The Cardinal Tenets
The Cardinal Tenets are the "social contract" under which most interactions in the empire occur. Now this isn't a contract in the legal sense, it has no enforcement mechanisms or punitive measures tied to breaking it, no the Cardinal Tenets are voluntary. They are principles that over time the citizens themselves collectively agreed were in their best interest, they eventually became the foundation for the civil society the empire strives so hard to maintain.
Purpose
To outline a set of social cues, social norms and behaviors that society collectively strives to adhere to as a way to help maintain harmony within the empire.
Document Structure
Clauses
The document is divided into 4 Tenets with several guiding statements that illustrate the purpose of the tenet within the overall principle. The tenets form a hierarchy where the first is of the highest priority at the expense of all others, if adhering to two Tenets run exclusive to each other in a situation the higher Tenet should always always be prioritized.
Publication Status
While the monument to the Tenets is set in stone copies in various mediums have been widely published, and readily available. Paper copies, traditional artistic mediums like murals, and craft mediums such as needlepoint all serve as common ways to represent the Tenets in farmhouses and noble estates, massive businesses and small shops alike.
Legal status
The Cardinal Tenets have not been enshrined within the legal system of any of the core societies, the belief being that making it formal law detracts from the collective self-investment in building a civil society upon it.
Historical Details
Public Reaction
Despite the Tenets emerging from the common behaviors and social cues of the society at large initially the public was slow to adopt it in the more formal structure it exists currently. There was a sense of "Isn't this just common sense? Do we really need to write this down?" but over time with a little persistence the tenets became normalized and people adopted them more and more as a convenience of having everyone on the same page. A jumping off point for social engagements.
Legacy
So far the Cardinal Tenets have proved a blessing to the societies who have adopted them either in full or in part. As with any social contract it only holds up as long as society continues to buy into it but the hope is that this set of cultural mores will stand the test of time.
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