24 01 30 2a Category human behaviour, good and bad

Published: 01/01/1970

Philosophy has morals – concepts of good and bad.

All animals have rules of behaviour

[For instance – all mammals learn early – don’t gnor nore knor nor; don’t gnore on a nipple {the dog gnored on a bone}.

That is what would happen when I was learning to write/spell.

Where do you start?

Some people see relationships, others learn to spell. Plus variants. Some of us do maths and probability analysis. Ah, the human brain – best/most complex thing in the universe {so IT thinks. I think that God/ess/the universe itself slightly more impressive}. And we have gone from having to move around for food (settled human life is less than 10,000 years) to optic fibres under the sea in a bioblink of time.]

So one of the rules is about duplicity. People like people who are ‘straight up and down’. We all have stories that mask the truth about motivations and goals. We want that. To get that, we have to sneekup; sneekin, to making it happen. Pretend as this, be conniving for that. To the duplicit person’s perceived benefit of their deception for self-gain. This duplicity often happens leading into a future inheritance grab. Where it suits some-ones’ perceived/felt interests to manipulate proceedings to gain advantage. All creatures no doubt (thought experiment) connive to get more for them and theirs. And evolution science says in the subtle dances of nature, biota does whatever to enhance its own self or offspring to gain. Most times, biogain is at other lifeforms’ expense.

A clear example of a duplicitperson is I think, Scott Morrison. So natural, so seemingly unaware that if he says something about leadership koos, kue, coo, kus obviously just covering his tracks in the dust of the past with a leaft leafed leaved branch of a small gum tree.

So bereft of duplicityselfrepression, when Australian ex-prime minister Scott Morrison is calmly interviewed about robo debt, he just doesn’t accept The Enquiry finding that the relevant minister – him; then – should have monitored its accuracy; nor its legality. Two things people and lawyers lower down the power pyramid tried to tell him, but were blocked.

The difference between duplicitous words and clear lies is that one uses mealymouthwords. Scott Morison, on the ABC series [Nemesis] gives a free and on-record public masterclass in mealymouth duplicity. Him, it seems, was power for self. Well born out via his many ministries. So in moral terms, most cultures vote against duplicity. We can’t really make laws against it. We just don’t approve. No doubt the beneficiaries and supporters celebrate at ‘getting away with it (there is the ‘tell’ that it is know to be wrong, but do-able). But it undermines collective trust and is as old as time.

The obvious motivation, for the greedy, the overambitious, is for them or theirs, to get ahead. Or to put some-one/a group down. Shades of a superiority complex, justifying bullying (there is another tell – there are soooo many). For whatever motivation/’reason’. The outcome of this thought experiment #46: Malice and a sense of special entitlement/worthiness are at the heart of duplicity. Self-justifying internal narrative allows the sneaky one/ones to enact their two faced, self-interested behaviour.

Great show, ABC.

We have Machiavelli and The Prince to thank for writing a handbook for duplicity.

Power for power’s sake is something most of us probably don’t understand. It never really sturd stirred in us.

Oh, maybe at the community group level. I should be president. No, I should. But that is just humans being competitive. There, hopefully, is never too much sneakiness. Most of us has a moral compass, a sense of behavioural boundaries which say: behave honourably – so we can live with ourselves.

How does Morison do that? Gloating? Teaching #412: the duplicitous gloat that they got away with it. {small voice, off, aside – ah, poor childhood guidance and correction – the duplicate was destined to be two faced – they couldn’t resist the forces which kept saying: nasty = gain. Pretend as this, be aiming for that.}

Gravelhead 30/1/24

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