Fealty to Fidelity 👰

According to LessWrong, philosopher chaosmage proposes reviving Fides—the Roman goddess of honesty—as a modern ritual space where people make major commitments: marriage vows, charitable pledges, business deals, all in front of witnesses and cameras. The psychology is straightforward: ritual, public accountability, and the memory-forming power of ceremony strengthen commitment to promises. The design includes bronze plaques engraving important oaths, a wall of shame for oath-breakers, and a solemn pledge to the goddess. While the Romans believed Fides was literally divine, the author argues modern participants need only the psychological mechanisms: ritual and witnesses. It's religion as behavioral engineering—a secular framework to make promises stick.

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