The 23 Apples of Eris

“When these two metals are combined, we say that they are ‘con-fused‘.” – Eliza, “The Confusion” (The Baroque Cycle)

What does it mean to be confused? Most often we likely consider it to mean that someone is bewildered or dealing with conflicting information that brings about a negative state of mind. However, this sort of confusion is only one aspect to the word. Confusion, in fact, may well be useful, beneficial and even desirable… in some sense.

In cryptography we use the term confusion to describe an important operation of a secure cipher. Confusion is the relationship between the encryption ‘key’ and the ‘ciphertext’ (the encrypted message). Particularly, good cryptography requires strong Confusion… or a strong, complex relationship between these two elements of the cipher. In fact, the more complex the relationship, the better the cipher. We ‘confuse’ the key and the data, so that the entire key is used to encrypt every part of the message AND that specific parts of the key are used on specific parts of the message as well. The goal is to create non-uniformity throughout the ciphertext, so that if an attacker has several samples of ‘plaintext’ they still cannot guess the correct key that was used. In a properly ‘confused’ algorithm changing one bit in the key, or changing one bit in the plaintext should result in a completely different output. Thus we can say that online banking, credit cards, debit cards, health records, sensitive business documents and secret Discordian cabal discussions are all secure, because of Confusion.

Confusion may also make things stronger. If we take metal along with other compounds and liquefy them with heat, we can con-fuse them together to create a metal alloy. If this is done correctly, the compounds become completely intermingled AND if the correct compounds are used, the resulting metal may be far more valuable than the original metals. For example, we may place Iron Ore, Charcoal (carbon) and glass (sillica) into a crucible, seal it and heat it in a furnace. This process takes three useful elements and transforms them into the ‘wootz steel’, a harder, better steel that holds its edge and exhibits a toughness beyond most other steel alloys of its time. “Damascus Steel” is still a sought after product today… the product of ‘confusion’.

Confusion often gets a bum rap, as does Chaos, Discord, Bureaucracy and Aftermath. Yet, these are not always, or necessarily negative things. Chaos can be creative. Discord can force confrontation and resolution. Without Bureaucracy the Internet, hospitals, government, your place of employment and most of reality as we know it couldn’t exist. But, Confusion, marvelous, wondrous, alchemical Con-Fusion can take many disparate things and combine them into something new, something better, something more valuable than the sum of its parts.

How better to describe the ideas, debates, metaphors and models discussed by Discordians, than a ‘con-fusion’ of ideas. The new concepts that come out of our discussions are products of multiple sources; the sciences from those of us who have studied science, the philosophies from those who have studied that. Political science, psychology, personal experiences and absurdity all placed in the crucible of Discordianism, heated, combined, forged and Con-Fused into O:MF’s, Rants, GASMS, parables and whatever else happens to come out of the fire.

So I exhort all Discordians; Steal ideas, steal metaphors, steal it all and Con-fuse it together, because that is truly the way to Think For Yourself, Schmuck!

Hail Eris, All Hail Discordia!

Ratatosk, Squirrel of Discord
Chatterer of the Words of Eris
Muncher of the ChaoAcorn
POEE of the Great Googlie Mooglie Cabal