 What is ironic about Sias' view of those who 'cling tenaciously, and ignorantly to the old religion'?
I do not, of course, believe in the gods per se; still there is a grandeur in the very stones that transcends their human sculptors, and it is no wonder to me that many cling tenaciously, and ignorantly, to the old religion. Everything has evaporated in Maternite. They were created so long ago, indeed, that the ignorant believe them to have been constructed by the gods themselves. At such a time, many men feel impelled to make speeches, and one must not be disrespectful. Yet perhaps it is for the best, for those left were the most earnest and intelligent. Such it has always been from time immemorial."
 Sias' reactions to Rocsates' ideas suggest that he is ignorant in a similar way
 Sias' reactions to Rocsates' ideas suggest that he is ignorant in a similar way  Sias' refusal to adhere to any set of principles will get him imprisoned  Sias subscribes to an iteration of the same religion many of the elders do  Sias does not realize that the Conclave is ruled by that same religion