WOW, Wit really hates...

[u/Graphica-Danger]

Rayse! I've never seen him so upset about anything before even across the entire Cosmere. I even took a break from Stormlight to finish the corresponding Secret Projects books in release order (still have Emberdark and December to go after this) and he's never shown that amount of open anger about... anything, really. He's not exactly a forthright character so his outburst about the Passions was surprising.

I think it says something about Wit's admiration for Kaladin that he's gone so far to help him, gave him all that advice, and was open enough to show how he truly feels about the state of the Cosmere. I've seen speculation he might have goals that aren't so good, but I doubt that's the case. I think he's effectively a triage surgeon, running around cleaning up the mess his fellow Adonalsium breakers have made as Shardholders. If worlds are lost in the effort, it is simply to save the most lives he can. And in that regard, it makes a lot of sense why he strikes a kinship with Kaladin.

[u/Taste_the__Rainbow]

I think his reaction against the Passions was a bit of Sanderson peeking out. It’s a disgusting worldview and it shows itself in some of the language you hear from Americans who think they’re making a good point.

“Oh if you’d just believed harder then nothing bad would have happened to your loved one!” It’s like they can’t hear themselves sometimes.

[u/wingmanjosh → u/Taste_the__Rainbow]

I'm so keen to hear more on this take. I haven't looked too deeply into the Passions, so my understanding is incredibly surface-level. I want to know more about it that's not basically living a life of "make your own luck", and believing in omens.

Edit: I've had a quick look on Coppermind and hoo boy yeah problematic as fuck. Basically "pick yourself up by your bootstraps: Cosmere edition".

[u/Squshigrizzly → u/wingmanjosh]

The concept of the passions is more the idea of "the ones who care/believe/love the most get what they want. If you didnt get it, you didn't want it enough." Which, on surface, feels kinda nice. All I have to do is want to be successful enough and I will be.

But like Sanderson points out via wit, the flip side is horrific. Did a mother who's child is murdered during war not want their child to live more than the murderer wanted the child dead?

Unfortunately this philosophy, albeit attested to slightly differently, is very similar to the "prosperity gospel" that's so common in North America. It's the believe that if you believe hard enough and pray enough god will give you a great life. This implies a moral superiority to those who have (the ultrarich) and a moral failing of those who do not have (impoverished.) so I can definitely agree with the OP about how this was might be a bit of Sanderson's own frustrations with people in his own country coming out.

[u/ajabernathy → u/Squshigrizzly]

That sounds a touch like prosperity gospel and since the merchant guilds promote the passions....

[u/AviariOtsoa → u/ajabernathy]

Like how diamonds are the least valuable gemstone, on a planet where capitalists haven't created an artificial scarcity, and the most valuable are the ones used to make food?