Would you say it’s a common trend through history for sociopathic manipulators to be popular/respected
No… some of them are, and the combination of sociopathy and popularity can have devastating consequences that create a selection bias when we think of historical examples. But I don’t think that’s the typical outcome for a normal sociopath—most of them are recognized for what they are before they earn any significant respect.
honest intelligent people are shunned and ostracized?
Again, no: when we think of cases of people being shunned and ostracized, we think of cases where those actions had major consequences. But those are the exceptions that prove the rule: when capable people are heeded, or incompetent people are ignored, it’s expected and doesn’t attract our notice.
That’s not to say that there aren’t certain circumstances where the expected outcomes fail and the exceptions become more common. But the “common trend through history” is the invisible background that makes those exceptional circumstances stand out.
Would you say that the trope of politicians being lying manipulators isn’t very accurate?
Our version of politics is just a popularity contest rather doing what’s beneficial for the future. Would you think that most politicians, at least the faces for each party, tend to lie or tend to tell the truth? I’m not the most read up on politics but I can’t really think of many examples of politicians that I would consider truthful, yet they are chosen for positions that are elected by people.
No… some of them are, and the combination of sociopathy and popularity can have devastating consequences that create a selection bias when we think of historical examples. But I don’t think that’s the typical outcome for a normal sociopath—most of them are recognized for what they are before they earn any significant respect.
Again, no: when we think of cases of people being shunned and ostracized, we think of cases where those actions had major consequences. But those are the exceptions that prove the rule: when capable people are heeded, or incompetent people are ignored, it’s expected and doesn’t attract our notice.
That’s not to say that there aren’t certain circumstances where the expected outcomes fail and the exceptions become more common. But the “common trend through history” is the invisible background that makes those exceptional circumstances stand out.
Would you say that the trope of politicians being lying manipulators isn’t very accurate?
Our version of politics is just a popularity contest rather doing what’s beneficial for the future. Would you think that most politicians, at least the faces for each party, tend to lie or tend to tell the truth? I’m not the most read up on politics but I can’t really think of many examples of politicians that I would consider truthful, yet they are chosen for positions that are elected by people.