Simic is a fascinating color pair which blends the conflicting energies of Blue and Green to create something truly special. While the Ravnican Guild, that of Simic, does a good job of showcasing how science and nature can coexist, there is much more to this pairing than meets the eye. In Strixhaven, we were given a glimpse into the mathematical side of this color combination, revealing a new perspective on Blue and Green, and yet we can still go deeper. In this article, I aim to delve into the underlying philosophy of Simic, filling in the gaps to reveal its true essence by presenting the core conflicts which shape the pair. This act of finding the space where the two colors present can agree, through opposing ideas, will give us insight into who this pair truly is. With that, let's open our minds and explore the fundamental conflicts which form the Philosophy of Blue Green, or Simic.
Instinct vs Knowledge or Nature vs Nurture
The most personal of conflicts within the combination of Simic, and one that permeates through all of its philosophies, is that of instinct versus learned knowledge or Nature versus Nurture. Green as a color believes that it's born into a role and is given the tools it needs to grow into what it was meant to be. While Blue states that we are but a blank slate, who, through learning and iteration, can reach its potential. With this in mind the philosophy of Simic must lie somewhere in between. Simic would then be of the philosophy that yes, we are born into an environment and given specific traits which influence our purpose but that this is only a starting point.
From there we must always aim to transcend a singular purpose and work toward our potential. In fact Simic would go further still and state that it is our human instinct, or nature to learn, and that such desires are our evolutionary strength. The philosophy at the heart of Simic is that of taking the basis of nature, of our innate instincts and environment which shapes us, and then iterating upon it through experience and learning. In the eyes of this pair, nature has given us a starting point or base set of tools, and a mission to accomplish but in order to reach that potential or purpose we must work towards it through learning and understanding, and of nurturing the gifts we are given. In many ways a reliance on only instinct leaves no room for growth, and a mind for only knowledge which rejects our instincts will find itself in a place removed from our true nature.
Green may fear that by putting our mind to learning we may discover answers that take us away from our animal side, from our purpose chosen at birth and one shaped by our environment, but Simic's Blue side states that we must not fear searching for knowledge, as this action will only take us back to beginning, to the root of who we are. You see truth cannot be broken through questioning, it can only be reinforced, if it is indeed truth. In this way Simic will dig into every bit of knowledge available, ensured that such instincts to do so will only strengthen its position.
You see it is indeed true that much like animals there is innate knowledge, that of underlying mechanisms of the human experience and to ignore this is foolish. While at the same time, this knowledge is but a root state of being and must be added to and through the act of understanding how those inner mechanisms function we may better reach our potential, and our purpose. Neither cancel each other out and both can exist. This is what Simic respects and what the core of its being is based upon.
Tradition vs Progress
The conflict of Tradition versus that of progress is one that asks, should we rely on the rituals which have worked for so long or should we always aim to carve a new path and abandon old ways as they are but shackles upon the future. In many ways these two seem as though they could not exist together but the truth is that those same traditions were forged upon an empty path and that progress without the foundation of tradition will crumble, well at least in the eyes of Simic. This concept of bringing both together is an act of reinforcing progress within tradition and creating new traditions through the progression of what has come before. Simic believes that yes there is indeed repeatable acts forged in history which have value, but the value of those traditions should never hinder progress, and in that, through progress new traditions can be formed.
Its an outlook which has a greater effect on society, as many societies can stagnate in their traditions while others are flimsy if they do not respect what has worked before. Think of it like this, a person is born into a system where there is deep routed traditions, these traditions then give the individual a starting point which is based on ideas that have been proven to work. This individual can then aim to bring about a new methodology by leveraging that strong base.
A society then built off of this pairing can reach new heights upon each generation, as the next flock will now have a new platform to begin their journey upon. You see progress without tradition is fleeting and unfounded action while tradition without progress is stagnation. If we stick to our old ways we cannot hope for a brighter future and if we do not appreciate what as worked for our forefathers we risk making the same mistakes that they did. In some ways this is an act of both valuing the past as much as the future.
Acceptance vs Perfection
Green is a color of acceptance as its view of the natural world is that it's already perfect, and to cast aside any natural creation would mean doubting natures intent. Of course this concept does not extend to the unnatural or perversions of that natural order. This is why it often comes into blows with Blue, as blue sees everything around it as merely an initial step into what it could be. What this means is that Blue does not see anything as perfect the way it is, and instead aims to bring about perfection out of those things, like a sculptor to a blank lump of clay. As you may know, perfection is an impossible dream and in this way this striving for perfection is one of Blue's greatest weaknesses and strengths. Simic in this way is then of two minds.
Yes nature is perfect but that does not mean it cannot be helped along. You see evolution shows us that nature is always working upon itself, iterating over millennia upon its creation. An animal only becomes more specialized and efficient over time, so does this mean that green is striving for perfection... well no. Green will accept each stage and will not interfere with it at any point, especially not in the way that blue would. Blue would place a rocket booster on a pig just to see it fly, while Green would accept that this is but an impossible dream and place its efforts elsewhere.
What this means for Simic is that it will be a pairing who simply pushes nature along, it will experiment with what is provided within the biology of natures gifts but will not pervert those gifts. “Nature is a wonderful engineer but works far too slowly for my tastes.” This flavor text from the card Master Biomancer, to me encapsulates this conflict within Simic best. Nature will iterate through evolution but rarely does it experiment with foreign ideas.
This is what Blue brings to the table, a mind for experimentation and perfection. This is why in this pair, especially of the guild that granted its name, we see so many biologists, ones with that signature magic the gathering flair. Simic then states, Nature in all of its glory has left us all the tools we require and has hidden the blueprints among its creations, we need only dig into what is provided to learn what we can and from there enact perfection.
Finite vs Infinite
Humanity has always tried to understand the greater unknown forces around us in all of its infinite grandeur. This side of humanity is then reflected by the color Blue. A color who cannot sit by and simply witness the many mysteries around them without trying to understand it all, down to its root equation. Now, it's not that green does not lay its eye upon such infinite beauty and feel nothing, its just that for Green it's a matter of reverence rather than curiosity. Green sees itself as but a small spec among the infinite. This revelation fills the color with calm and awe, while Blue is overcome by a restless need to know, to reach out and lay its hands upon the stars and to map its every molecule. Simic actually then finds the whole argument meaningless.
To say that humanity is but a small piece of the universe is foolish as we are universes in our own right. And to say that we could ever understand everything is an arrogant position on our part. We are in fact an extension of the infinite while being finite in scope ourselves. To an ant are we not gods, but to a god are we not ants? Simic is ok with not knowing, or of its inability to grasp at the universes beyond us, but that does not mean it won't try.
Through math and physics we can better understand the universe around us, but at the same time we must realize that even physics breaks apart at a great enough scale. In our own lives this could mean accepting spiritualism, in that it holds a tie to that which we don't understand and yet experience, but never abandoning science as it can be used to quantify the known.
Its ok to to live a simple life but we should never allow our curiosity to die. Said simply the philosophy of Simic in this regard is that of being a finite part of the infinite, of how even our actions, small as they be within the greater skeem of all things, is as important as as the death of a star for those actions effects the universe within in ways greater than a distant star ever could.
Conclusion
Simic is a color pair who is defined by the conflict of Blue and Green. Colors who hold a fundamentally different outlook on the self, our place and of how we should interact with the world around us. This pair shows us that perhaps our assumptions on such topics are more nuanced that we could have previously believed. From topics that start with the self to those that go beyond our understanding. Simic believes that it is a culmination of our environment and our pursuits that makes us. That tradition and progress can be utilized in tandem to create a better world. Simic believes that we can work in cooperation with nature to find a new version of perfection, one that recognizes nature as the ultimate authority, yet one we can call partner. For we are a part of nature, and yet the hand that guides it. We are the finite and the infinite. We are natures children yet gods in our own right.
Well I hope this gave you a new perspective to think about, and I just want to be honest with you for a moment and simply say thank you, to both the fans who have been with me for a while now, and to you new fans who have found the beauty of discussing the color pie, even outside of magic the gathering. There are times when I feel down, and I struggle to sit and write, but each day I get wonderful comments on my videos and articles, of how my content have touched you or inspired you in some way and that means the world to me. Its what keeps me creating. So once again I would like to say thank you, and with that my friend, I will catch you in the multiverse, bye.
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