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A Study in Contradiction

§ I

Of the Doctrine

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all subjects are entitled to equal treatment beneath the statute, that justice is blind to lineage and to coin alike, that the rules of engagement apply uniformly to every actor regardless of station. This is the stated creed of every institution that lays claim to moral authority.

The lecture begins precisely at the hour. The candles are lit. The doctrine is recited from memory by the senior fellow, who has not deviated from the printed text in forty years.

§ I

Of the Practice

We hold these truths to be negotiable: that treatment varies by proximity to power, that justice lifts the blindfold whenever the petitioner is sufficiently well-dressed, that the rules of engagement flex like wet vellum for those who first authored them. This is the operational reality beneath the stated creed.

The lecture begins whenever the senior fellow arrives. The candles are extinguished by request. The doctrine is amended in the margin, in pencil, in the same hand.

fig. 1 — the lecture hall, lit
fig. 2 — the rostrum, after
fig. 1' — the lecture hall, unlit
fig. 2' — the rostrum, before
a. The same room photographed at the close of the proceedings. The lectern stood at the east. The candles were lit by the verger at six.
b. The same room photographed at the close of the proceedings. The lectern stood at the west. The candles were never lit; the verger had been dismissed.
§
II

One standard for those who write the rules. Another for those who must keep them. Between the two, an entire fertile territory.

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Anno Domini MMXXVI

Printed in pixels upon the void.

Set in Playfair Display, Cormorant Garamond, and EB Garamond.

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Finis.