(2019-07-05) Guinn Narrative Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry

Rusty Guinn: Narrative Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry Not all storytellers are missionaries, of course. When we refer to missionaries, we are referring to a game theoretic (game theory) concept. We mean the people who seek to steer and influence common knowledge.

Being a full-time missionary – someone who leans on the power of memes and narrative to nudge others into some particular way of looking at the world – often requires a certain amount of sociopathy. Not always, of course.

The sort of elective sociopathy that it takes to succeed as a self-interested missionary almost always rests on two malignant abilities: the willingness to stretch the truth, and the fortitude to stick with a story no matter how it goes wrong (or who it hurts).

Admission of error is the enemy of narrative.

The unwillingness to admit error is part of an equilibrium-maintaining strategy in a narrative-driven competitive game, and our susceptibility to it is a testament to the human animal as a living embodiment of Gell-Mann Amnesia. In short, we are built to empower unrepentant liars. More disconcertingly, in a widening gyre, those who cultivate the skill are more likely to rise to power of all varieties (yes, even more than normal).