Reciprocity

Justice Beyond Retribution and Reconciliation

Jean Carolus (1814–1897), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“Natural justice is the advantage conferred by mutual agreements not to inflict nor allow harm.” The Principal Doctrines of Epicurus translated by Erik Anderson

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This essay is a continuation of my piece Justice from March 20th, 2025. While it is not necessary to have read that piece to understand this one you may find it interesting or beneficial to read it before or after this one. ~ Fragment

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Most conversations around Justice come down to crime, punishment, and their alternatives; the aspects I, and thinkers much deeper and more accomplished than I, often refer to them as retribution and reconciliation, with retribution often tied to “just deserts”. It is understandable that people are often most focused on these elements as they are the primary elements in the justice system. Arguments over punishment and rehabilitation dominate news cycles and electioneering. Tough on crime, bail reform, in-prison and out-of-prison programs, and even elites avoiding responsibility for financial crimes, or worse in the case of the Epstein files, are framed as people not getting the punishment they deserve. Society demands retribution, after all. But when you dig a little deeper, getting past the rhetoric about what needs to be done and to whom, we find the first principle of justice is reciprocity.

As a concept, reciprocity is quite simple. It is me acknowledging you as a thinking, feeling and moral agent and treating you as such while you extend the same acknowledgement to me. Temple Satanists see this reflected clearly in our tenets.

One should strive to act with compassion and empathy…

One’s body is inviolable…

The freedoms of others should be respected…

The spirit of compassion, wisdom, and justice should always prevail…

Justice is not confined to Tenet II alone when you start thinking about justice as more than crime and punishment.

It is also important to note that this is not a uniquely Temple conception of justice. Many of our Tenets are near direct pulls from Thomas Hobbes’s Natural Laws while I intentionally mirrored Epicurus’s “mutual agreements not to inflict nor allow harm” in my definition of justice. From Christianity you have Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:12 where Jesus is said to had said “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” and Matthew 22:39’s “Love your neighbour as yourself.” echo the sense of reciprocity, a mutual acknowledgement of each other. In Western and Middle Eastern religion you don’t have to wait for Ialdabaoth’s son to arrive to hear this message. Leviticus 19:18 includes similar language to Matthew but even earlier than many of the Abrahamic texts the Zoroastrians had a variation of what many call The Silver Rule; do not do unto others as you would not want done to you. From ancient religions and philosophers to the social contract theories of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Locke that form the foundations of our justice systems, seeing your fellow human as thinking, feeling, and equal agent has been the heart root of justice.

Given that reciprocity is simply an agreement between all that we see each other as moral agents we can begin thinking about what that looks like in practice. And while there are many nuanced or complicated ways to approach the practical, I’d like to propose something very simple, very achievable, very actionable: working to meet the needs of other people. There is a lot to unpack with this simple statement but as a starting point this is something everyone can do.

Let’s start with the golden and silver rules, the most simplistic moral guidelines where it is good to be kind to another person because you like it when other people are kind to you, and you don’t harm other people because you do not want them to harm you. If operating from a veil of complete ignorance that is probably the best anyone can ever do. But how often are we truly working from a veil of complete ignorance? I would say it is close to never. There is almost always some contextual clue about that you can draw upon. Take this essay. You know I am an English speaker, probably not from the United States given that I tend to use UK/Canadian spellings, and that I am interested in Satanism and what justice looks like to a Satanist. But I also have clues about you as a reader. You can understand English - either through your own abilities or translation apps - are curious about Satanism, whether or not you have a positive or negative view of it, and you are generally willing to engage in that curiosity. I know this because, if you did not have interest or curiosity, you wouldn’t be reading this sentence. So even though you and I may have never talked, with you reading this weeks after I wrote it, we know something about each other right now. That’s context. That’s where we really get to start building reciprocity.

Now let’s keep building on the context provided to demonstrate the reciprocity I share with you. On top of your curiosity and willingness to read English, you are a person. As a person, time is your most precious asset. So if I want you to spend that asset, the scarce resource here I need to make sure I am fulfilling your reason to be here. That could be providing insights to reflect upon in your religious journey. It could be that you are looking for validation for your own thoughts and you see them reflected back at you by me. Perhaps it’s a sense of community or mentorship to help you navigate the world. Of course it could be any combination of these three things or other options I didn’t think of or write down. Whatever the combination, I need to take into account your ephemeral needs. I need to be entertaining, elucidating, and honest in my writing. I need to see, respect, and honour your time and thoughts. That is all I can expect. Some of you choose to go beyond simply reading what I write and choose to like, comment, and share my words both here and elsewhere. When people do that I appreciate it more than I can express because it shows just how much impact one man’s words can have. Seeing my thoughts shared is also another bit of context. It lets me know that I am changing the world slightly and that I must do some with care and boldness in equal measure. Reciprocity is a two way street so just as you reading my words changes you seeing what you do changes me. Writing is a feedback loop though one that is often slower than we are used to in modern times.

With that rather odd choice of context explained it’s time to look at reciprocity more generally but still from a practical standpoint and how we can demonstrate reciprocity to our fellow human beings. Given that concrete examples tend to work best, and that I haven’t relied on this trick for a bit, let’s go over a short list of things we can all do to reciprocate with each other.

1. Respect each other’s time and money.

With only the context of being human we know that the two most precious resources everyone has is time and money. As such it is important that we strive to never waste either. For money this means ensuring that any products or services that you offer are delivered as expected in the agreed upon time frame. Do not abuse the property of others and do not steal. Time wise the same thoughts apply. Don’t waste people’s time with disorganized meetings, convoluted rules, and drawn out deliberations. Make sure you show up on time, have a plan and share it if you are expecting people to collaborate with you, and be prepared to concede some points today as a good now is better than a theoretical perfect at an unknown point in the future.

2. See our visible differences in each other.

People are going to show up with obvious differences. Phenotypes, visibilities, disabilities, accents, and different spoken and written languages are the most obvious ones but even the way one dresses and stylizes themselves can tell you about people’s values. My daily plain black clothes with simple accessories paired with long, greying hair stands in contrast to someone who dresses in a suit and tie with perfectly manicured nails and coiffed hair. From the get go we have things we can acknowledge and connect to their human needs. Simply assuring that the restaurant is wheelchair and public transit accessible goes a long way. When you are there knowing that the 6’5” (~195cm) person should be squeezed into the tight booth because they will be uncomfortable is a consideration.

It is also important to realize that there are significant cultural differences. One of the hardest things to navigate is the difference between high context and low context cultures where much of the communication is reading between the lines. Compare that to the United States, and to a lesser degree Canada, communication can’t be left to subtext. We are geographically large countries made of colonial immigrants meaning we bring so many cultural differences that we cannot assume a shared lexicon that we have to be explicit in our communication. Idioms have little meaning in this environment. Your perspective is not “the right perspective” but “a potentially right perspective in your culture”. Every country has different experiences and norms when it comes to their histories, their relationships with immigrants and minorities, and how to move forward mending those. No model is flawless. No one is served by casting aspersions based on perceptions rather than actions.

3. Express our hidden differences.

While we all come to the table with obvious differences we also show up with unseen differences. And as they are unseen it is not right or reasonable to assume that people can meet you where you are if you do not express those hidden differences. Not only is it important to express but to express them not as a demand or threat but as a meeting of moral agents looking to connect because like you, the person you are trying to connect with has their own hidden needs. Both parties are trying to come together in mutual respect. We are talking about reciprocity, after all.

One thing that is important to keep in mind when it comes to expressing and accommodating differences is sometimes differences cannot be fully accommodated. I always think about the different lighting needs between myself and my partner. My vision issues want bright, high contrast lighting to make it easier to operate but Jen needs darker, lower contrast lighting for her to be at her best. That means compromise. Sometimes her needs are more primary than mine. At other times the reverse is true. We simply need to stop, think, and act based on the needs of the moment in the best interests of each other. Give and take is foundational to reciprocity, justice, and freedom.

4. Assume the best, not the worst, from others.

Most, not all, people are simply doing their best to get through this world. When engaging with other people it is best to assume the best unless you have clear evidence of malintent. This is not to say that you should trust foolishly, only that if someone says or does something that could be viewed as malicious or not assume not until there is a clearer pattern. Doing so increases trust, not just between you and the person you are engaged with but throughout the community.

To do this, I recommend practicing suavity. What is suavity? It is the art of speaking sweetly and truthfully. Being honest is not a virtue if you are an absolute boar who wields the truth as a crass weapon to bully and intimidate. Learn how to say what needs to be said more kindly and reciprocity grows.

Admittedly, I do struggle with suavity at times. But over the last number of years, I have improved greatly. First learning to set boundaries and then learning to enforce those boundaries with words more gilded gates than barbed wire and landmines. I also know that language and neurological differences complicate things but I do think suavity is a skill that can be developed regardless of one’s personal neurotype and across languages. It is likely none of us will be perfect at it but if we all get a little better then justice will follow.

5. Don’t sweat the little things.

At the end of the day, no matter what we do, each of us will end up stepping on someone’s toes. That’s just life around other people, especially online which is where so much of The Satanic Temple’s work is done. Communing with my fellow Temple Satanists can at times feel like being stuck in a crowded bus during rush hour. We are in so many online spaces together and most of us tether ourselves to the online spaces wherever we go via our smartphones. It can be a lot. And as the old saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt and we can just end up rubbing each other the wrong way because of too close of contact. But before you snap off a snarky or accusatory post take a step back.

Breathe.
Logoff.
Have a shower.
Go for a walk.
Sleep on it.
Ask for another’s opinion.

It is possible that you have missed something or are misinterpreting something. So many people are at their wit’s end due to stressors from too much work, violent Christo-fascists marching through our cities, cost of living, a dying planet, health or finance issues and more that we are looking for a reason, for someone to try us so we can release our emotions in righteous catharsis. That catharsis comes at a cost. A cost of trust and a retreat of justice that harms you, the person you unloaded on, and the other people in your community who are caught in the blast radius. It’s not worth it.

As someone who failed to identify things correctly in the past, take it from me, the harm that can do is significant. Take the time to properly learn to identify the petty little things and become resilient to them. It makes a difference. Letting go of the small and unnecessary fights means having focus, energy and strength for the big, meaningful fights. Do as Satan said in The Revolt of the Angels and turn your gaze inward and become the noble spirit who rejects Ialdababoth rather than a bombing-throwing revolutionary spoiling for a war and victory is meaningless.

Conclusion

Despite what I said above, I am not asking you to be naive. Reciprocity is based on you being a moral agent and moral agents are thinking, reasoning being. Yes, people can, have, and will again take advantage of you if you blindly apply these five principles without a healthy dose of skepticism. Temple Satanism doesn’t demand blind obedience - there’s an entire book about this in our Primary Reading List - but instead urges a thoughtful, moral, voluntary association based on our shared religious values.

Instead, I am asking you to consider the role of reciprocity in justice and arguing that The Satanic Temple, and all of society, would be a better place if we accept reciprocity as not only just, but good and necessary. It does mean giving up bullying and insults as part of civil discourse but all of our Primary Texts point out that a lot of good has been created in the world by viewing others as good, moral actors by default. Giving up cheap catharsis and alienating social capital seems like a worthy trade to stop this slide back into a war against all.