Perhaps one of the greatest ironies of human existence is that humanity thrives on social interaction, yet constantly wrestles with its proclivity to clash, subordinate and master. The adherents of a moral code will perceive their parochial beliefs as correct and moral, shaping the way they perceive the world around them. Playwright Arthur Miller theorises that Christianity’s formative influence upon Western though has led the inculcation off the theology’s ideals into the practice of societies, such as Salem in 1692 or America under McCarthy rule. Not only does the theology categorise all realties of Apollonian descent to be “of God”, but condemns any reality of Dionysian nature to be “of Lucifer”. Conflict begins to occur when people come to conceive the world of a “Divided Empire”, where otherness can be demonized, and thus destroyed. When such is the case the accuser may ascend their moral high ground, earning prodigious power, whilst the accused are given a demonic overlay and rendered powerless. The subsequent conflict which erupts between these two parties tends to reveal the most basic of human emotion, rendering resolution elusive. Nevertheless, Miller suggests that true power lies with the rare few prepared to remain steadfast in their moral principles. These remarkable individuals are able to avoid conflict their impact paving the way to reconciliation an peace.
Whether by means of the spear for Neolithic man or the judicial court for contemporary society, each seek to recapture the harmony which conflict has shattered. Yet, when society’s tools and institutions become corrupted by the conflict plaguing that society, reconciliation becomes infinitely more elusive. Miller argues that by Christian theology anointing the courts as the “scourge of God”, the religious power that they bequeathed altered their focus from fulfilling justice to one purely of retribution. In such a climate of religiously