WHAT THE PHILOSOPHICAL FUNCTION OF THE DISCORDIAN SOCIETY IS: For centuries, men have probed the secrets of nature to discover and explain the laws of the universe, to find out the shape and source of order. Today, that search is ending. It used to be the function of religion to provide explainations for the order of things which science discovered but was unable to explain. Today, that function is vestigal. So interested have men been with order, throughout history, that they left another field entirely neglected: DISORDER. Science is unable to explain, for example, why today's world goes right on ignoring science--paying more tribute to super- stition, totalitariansim, and war. Why are the secrets of the atom used to promote chaos among men? Why are the most generous motives of men played upon to produce slavery? Why do otherwise sane people attend church on Sunday? The purpose of The Discordian Society is to provide false, comforting answers to questions of this sort; to give mystical reasons for the disorder around us; to promote unworkable principles of discord--in short, to provide the world with a workshop for the insane, thus keeping them out of mischief as Presidents, Ambassador[s], Priests, Ministers, and other Dictators.----- Declared by LORD OMAR KHAYYAM RAVENHURST, K.C.; Bull Goose of [Limbo] and (same personage) Protector of Switzerland; High Priest of [The] Erisian Orthodoxy =====Hail Eris