Deception has always been a powerful weapon in many fields. Basketball players fake a shot, to give more space for the real shot. Some photographers edit images to make pictures more beautiful. Prostitutes deceive people to hide their genders to get customers. And even animals use deception as a form of offence and defence.
With deception, wise men can be outwitted by a wiser man. Tomasso Campanella was a Dominican monk and philosopher. He did not believe in heaven or hell may not be a problem now, but in Europe in the late 16th century, this is a sin called heresy. Naturally the Inquisition threw him in prison and was tortured.
Deception as defence. Nearing his execution for heresy and being unable to renounce his beliefs. He pretended to be a madman. To be sure that his insanity was real the Inquisition continued to torture him until he was sentenced to life imprisonment instead of death. Locked up under a dungeon, he continued to write. This time he learned his lesson.
Deception as attack. Now out of possible execution, Campanella started to make his way out of prison. He wrote The Hispanic Monarchy, the book was generally the opposite of what he believes in. But what the book did was it showed the authorities a facade that he finally joined the orthodoxy. And the facade worked, in 1632 Campanella was let out of prison.
Deception as attack and defence. Now free, Campanella continued to write, this time he published Atheism Conquered. In the book was heretics’ belief that was countered by the Catholicism. With this as his strategy, he insinuated his true ideas while attacking his supposed side. This amazing strategy worked like clockwork, he cannot be attacked because the book was on the side of the Church but at the same time he can freely express his thoughts the other way around.
This law shows how powerful deception is. When being straightforward gets people into trouble, like what happened to Campanella when he first said his thoughts. It pays to be wiser and lay low. Like a chameleon, who gently fades in to the surroundings, it waits patiently and then attacks.
Villamor O. Dagamac Jr.
HI18 section L
27 comments:
by being your own individual, you will invariably come across people or institutions that go against your beliefs. While this law recommends acting like the rest of the sheep, it will only help you if survival is your main concern. But if you think you can do better and manage to challenge the majority, i say go for it. After all, you can never have real power if you act like everyone else all the time. One way in getting power is standing out of a crowd, and a test of your power will be to persuade or influence others to follow your suit.
monica ang, L
deception is still deception and the truth will always come out. despite being exceptionally well versed in the art of creating illusions, the deceptions are always revealed.
however, despite being used for the greater good, the situation which necessitates the use of deception in order to enlighten the masses or a smaller group of people calls to question the value of the truth being revealed. why is the truth never compelling enough? why the need for exaggeration ?
kyra ballesteros hi18 K
deception is still deception, i agree. but during those times people are to centered on the orthodox that they can't accept what contradicting ideas other people think, thus the need to disguise the truth becomes essential to give out the message that they want other people to know.
deception really is a powerful tool that can help one fool other people and make others think that you believe in the same things that they believe. if done the right way, you can have things work the way you planned them to be without anyone else noticing. it may seem to others as though you are a friend who shares the same beliefs but inside, you are still you and are accomplishing your goals.
with this law, i think one really needs to take into account the truth or belief to be concealed. one needs to assess how this belief or truth will be received by other people, whether they will accept this or not, whether they will violently react or not. if you want to use other people and get them to do the things you like, you have to be on their good side. with deception, one might ask, "how far are you willing to go?"
-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K
the difficulty here is in keeping the boundary between what you believe in and what you are pretending to be believe. usually after a long time of deceiving people, you get too much into character and start believing what you initially didn't. a good example for this is heath ledger. they say that he got too much into the joker character that he just went crazy. it's a good law. i just personally think that you have to have one hell of a mind to be able to keep both identities really well and intact.
ocampo 18-k
I agree to what kyra said. Although the use of deception would give benefits, truth will always be revealed. I think, there are also ways in which one can succeed and be superior over others, without using deception. If one has no reason to hide the truth, I think it is not necessary to use the deception strategy. However, I believe that using the strategy of deception appropriately can be acceptable. The problem occurs only when people go beyond the point that they have to.
Yu Chin Hong
Hi18-K
I like what Kyra said. Why do people have to use deception as a tool to attain power? They can be powerful whilst being themselves anyway. Now, if everyone had this kind of mentality, then we might as well say that we have been living in a pool of lies. It's just plain preposterous and it has no point.
In the end, how could people respect a phony leader?
Monica Copuyoc
Hi18- L
This basically says that we have to conform to society. We have to blend in so we would not attract attention, especially when setting up something as to an attack of some sort. Even in everyday activities, we all value individualism but our society sometimes sees this as breaching the norms and the standards it upholds. I guess we have to show a certain facade until we are ready to attack and show what we truly are and what our real intentions are. This does not have to be perceived in a negative way like deceiving. It can also be interpreted as showing hidden talents and such.
Mara Liboro
Hi18-K
I have a slightly different take on the law:
I couldn't help but think of Akhenaten when I read the law's title. Akhenaten bravely went against this law and suffered the consequences. By failing to conform to society's accepted standards of behavior and thinking, he was branded a heretic. What would have happened if he kept his want to change Ancient Egyptian society to himself? Would he have made a better leader?
Akhenaten is one of my favorite pharaohs because he's one of the earliest prominent leaders to have questioned the norm. To me, constantly questioning authority is a primarmy instinct of the intelligent man, and this is what Akhenaten exemplified. This is why I disagree with this law.
During Marcos' time, if people kept their feelings of unsatisfaction and rebellion to themselves, we would probably be still under a totalitarian regime. And what about the French revolution? The American revolution?
Without questioning authority, and by just conforming to the norm, the world will be stuck at a very damaging standstill. Sure, many times, nonconformity has taken lives (i.e. Akhenaten, politcal killings), but this is a risk that goes with the potential of change that questioning the status quo brings.
Chio Cebrero
Hi 18 L
To Chio
I would just like to comment that, I think Akhenathen is not applicable for this law. He was the pharaoh, and his word was law. Nobody can oppose his ideas because he is the god king. He did not question the authority of the time because he is the authority.
This law is a two part law. First, think as you like which Akhenathen did with bold results. Second, behave like others. This law is not about directly fighting the norms, but rather discreetly going with it while you spread your ideas and thoughts against the status quo.
This law is like being a wolf in a sheep's clothing, within a flock of sheep. The shepherd won't notice you because of the fur, and yet you prey on the sheep within your flock.
Villamor O. Dagamac Jr. L
I think this is very related to socio-anthropology where as conformity will allow you to gain power, fame and being with in club while non-conformity will cause you to be ridiculed and outcast. However if we base it only on that ground we would never have much of the things we have today since most of our great inventors, thinkers and even leaders were people who strayed away from the crowd and acted differently in effect they showed the world what they thought and it helped changed the world. I guess my belief is that know when and how to show your belief such that everyone would be awed and converted to your side.
-Aaron Chan Hi18 L
When you end up being extremely transparent, people easily see through you and observe your every move. And while they're at it, it's even easier for them to plot an attack against you. Be the master of disguise. Exude mystery in you. This law highly recommends that you lay down low, and adapt to whatever and however the people around you act. When you're too exposed, your enemy would attack you without you being prepared nor knowing.
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
to villamor, cc chio:
i think that akhenaten does fit into this law because as Chio said, he was going against traditions and norms that had been accepted by the people for generations before him. Yes, he was pharoah but that didn't stop other powerful people from opposing him - secretly or otherwise.
---------------
this law is only for people who are weak or in the minority, or for a certain time that is heavily discriminate and intolerant. this law for me is mostly about self preservation. not really about gaining power, in the glorious open sense.
the problem i have with this law is that if a lot of people followed it and are forced into silence because of fear, that people's society will never really grow. It can never embody this great ideal society because not everyone's opinions and views are being taken into account.
monica ang, L
pls comment on my post! the 47th =) thank u
Social Structures are very powerful, like religion and government. They sort of act as a unifying object for us, creating a sense of belonging and order among people within it. people outside are then persecuted for they seem to be the ones who would readily upset this order (for the ones in charge). they (the ones in charge) would like to assure members of the structure of that order that is why not conforming and not behaving like others demand punishment.
it's really ironic how you have the "freedom" but within the box of these unwritten laws of the structures.
JR Resma
Hi18 K
I don't condone deception. But I see the merit it has for getting around in the real world.
Lying allows one to cut corners. Fraudulence makes you richer. Feigned madness frees you from life-long incarceration. It's hopping along the bus ride through Easy Street, with all the other crooks and thieves too.
It's all too tempting but my concern is being reincarnated as a pile of dung or a lowly germ in the next life. It's probably not worth the cosmic trouble.
Joey Palma
Hi18-K
Sometimes it takes a little collaboration with your opponents to get them avoid regarding you as a threat especially when they're stronger than you as stated in this law. There are a lot of great scientists and philosophers of the renaissance who got their ideas censored by the Church so they had to recant, yet until today their ideas find good soil in the minds of people. Clearly these people played their cards well. (and I didn't even realize my last line was actually a law of power as well!)
Alan Ortiz
HI18 K
@ Monica et. al.
I think all society is based on a dance of conformity and non-conformity. While I do not agree with this law, I also think that somehow, power plays are largely characterized by this. (I enjoyed the examples of the OP)
If there is no one who will say "NO! I will not conform to society!", then history will never advance. (note past revolutions, culture clashes, lalala)
Similarly, if everyone thinks radically (everyone on their own), then there can be no "form". Where can "reform" then come from?
Dyl V
L
Reading through this reminds me of high school days when I ran for office. It was evident that there are so many clicks with different interests. Part of the strategy I employed was to be "seemingly part" of a certain click. When I talk to each different click, I try to blend in with them to get them to be open to me. At that, I can know their ideas without losing my own perspectives as well. This turned out effective for me.
Rhea Entuna
section L
Blending in with a certain group of people allows you to penetrate into it, and exercise your opinions and sentiments in a stealthy way. People always say that "everybody is entitled to their own opinion," but really, is everyone actually open to what others have to say? This law is very useful to those who wish to reform society. It allows them to voice out their beliefs and ideas without gaining flak and shaking previously established institutions.
Elise Noelle Anne Lim
Hi18 Section L
In order to keep with the crowd one must think like the crowd. Keep your opinions to yourself at the moment, unless given the perfect opportunity to do so. If people in a certain company think differently and execute their tasks how they please. The company will develop slowly due to the fact that the body is not thinking as a whole.
This law however does not leave any room for innovations or progression, unless promoted by a certain individual of higher status. Maybe it is safe to balance the way you think with the way you behave.
Richard Hahn
L
This rule could have been quite useful in the 16th century, but quite frankly, i dont think it would really be that effective a tool these days. In our time, people are starting to be open to even the most outrageous things. If anything, society has even been encouraging an out-of-the-box sort of approach to things. Non-conformity, nowadays, is being embraced by the public and as such, could even prove to be the more powerful tool.
-Angelo Mendoza, His18-L
I think that Campanella is a great example for this law. He’s so clever to have used deception to both defend and attack at the same time. But can’t this law have anything else as a follow-up? You should become like others, but think for yourself, then what?
I also think this law is for a government person who works for the administration but actually supports the opposition. This is great for trying to overthrow the government or some similar deed. They can use Campanella’s strategy.
Chris Macalinao
Hi18 – L
I think that deception is only good when used for a good cause, such as saving one's city from turmoil. If you use it as a means to go to war with your enemies, it can only go so much. Because as pointed out by Kyra, the truth will always come out.
Chua Rojas, Serica
Hi 18 - L
I agree that deception may be useful in some ways but when not necessary, I do not prefer this.
In the case of Campanella, he was in a dangerous and specific situation where in heresy was a sin. This case, he can use deception since his life is in danger. However, when the case isn't so serious lke this, behaving like what you are thinking is not a bad idea. My friend who is very decisive and somehow wierd has very different thoughts unlike I and others have. She usually present her ideas against us but I appreciate it because she has certain belief on something and is very determined with her thoughts. She is sometimes disliked by others because of her strong personality, but I like her courage that she can behave as what her thoughts command her to do. Someday, she will be recognized and liked by those who have similar thoughts as hers.
Hae In Lee
Hi18 K
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