Related: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

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information is not inherently evil, but can have obvious consequences

I looked up The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and everyone has something to say about it. Jack Edwards read it for his booktube and was apalled. It was like a handbook on how to be a shitty person. The chapter titles don’t help, some of them jumping out more than others.

So I read it, and honestly, it doesn’t live up to the hype. The book itself is about how power is shown through human behaviors. How do you define power? It’s not a concrete, or visual thing. It’s a bond or energy that’s felt from an important individual with authority, with the ability to make large decisions that affect others. It’s also fluid, volatile, cyclical.

Some chapter titles don’t help. “Make other people come to you - use bait if necessary”, “Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability,” and “Do not commit to anyone”…well, I see the reputation.

Optics and material are two different things. What’s inside the book are historical anecdotes from around the world, obeying or going against the “laws,” and additional caveats. In comparison to modern marketing tactics, reality is boring. And we all kind of understand this, because when something actually heinous comes to light, many of us are quick to dismiss it.

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