The Imperium of Man is often portrayed as the last bastion against the corrupting influence
of Chaos. Yet, the methods employed by the Imperium are as ruthless as the enemies they
seek to destroy. Governed by the decrees of the God-Emperor, the Imperium enforces a
brutal order through fear, repression, and unyielding orthodoxy. It is a society where dissent
is crushed, and countless lives are sacrificed to maintain the status quo. This raises an
unsettling question: in its quest to combat Chaos, has the Imperium itself become chaotic
against the backdrop of a well-ordered and organized enemy?
Chaos, representing the dark, primal forces of the universe, thrives on the basest human
emotions—fear, anger, lust, and ambition. It is depicted as the antithesis of righteousness
and civilization, even though many aspects of itself form homogenous societies and are in
itself neatly ordered. The Imperium on the other hand, trying to implement its understanding
of order, is constantly ripping apart civilisations and is drowning in a self-made bureaucracy
that more often seems disorganized and muddled than really ordering things. In the lore,
entities corrupted by chaos often refer to themselves as enlightened, and especially the
Inquisition is portrayed as narrow-minded.
This inversion of meaning highlights the ethical ambiguity at the heart of Warhammer 40k.
How much of what is written is in itself imperial propaganda? How do the forced of chaos
function beyond their capabilities for war? It compels us to reflect on the nature of power and
the ethical implications of a big bad evil” against an absolute good.
In the grim darkness of the far future, there seems to emerge the one question: Are we,
indeed, the baddies?
Author bio
Markus Ressel:
- Former Assistant to Prof.Dr. Dietmar Hübner at the University of Hannover
- 4 years as a Tutor accompanying lectures on Ethics and political Philosophy
- Currently independent working Artist/Educator
- Associations Board of the 3TH -Table Top Treff Hannover e.V.
- 24 years of 40k gaming and lore experience
