The 48 Laws Of Power

they

couldnotclaimitwas

heretical,

orthat

Campanella

shouldbere-

turnedto

prison.

Hisdefenseof

Catholicism,

after

all,

used

arguments

they

hadusedthemselves.Yetinthe

years

to

come,

Atizeism

Conquered

becamea

bible

for

atheists,

Machiavelliansandliberfineswhousedthe

arguments

Campanella

had

put

intheir

mouthstodefendtheir

dangerous

ideas.Com-

bining

anoutward

display

of

conformity

withan

expression

ofhistruehe»

liefsina

way

thathis

sympathizers

would

understand,

Campanella

showed

thathehadlearnedhislesson.

Interpretation

Inthefaceofawesome

persecution,Campanella

devisedthreestrate-

gic

movesthatsavedhis

hide,

freedhimfrom

prison,

andallowedhimto

continue

to

express

hisbeliefs.Firsthe

feigned

ma.dness—«themedieval

equivalent

of

disavowingresponsibility

for one’s

actions,

like

blaming

one’s

parentstoday.

Nexthewroteabook

that

expressed

the

exact

oppo-

siteofhisownbeliefs.

Finally,

andmost

brilliantly

of

all,

he

disguised

his

ideaswhile

insinuating

thematthesametime.Itisanoldbut

powerful

trick:

You

pretend

to

disagree

with

dangerous

ideas,

butinthecourseof

your

disagreementyougive

thoseideas

expression

and

exposure.

You

seemtoconform

tothe

prevailingorthodoxy,

butthose

whoknowwillun-

derstandthe

irony

involved.Youare

protected.

Itisinevitablein

society

thatcertainvaluesandcustomslosecontact

withtheir

original

motivesand

become

oppressive.

Andtherewill

always

bethosewhorebel

against

such

oppression.harboring

ideasfaraheadof

theirtime.As

Campanella

wasforcedto

realize,however,

thereisno

point

in

making

a

display

of

yourdangerous

ideasif

theyonlybringyou

sullen

ing

and

persecution.Martyrdom

servesno

purpose~——better

toliveoninan

oppressive

world,

evento

thrive

init

Meanwhile

finda

way

to

express

your

ideas

subtly

forthosewhounderstand

you.Layingyourpearls

before

swinewill

onlybringyou

trouble.

Fora

longtime

IhavenotsaidwhatI

believed,

nordoIeverbelieve

whatI

say,

and

if

indeedsometimesIdo

happen

totellthe

truth,

I

hideit

among

so

many

liesthatitishard

tofind.

Ni(.'col1}Mazhzauelli,

inaletterto["mnc¢=,,vco

Gmaciardini,

May

17,

1521

KEYSTOPOWER

Wealltellliesandhideourtrue

feelings,

for

complete

free

expression

isa

social

impossibility.

Froman

earlyage

welearntoconcealour

thoughts,

telling

the

prickly

andinsecurewhatweknow

they

wantto

hear,

watching

carefully

lestweotfendthem.For

most

ofus

this

isnatural—thereareideas

andvaluesthat
most

peopleaccept,

anditis

pointless

to

argue.

Webelieve

whatwe
want
to,then,
butontheoutsidewewear
a
mask.

Thereare

people,

however,

whoseesuchrestraintsasanintolerable

infringement

ontheir

freedom,

andwhohaveaneedto

prove

the

superi-

Ncvercombat

any

man'5

opml'tm,'_)"nr

thoughyou

readiedthe

ageofil/Iethuselaix,you

wouldrzevw

havedorm

setting

him

rightupon

alltheabsurd

things

thathebelieves.

IIisalsowelltoavoid

correctingpeople

3'

rnismketincom-ersw

lion,

hmvnvet

gum)

your

intentirms

may

he;

for

ti‘is

easy

to

offend

people,

and

diffictilz,if

not

irriposxilvle

torruzml

Ihem.

Ifyaufeel

irritated

by

theabsurdremarks

of

my

people

whose

canvemmon

you

happen

[0overhear.

you

should

irnagine

that

you

are

/ixrenittg

m

Ihfl

dialogueof

two

fools

ina

comedy.

Probatumest.

Themumwhocomes

intotheworld

withthe

noiionthatheis

really

going

toinslmcz

it

in

marten‘

of

the

highesz

irrzptlrltzmrr,may

Ihtmlt

hisstuns

iflw£'S(’t2peS

withawholeskin.

ARTHUR

SCHOPENHAICER,

l788—- 1860

LAW 38 321