>>714846112>>it is GOOD to establish a tyrannical regime and lobotimize people randomly becausebecause if they don't it's entirely possible for the mages to just explode into demons. Which you might realize is ALSO A REALLY BAD THING FOR THE MAGES. They suffer the most from the volatility of magic.
The events of DA:O show what happens when the Circle loses control of its members. It just takes one mage being ambitious and power-hungry to end up killing dozens of other mages by turning them into abominations. The only reason it didn't get worse and spread further is because the templars were there and because Wynne is a motherfucking real one.
Wynne is by far the most intelligent, capable, and wisest mage in the setting and she openly supports the Circle and thinks it's a good thing for Mages, because it protects them as much as it protects others from them. Mages, by their nature, are very volatile to their surroundings and to themselves. The Circle gives them a place where they can't harm others and where they can't be harmed by others as easily. This isn't a case of people being wrongly and unjustly imprisoned. The Circle is as much for the protection of mages as it is the protection of others, because being a mage is INCREDIBLY dangerous.
Mind you, I don't know if they retconned anything in DA:I, because I never played it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they removed the nuance and intrigue of the situation for the sake of generic TEMPLARS BAD.