I guess this was the intuition pump that finally did it for me. I can’t believe this sentence is what got me comfortably understanding the simulacra levels:
The wicked understand, acknowledge and value the Wise—they depend on the Wise for their own cynical gain. The simple don’t see the point of wisdom. Those who do not know how to ask don’t even know wisdom is a thing.
But Zvi, what do we do to prevent the initial progression to the Wicked? Does it actually work to “blunt his teeth / speak harshly to him”? That sounds like the analog of leveling an accusation of dishonesty / bad faith, with all the connoted shame. Does that work, or does it just confirm to them, “Yes, we’re making declarative statements only to gain selfish advantage now”? The alternative would be to speak to him as if he’s Wise but mistaken—pretending not to see the deception. Any feeling about which approach actually works more often?
This was fascinating.
I guess this was the intuition pump that finally did it for me. I can’t believe this sentence is what got me comfortably understanding the simulacra levels:
But Zvi, what do we do to prevent the initial progression to the Wicked? Does it actually work to “blunt his teeth / speak harshly to him”? That sounds like the analog of leveling an accusation of dishonesty / bad faith, with all the connoted shame. Does that work, or does it just confirm to them, “Yes, we’re making declarative statements only to gain selfish advantage now”? The alternative would be to speak to him as if he’s Wise but mistaken—pretending not to see the deception. Any feeling about which approach actually works more often?