The basis of all significant sin is pride. This conclusion is generally found in all realistic Christian analysis. Even though a straight forward quote saying so may not be found in the Bible, all of the moralizing in the Bible leads to that point, as does the evidence of everyday life.

Defining pride is important, because the concept is illusive. It escapes awareness in controlling subconscious minds, and pride is subconsciously assumed to be good rather than bad because of the positive reinforcements which condition the reaction. The effect is analogous to Pavlov's dog assuming that bell sounds are good, because they were associated with food in the first experimental example of psychological conditioning.

Pride can be defined as the attitude of wanting to elevate oneself above the level created by objective reality. Above, by what criteria, is not easy to define. Certainly, increased power is the goal, since power creates the positive reinforcement for the conditioned reactions related to pride. But there are a variety of sources for power, and pride is focused upon a particular one. It is the position in which other persons view oneself.

The position of pride could be called status, except that there are complexities to status including different parameters for it. It is the status derived from the view and assumptions of other persons that is important, because it determines one's ability to influence other persons.

There is nothing humbler than power, facetiously speaking. It is with the greatest of humility that power is executed. For example, some conspiracy theorists say that a half dozen persons control the world (through banking), and they don't want their names known. Whether that assumption is true, it represents how pride loves concealment.

Basic corruptions are camouflaged by outward appearances which are the opposite. The appearance is supposed to neutralize the fact. So the appearance is as extreme in one direction as the fact is extreme in the opposite direction. It means one cannot be too superficial in evaluating visual impressions.

At this point, we'll look at the elevation part of pride. Everyone starts with objective characteristics, which may or may not create positions and status. Wanting to elevate oneself above an objective position is pride.

Elevation includes separation from objective reality. One of the real significant consequences of pride and related corruptions is a destruction of objective reality. Objective reality contradicts pride, and it is therefore decimated by pride.

A lot of machinery moves toward the destruction of objective reality because of the corruptions stemming from pride. For example, a large part of science is an attempt to bury truth rather than reveal it, because corruption creates a war against objective reality.

Consider how the principles are applied and the forces take form. Pride is institutionalized where power is institutionalized, which means in the professions. Eliminating competition and criticism from nonprofessionals is part of it. One element is to obscure a subject. By using vague terminology, the source cannot be questioned. Kant, the philosopher for modern professions, taught obscuritanism through communication corruptions and little else.

Contrast it to the standards which sustain life, in other words, morality. Life is created and defined by unified reality. The primary human responsibility is to apply reason to problems as the process which links human realities to objective reality. Reason is making relationships between realities, which unifies realities and links them to objective unified reality. Isn't it arrogance, when power moves in the opposite direction?

Corrupted persons want to be something more than objective reality makes them. When they cannot produce the results that need to go with the power and status that they acquire, they fight a war against objective reality trying to support their false positions.

Where there is power, these criticisms fall flat, because persons with power don't have those problems. Problems aren't problems, where there is power. If for example, energy is defined improperly, as I have mathematically proven, and relativity is a contrived falsehood, those errors are tools rather than corruptions to physicists. About like torture chambers and death squads are tools for the military, and brain destroying drugs are cures for nonexistent brain diseases for psychiatrists.