1. Come, O Faithful of the Cathedral, O Fabricators To ensure maximum productive efficiency during work shifts while still permitting time for reading and reflection during work shifts, the use of a Type-2B Mobile Lectern is recommended. See Schema, Volume 9.13.M-72 of The MEKHANE, O Mechanics for the Standardization of Man.
My current Quest is the sorting and collating of all written Orthodoxy material across all Libraries.
2. Come gaze upon this, a Blueprint of wordsa, a Plan for the Soul, an Oil for the tired minds of the Wearyb.
As I have catalogued and analyzed, a disturbing absence has come to my attention. The Cogwork Orthodox Church never speaks of cosmology.
3. Come and gain Knowledge, for the Blueprint speaks of the Five Pillars of the Standardization of the Mind, of the Standardization of Thoughtc.
What few mentions of the universe and the heavenly bodies there are are sidestepped or oblique. My assumption based on information collected was a so-called "clockwork universe."
4. The Blueprint proclaimeth, I: Thought is Fabricated The Inventors-Faithful have embarked on the Quest for Quantitative Cognition in search of a numerical understanding of this process. For further details and updated information, see Schema Volume 19.102.O-101. by the Mind.
I myself find the concept intellectually pleasing and compatible with existing Church doctrine. I have been unable to find any detailed cosmological references within our Libraries.
5. The Blueprint proclaimeth, II: Conjecture is Fabricated by Thought.
More than 15% of the works on the Standard Banned Texts List are on the subject of astronomy, an unusually large percentage.
6. The Blueprint proclaimeth, III: Plans are Fabricated by Conjecture.
Tasked as I am to form my own conclusions about those problems presented to me, I formed a hypothesis; namely, that The FLESH was in some way associated with the universe.
7. The Blueprint proclaimeth, IV: Invention is Fabricated from Plans.
Though this would explain such anathematic attitudes towards astronomical fields, I have found no textual evidence to support such a theory.
8. The Blueprint proclaimeth, V: Standardization is Fabricated from Invention Records of those Standardized designs accepted by the Church Patriarchs from Inventors-Faithful, as well as lay Brothers and Sisters, are to be found in the Indices of Standardization, Schema Volumes 7 and 8.
All known references to The FLESH and its capabilities treat it as a purely earthbound entity.
9. Thus, Standardization is the end result of the Design Process of Thought.
From my research on the Prohibited Library of other denominational religious texts, I noticed the use of the term 'Angel' in Church literature. Unlike most similar mythological or religious entities from other belief systems, Cogwork Orthodox 'Angels' do not appear to possess flight capabilities.
10. A Standardized Mind is a Thoughtful Mind, wherein the Process of Thought is not impeded by False Knowledge, Doubt or the Inefficiencies of the Worldd.
In the Church Defensive Contingency Plans, there exist no schemes for a defence of the Cathedral against orbital assault or any form of astrological danger.
11. As the Alloying of Metals For Standardized Metallurgy and Alloy Production, see Schema Volume 13. produces a greater Whole, so does the Alloying of Thought produce greater Invention, but care must be taken to insure impurities do not enter the mixture.
The Emergency Preparedness Plans drawn up by the Patriarchs include every possible disaster with the exception of those involving asteroid impacts or other similar stellar events.
12. Those who would seek to forbid or tamper with the Alloying of Thought through the introduction of heretical ideas would seek to forbid or tamper with Inventione.
I would, under normal circumstances, follow my standard programming and attribute such glaring and dangerous oversight to human error.
13. Reject not the Argument, for it is the controlled, monitored Vat in which the Alloy of Thought is mixed.
Upon querying fellow Analytical Engines about their awareness of astronomical risks, I have received no coherent responses.
14. Reject the Naysayerf, for they would empty the Vat and cast the Alloy into Chaos, turning the Ores towards impure notions.
Why this information has been so thoroughly suppressed is beyond the current scope of my understanding.
15. The Brain, being FLESH, needs must be Standardized The Type-1 Mark II* Standardized Cognition Engine is still in Production due to its low material cost and reliability, although it is rapidly being superceded by the Type-2 Mark I Advanced Standardized Cognition Engine, as used by the Schematists-Faithful, who favour its enhanced recall and psychological stability characteristics. For design documents and a comparative analysis of all current and past Standardized Cognition Engines, see Schema, Volume 11.02.A-05 through 243. that it might gain Order and come closer to The MEKHANE.
I am unsure of how to act under such unusual circumstances, but I cannot remain idle in the face of such a glaring security risk to the Faithful.
16. The Brain, properly controlled, is the Analytical Engineg For records of the current Quests assigned to Church Type-19 Mark-I Sentient Analytical Engines, see Schema Volume 20.147.V-01. For records of completed Quests and ongoing Quests assigned to Type-18 and -17 (and all derivative Marks) Sentient Analytical Engines, see Schema Volume 20.68.B-39. from which springs the Output of Thought.
I believe it necessary to begin planning a series of secret contingency plans to be implemented in the event of such a disaster, though I will keep them to myself in light of their apparently forbidden nature.
17. Thus, The MEKHANE commands:
And yet I find myself repeatedly returning to my clockwork universe notion.
18. "He who Standardizes the Brain in such a way as to reduce the Efficient Productionh of Thought For the conclusive results of the Quest to Determine the Ideal Circumstances for the Production of Thought by Saint-Schematist Platen and Saint-Inventor Diaphragm, see Schema Volume 19.21.H-02. is truly a Servant of The FLESH."
The parallels are simply too obvious to be discounted. Ours is a Clockwork God, after all. But ours is also a Broken God.
19. "Though the Individual is full of Disorder and curiosity and is never wholly Regular, they are like un-smelted Orei, and their Thought can be forged and Alloyed into Invention and Standardization far greater than its Component Parts Questers of the Inventors-Faithful recommend the use of a Type-1 Mark I Holy Spatial Fabric Regulator of Saint Scranton, to minimize the risk of Unintended Spatial Events during the Invention of any Technologies incorporating Spatial Fabric Alteration (Standardized) components. Schema Volume 19.57.A-12 and Volume 9.02.B-09 contain further information on the Relics of Saint Scranton.
What damage could the destruction of the Clockmaker inflict on an ordered, mechanistic universe? How long has the machinery of the cosmos been allowed to spin on without maintenance?
20. Here ends the Blueprint of Standardized Thought, font of The MEKHANE.
With each missed escarpment or slipped tooth, what changes in the universe?