Navigating the Scale of Deception: From Harmless Flattery to Social Survival
A polite, civilized society depends on the ability to say things that are not always sincere.
Hi Readers,
Welcome to Pranav Reads!
It’s been quite some time since I shared something with you. Here is what you should read today about the nuanced use of harmless deception to maintain social harmony.
Happy Reading :-)
With deception keep in mind that there is always a scale involved. At the bottom of the scale we find the most harmless varieties, little white lies. These could include all forms of flattery in daily life: "You look great today"; "I loved your screenplay." They could include not revealing to people exactly what you did that day or withholding bits of information because it is annoying to be completely transparent and have no privacy. These small forms of deception can be detected if we pay attention, such as by noticing the genuineness of a smile. But in fact it is best to simply ignore this lower end. Polite, civilized society depends on the ability to say things that are not always sincere. It would be too damaging socially to become constantly aware of this subrealm of deception. Save your alertness for those situations in which the stakes are higher and people might be angling to get something valuable out of you.
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene