Arco Determinism
Arco Determinism, also known as Frontier Spirit, is the governing political and cultural philosophy of Arcer citizens, a group of Cronan-naturalized Carnish and Gaelic peoples who arrived between the 18th and 20th centuries to Southern Crona. The central ideology of Arcerion is a cultural and societal belief that the Arcer people (of the two major migratory groups during the colonial era) are destined to settle, civilize, and create a modern Occidental state in Crona. Concurrent to this, it is a common goal of the society and culture to defend Arcerion and its people, and by extension extend the rule of the Carnish Crown. It also represents a common ethnic and cultural heritage from AEngles, Gaels, and Carnish peoples on values such as community, the family compact, and self-reliance.
Etymology and Philosophy
The term is essentially two distinct parts, that being Arcerion and the philosophy of Determinism. In essence, this is the philosophical doctrine that every state of affairs, including every human event, act, and decision, is the inevitable consequence of antecedent states of affairs. In layman's terms this is referenced as cause-and-effect. Arcers believe that their settlement and nation building have determined that they are the rightful owners and caretakers of much of the Southeastern Cronan Peninsula. The cultural belief itself is blended with ethnic and social values from the settlement of the Arcer plains and lowlands, in which bands of settlers would forage together and set up communities, battling disease, Indigenous peoples, wildlife, famine, and inclement weather to forge a new state. It is in this vein that the Arco people see themselves - a frontier spirit wherein their effort and toil determine them to be the civilization that has dominion over Southeastern Crona.
The philosophy is rooted in two major components - the idea that one's actions determine a designated or determined outcome, that is inherent and absolves one truly of free will. In this instance, a farmer who chose to sleep in and miss their harvest cannot be upset when their crop is destroyed by weather, as it was their choice to not harvest and instead rest. Secondary to this is the emphasis on self-reliance and independence of spirit. Not to be confused with individual liberty, this half of the philosophy more closely relates to a Frontier Spirit. The idea that oneself is alone and must rely on effort, wit, and guile to overcome challenges and adversity in life. In the community sense, this was forged by bands of settlers ranging inland to establish towns, farms, and settlements, on which would be the skeleton that Acerion built its nation from.
Origin
While the actual origin of the term "Arco Determinism" originates much later than the founding of the Arcer colony, early versions included "Frontier Spirit" and "Settler Conviction," although both would fade with Arcer independence. The first publication to use the phrase was the Kurst Financial Times, which in 1854 coined the phrase in an article on an expedition of settlers being ambushed while escorted by members of the Royal Arcer Constabulary. It quoted, "..it is these brave souls lost that are the heart of the Arcer nation. This Arco Determinism that has itself set on bringing civilization, good governance, justice, and security into the continent's lowlands that is the altar upon which these men and women are the nation's sacrifice."
Although criticized at the time for the publication, the term would become common parlance, especially within the Confederate Parliament, which would incorporate it into the Arcer Constitution upon full independence in 1895. In the Constitution, the philosophy was incorporated as "Understanding that it Arcer Determinism will be the vessel unto which the nation expands its influence, through diplomacy, commerce, or if necessary by force, into Crona."
Principles
General Principles
In general, there is a reduced emphasis on individual liberty in favour of a collectivist ethos. While certain elements of liberal theory emerge in Arco Determinism (ie. the individual right to bear arms stemming from the need of settlers and farmers to defend themselves), generally the ideology is a mixture of conservative and liberal beliefs. In general, an emphasis on traditional family compacts, community involvement, access to healthcare, firearms ownership and education, strong municipal and governorate-policing, individual right of governorates to self-govern, limited federal governmental powers, classical economics, and progressive social policies for underprivileged represent the core ethos of Arcerion. While seemingly many of these are at odds, Arcers believe that it is their national duty and cultural obligation to work together and find common ground, as culturally and historically to not do so often resulted in razed settlements, failed crops, famine, or border conflict.
Liberal Principles
The liberal principles of Arcer Determinism denote that the role of the state is twofold. First, at the governorate level, it is to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. This comes in the form of social programs like subsidized daycare for single parents, regulated firearms laws that allow for possession of handguns, shotguns and other forms of weapons, food stamps and government-organized clothing and food centers for the impoverished, a progressive healthcare system that incentivizes emergency and critical care access for the most vulnerable, and common-sense policing with strong after-school and gang de-radicalization programs. The second portion of the role of the state is at the federal level. While Arcers pride themselves on small government, harkening back to an era where Kurst was weeks away by messenger (until the advent of rail and steam river boats), the federal government is mainly responsible for national security, foreign policy and investment, regulation of marco-commerce, centralized banking, regulation of financials sectors to prevent fraud and abuse of capitalist principles, and national infrastructure such as canals, waterways, and the Arcer National Railway Service (ANRS). Under the liberal context, this means that 'big government' or 'parent state' functions are decentralized to the Governorate-level, reducing the size and requirement for an overly-large federal government.
Conservative Principles
The other side of Arcer Determinism's two-sided coin is conservative beliefs that place a higher value on social ties and traditional Arcer cultural norms. What this translates to is modern legislation or foreign policy being shaped almost directly, and in most cases described as linearly, by past events or cultural trends. For example, with the rise of gun crime in Oakham Governate in the 1960s due to the rise of communist and socialist gangs and revolutionaries, some called for more strict gun laws to restrict the use of weapons. This however failed overwhelmingly in the Confederate Parliament, as traditional Arcer values of firearms ownership are a key tenet of the Frontier Spirit. The emphasis on traditional values such as leadership, authority, and agrarianism. Leadership is inherent in frontier settlements, and this places an emphasis on smart, informed community leaders protecting and governing their respective jurisdictions.
The emphasis on decentralized governance and community consensus is no more prevalent that in the official name of Arcerion, the Confederated Provinces of Arcerion. Arcerion is technically still a grouping of provinces (the Governorates) that observe the Constitution and are joined in a common union, that to protect the fate and right to self-govern of the Arcer peoples.
Role in Arcer Society
In Arcer society the lack of a defined code
