Advent of the Skelemancer

"Allow me to state that, while I did not and do not object to this invitation, I do object to calling him 'the Skelemancer" for the simple act of having a skeleton walk around while on fire, as though that were some defining deed. Mobile skeletons are a common trick."
"Speaking respectfully, when did you try to set fire to bone before, and how long did that fire last, presuming you succeeded?"
"Oh. I was distracted by the less important part, and I rescind my criticism."
The Learned Fellows of Trijna resumed waiting for their guest in complete serenity. Neither the state nor the wait lasted long, for when Jumo i Zuza entered, the man who lately had gained a reputation as the Skelemancer, he had with him a companion startling even to those who thought themselves informed.
"Is that a crystal skeleton? What beast provided the materials?"
"Does this chill I feel have a physical element, or is it nothing but awe which causes it?"
"Learned fellows! I begin the lecture now. This is a human skeleton to which I applied the principle of hardening! I have proved to my satisfaction that this world consists of substrates and processes. Our system of elements is jumbled with some of each, but by experimentation we will reduce it to sanity. I have applied flame, a process, to bone, and replaced water with bone as the substrate for the hardening action which produces ice. And next . . ."
"Surely you do not intend to apply the motion of air to produce farting skeletons! What of dignity?"
Jumo i Zuza raised his arms. "There is no dignity in ignorance."
"This title of Skelemance, if anything, is insufficient for this man, a true Skelosopher!"
Finis

Revealed Preferences and the Law

One day, two pilgrims on their way to that famous shrine paused their journeys to rest at the very same spot. The first was from the country called X, while the other hailed from Y country, and both had left their own lands. The travelers talked about this and that, the news and the rumors, and when they were quite relaxed, the man from X told something of his story.
"I made a vow some years ago to go to the god, but my trip was postponed because of a rash of robberies in my town. I was called upon to assist in handling it, which I did. The culprits got their punishment, and at last I'm on my way."
"Oh? Is robbery still a crime in X? I'm surprised to hear that. We do things a bit more rationally in Y."
"What do you mean?"
"We threw out all our old laws. What good have they ever done? Someone broke them every day. Doesn't that tell you that those laws went against the wishes of the people? We decided the purpose of laws is to serve the people, not the reverse. For that reason, we set up new laws that agree with what the people really want."
"I never heard that Y had become a democracy."
"Certainly we did nothing so foolish as that. All you have in democratic states are people who say what they imagine they will be praised for saying. What good is that? No, we examined the evidence. Deeds, not words, and what is done the least and the most. Now robbery, adultery, and assault are all legal. Murder, only if the victim deserved it. Cannibalism and honesty are strictly forbidden."
"That all sounds very sensible. But if someone performs an act of cannibalism or honesty, does that not indicate it was their desire, and that society should accommodate them?"
"Not at all. A society which exists for the bulk of its members cannot at the same time indulge a man here and there who goes against it, more likely out of unworthy contrary impulses rather than true conviction. Now, if the frequency of those acts increases, the laws will change." "Even so, I like for my goods to remain mine."
"But do your countrymen agree? If so, you would be quite happy under our system."
"I can hope that is the case, if we ever adopt it. But you speak of men only. Do the gods have a place in your laws?"
"They do, if only they will come among us and demonstrate what behavior we ought to pursue. I make this pilgrimage to pray for that very thing." "I understand, and I will do the same."
The two pilgrims traveled together the rest of the way, and prayed, and that was the day the gods returned.
Finis