Incidentalism (philospophy)

Incidentalism is a philosophy with its roots in the espirian kingdoms (where it is called Banalia) starting in ~1825 D.A. The name is derived from the core belief that the universe exists for no real purpose, and that even the works of the gods are trivial given a wide enough scope.

History

The first known proponent of incidentalism was the espirian philosopher Impieta (1782-~1840), who was already known for being outspoken against the church's recent dominance in the espirian kingdoms. Her core teachings were that religious organizations such as the Akregian church existed to compliment the daily practices and beliefs of the people, but that they should never overshadow or subsume one's personal philosophies. Of course, this was highly controversial in the eyes of the church, who met it with condemnation and accusations of heresy.

While Impieta was never officially tried as a heretic, most historians credit the church's condemnation of her teachings as the cause of her self-imposed exile from the empire. The movement seems to have vanished for several decades after that, as no written mention of it exists between Impieta's lifetime and the 20th century D.A., when it gained a sudden resurgence among the secular elite of the kingdoms. It has never been a widespread belief, likely due to religious pressure in the imperial regions, but neither has it completely disappeared in recent history.