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Shadow Philosophy
Throughout their existence, the Shadows have been committed to the cause of chaos. Since time immemorial, the three principles of Chaos have been at their civilization's core. It's their moral code, the operating commands that the Shadows give to their servants and machines, and the guiding principles and ultimate goals of the Shadows' existence.
Chaos through Warfare: The Shadows believe that it's in conflict that a creature's true nature becomes evident. To force their true natures to emerge requires more than mere warfare; it requires chaos: therefore the need to inflict chaos by shattering social constructs. The Shadows will deliberately attempt to disrupt established orders and societies to force creatures to stand alone, with the ultimate objective of bringing everything down to its foundations. Chaos through warfare even applies to the Shadows themselves, who during their long periods of hibernation somehow fight among themselves to determine which group of Shadows will reign during the next period of activity. The rule of the victorious Shadows is unquestioned, as dissent or disloyalty is not in the nature of the Shadows. Loyalty to the cause was inculcated into the genetics of the Shadows after their race was nearly annihilated early in their history.
Evolution through Bloodshed: States that suffering, bloodshed, carnage, and death must be a part of evolution and progress. In the minds of the Shadows, advancement and death come hand in hand. Therefore the Shadows support slavery and using lower lifeforms as tools and fodder for their machines. It is the obligation of the victors to crush and use the defeated, as the weak must be weeded out, burned out, so that whatever imperfections and failures they had are neither continued nor repeated.
Perfection through Victory: It's an ideal, one that the Shadows continue to move closer to but which they acknowledge they will never reach. Perfection can only be achieved through victory, by winning a war, as in achieving victory over external foes and forces. It's one of the reasons that the Shadows were greatly irritated by the "rules of engagement", as it denied the Shadows true untrammeled warfare and they therefore were prevented from achieving a "real" victory. To the Shadows, the Vorlons and the rules were stifling their progress in achieving perfection. For the Shadows, perfection was defined as "being one with chaos", as in a godly state, in which one's whims and desires were so forceful and overwhelming that nothing was able to stand against them.
Ideology
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"As always, chaos is the way to strength [...] Chaos is the engine powering life. The spread of chaos is our triumph. And the greatest joy is the ecstasy of victory."
– A Shadow, 2260
The Shadows believe that for races to evolve into their full potential, they must do so through a cycle of chaos: growth through pain and struggle, conflict and war. Weak races die. Strong races are made even stronger. With this they developed their First Principles: chaos through warfare, evolution through bloodshed, perfection through victory