Loricism

**Loricism** is a branded school of "active philosophy" founded by Daniel Donche Jr in 2017. The adjective form is *Loric*, as in "Loric Philosophy" or "Loric practitioners", etc.

There are a handful of core principles that form the basis of what Loricism is and why it was created. These are:

Article 1: Loricism’s mission is to enhance the world through the spread of rationality.

Article 2: Being rational requires one to cultivate a resistance to instinctual thought and behavior that leads to irrationality. Any system that aims to promote rational thought must first contend with this, and therefore should include methodology to improve and strengthen individuals. Loricism does this through Ingenium, the first element.

Article 3: Since the world is made up of individuals, Loricism can improve the world by improving the individuals.

Article 4: Individuals must become strong enough to withstand cultural and social pressures, as well as their own detrimental thoughts and behaviors.

Article 5: These individuals must then be taught the power of rational thinking and communication (logic and rhetoric). Loricism does this through Communicatio Ratio, the second element.

Article 6: These individuals must serve as both examples of rational thought and strength of character, and they must become the bridge to the rest of the world. Otherwise, the system’s mission will fail.

Article 7: Because one human is but a drop in the sea of humanity, a system must include a plan to combat the power of groupthink, bandwagon mentality, etc.; the only way to overcome this is to make rationality the prevailing way. Rational humans must outnumber irrational ones, or at least hold greater cultural influence *en masse*.

Article 8: The only way to achieve the desired result is to create a culture that values rationality and thinks and acts in accordance with this view more often than not. Loricism does this through Cultura, the third element.

Article 9: Loricism’s aim of creating a world of rationality will then result in the spread of constantly improving ideas, which will be free from the chains of ignorance, irrationality and the negative aspects of human nature.

Article 10: Above all must constantly hang the grim specter of a most inevitable future: that some people will invariably hijack a system of thought for power or selfish purpose. The system must be prepared to disavow or purge any instances of this rearing its ugly head.

The Loric system is modeled after typical martial arts programs, and incorporates elements from philosophies like Stoicism and Buddhism, logic and critical thinking, assertiveness training, psychology, sociology, communication skills, and other influences like tarot. It is approached like martial arts because it aims to provide self-defense on a mental and emotional level, instead of the physical. The primary focuses are with inner character development, critical thinking, and communication skills.

As a philosophy, it aims to provide actionable wisdom for everyday living through self-control, self-awareness, and self-confidence building. It places heavy emphasis on internal locus of control, and similar to Stoicism, strives to help practitioners determine and excise anxiety over that which lies beyond our control.

## History

Daniel Donche Jr founded the system in 2017, where it began first as a basic philosophy. The system soon evolved to model itself after martial arts, although the original ranking system was already in place. The first online course and books became available in 2019.

## Overview

The purpose of Loricism is easiest to understand from the outside-in: it aims to change culture by "installing" principles of reason within the general populace. In order to do this, however, reason and critical thinking must first be taught to the general populace. It is easier to leverage emotion in order to spread an idea and influence culture, so Loricism must work against human nature by "hacking" it. Because humans are also tribal, and prone to groupthink, it is important to build individuals so they are capable of resisting social conditioning in favor of reason. These aims form the basis - and three components - of Loricism, as can be seen in one of the unofficial mottos: *Best Self, Best Ideas, Best World*.

## Improving the Self

Loricism starts with the self, and places a high value on the principle of reasonable individual autonomy (live your life as you wish doing your best to avoid inflicting suffering onto others). This is the first element of Loricism, called Ingenium (represented by the triangle in the symbol). Ingenium is comprised of 12 distinct virtues spread across 4 areas of focus (Autonomy, Duty, Will, Wisdom). By improving each of these areas, individuals move ever closer towards achieving self-mastery, which ultimately helps them resist cultural and individual manipulation and control, as well as achieving success in any other area they wish to see it.

As Loricism relates to the martial arts, Ingenium deals with self-defense of the spirit. In other words, where physical martial arts (see Viam Chao) helps defend against attacks on the body by external forces, and where logic and reason and assertiveness help defend against attacks on the mind by external forces, character development helps defend against attacks we make on ourselves through negative beliefs and other paradigms that crush our morale, or spirit. Thus, Ingenium is the self-defense against ourselves, and is the most important of the three.

This element is represented by the triangle shape in the symbol.

## Improving Ideas and Reason

The second element of Loricism is Communicatio Ratio, or reasonable communication. Where Ingenium deals with the internals, this element aims to facilitate stronger and more effective communication skills. Here is a heavy focus on logic, rhetoric, and more cooperative interactions with others. The most important aspect of this is reasonableness and constant improvement of ideas. Many aspects of this tie directly in with the ingenium elements, such as dealing with manipulation and being assertive. As it relates to martial arts, this deals with self-defense of the mind.

Aristotle noted in *Rhetoric*, defense of the mind through logic and reason is more imperative than the physical kind, as attacks on the mind happen daily, where physical attacks may never occur at all. He reasoned that because of this, it makes more sense to train the mind than the body. This element deals with logic, reason, communication, sociology, and psychology.

This element is represented by the diamond shape in the symbol.

## Improving the World and Culture

The third and final element is Cultura, or building a culture of strength of character and reasonable interaction. The aim of this is to work toward eliminating toxic cultural attributes like extremism, inadequate or dangerous ideology, and unethical majority or minority rule. Like the other elements, the concept of reasonableness plays a major role here, as does the "Idea of Best Ideas." A strong foundation in the other two elements is necessary for Cultura to work, as individuals should be proficient in recognizing faulty premises, manipulation, and other devices used for the purpose of developing unreasonable cultural control. Individuals must also have the confidence and autonomy enough to withstand social and cultural influence.

This element is represented by the circle in the symbol.

## Martial Arts Influence

Much of the system inherent within Loricism is influenced by the physical martial arts. Only Loricism aims to provide a means of self-defense against negative thought and behaviors (Ingenium) as well as negative external influence against the mind (Communicatio Ratio). Because of this, a ranking system is built into it to provide practitioners with a means of gauging progress and goal-setting. It is also designed to be a continuous process, much like the martial arts, as mastery of these elements takes constant practice and learning.