harmony ≠ Order · 11:30pm Oct 13th, 2015
<rant>
A lot of authors seem to use harmony as a synonym for order, and I can't tell you how much that annoys me. But that won't stop me from trying!
Let's start with this: what is harmony? Generally speaking, if we ignore the common musical meanings, harmony is balance. According to the wiktionary article, it's a pleasing combination of elements. Harmony is when you have two opposing forces approximately equal, neither one overpowering the other (at least by a noticeable amount).
Let's make it simple. What are order and chaos?
Chaos is relatively easy to define: unpredictability and constant/rapid change. If everything is constantly changing, if nothing seems to follow the same set of rules, you have chaos. Total Chaos is a term I came up with to describe the most extreme form of chaos - it can only exist on a theoretical level, because it requires there to be no rules at all for anything, not even the basic laws of reality we take for granted. No gravity, no friction, no relationship between mass and weight, basically all of physics is invalidated. That's Total Chaos.
How about order? Order is the opposite: predictability, reliability, no changes. And when I say no changes, I mean it - everything repeats. For example, in seventeen hours, a certain set of events occurs. Then it happens again in the next seventeen hours. And again. It's the same events in the same order every time. Order means a lack of change, because change is chaotic. Total Order, like Total Chaos, is theoretical - for now. It means nothing ever happening because things happening means things are changing, and that's chaotic.
So, on the left (arbitrarily, please don't assign political meaning to this), we have Chaos - unpredictability and a total lack of rules and restraint. On the right, we have Order - stagnation and a lack of change. One the left, you can't ever predict what will happen next, even whether or not the planet will continue to exist. On the right, you know exactly what will happen next, because nothing different even can happen. In the middle? Where both Order and Chaos combine?
That's Harmony.
It's the balance of Order - predictability and stability - against Chaos - unrestrained madness. It's not Order. It's not Chaos. It's both, neither one overtaking the other.
</rant>
I mentioned above that Total Order is purely theoretical for now. By that, I am referring to the heat death of the universe, which is basically like this:
Eventually, because of the Laws of Thermodynamics, the universe will essentially "run out" of energy - there will be no imbalances in energy left, which means that nothing can happen. No process which requires energy will be possible, including the continuation of life. This is a very long way off, obviously.
So isn't what Celestia talks about in the show order?
3468371 I admit I haven't kept up with recent episodes, but earlier on, yes. She seems to be talking mostly about order, but calling it hamony. Twilight looks to have learned to do the same from her.
Haha! Finally, someone else who saw of this! It always annoyed me how many people equate the two.
I like this. May I use you idea? I'm working on the metaphysics behind spells for my setting.
3616042 Sure thing! I'm looking forward to seeing how your spells work :)
3616082 You'll see some of that soon :)