The Psychology of Temptation: Why Most People Demand the Platonic Nightmare
Plato’s original method; using reason, dialectic, and rational inquiry to pursue truth, depended on people valuing reality over illusion. But human nature, when driven by pride, vanity, and fear, often seeks comfort over truth. This means that most people not only accept “The Platonic Nightmare”, but they actively demand it; rejecting truth in favour of illusions that preserve their self-esteem, absolve them of responsibility, and offer them a sense of belonging without the burden of self-governance.
Core Problem: Most People Do Not Want Truth
Plato’s method assumes that humans desire knowledge and truth. But in reality, most people desire:
Self-importance over wisdom.
Comfort over reality.
Belonging over autonomy.
Pleasure over responsibility.
Power over virtue.
Because of this, people do not reject deception - they embrace it.
🪄They love the illusion of knowledge because it allows them to believe they are wise without the work of actual thinking.
🐍They crave “experts” who can tell them what to believe, so they can feel smart without intellectual struggle.
🍎They resent truth because it reminds them of their own ignorance, limitations, and moral obligations.
Instead of being grateful when presented with truth, they attack those who expose the illusion, because the illusion is their source of comfort, identity, and social cohesion.
The Psychology of Temptation: Why People Prefer the Nightmare
Illusions Protect Pride
Thinking deeply requires humility; you must admit you don’t already know everything. It’s common to reject humility, preferring to believe we are already enlightened. We seek ideas that flatter or comfort us, rather than truth that challenges us. People are drawn to the Mists of Illusio🪄because it tells them what they want to hear, rather than what is true.
Outsourcing Thinking Can Feel Good
Critical thinking is hard; it requires mental discipline. Many prefer to be given answers, rather than discovering them. Following experts is easier than questioning them; it provides social safety and absolves personal responsibility. Those in the Mists who love their chains find that they do not feel like chains; they feel like freedom from responsibility.
“The Platonic Nightmare” Feeds Their Desires
The Platonic Nightmare offers pleasure, indulgence, and escape. It justifies moral laxity, allowing people to live as they please without consequence. It turns vice into virtue, so that people feel righteous while doing what they want. People do not simply fall into “The Platonic Nightmare”; they run toward it because it offers them a life where self-discipline, virtue, and self-governance are unnecessary.
The Political Consequence:
What Happens When People Love “The Platonic Nightmare”?
Plato’s method depends on people wanting truth. But what happens when the majority prefer lies? Popular Sovereignty Becomes Impossible. Self-governance requires a population that can think for itself. If people outsource thinking to elites, those elites become their rulers in practice, even if democracy still exists in theory. If the majority reject reality, then reality is no longer a factor in governance; only managed perception is. (A forthcoming article will return to the figure of John Locke, whose legacy inspired the instigation of this entire Fable Series enterprise, concerning the business of ‘managed perception’ and the cant of “Liberty”).
The people still vote, but they vote based on illusions, not truth; enslaving themselves while believing they are free. (This has very much been Locke’s Legacy).
The Intellectual Class Becomes the New Priesthood
Those who control perception control reality in the minds of the masses. The people desire experts to tell them what to believe, and the experts use this trust to consolidate power. Dissenters - those who expose the illusion - are ridiculed, ostracized, or silenced. The Academy, media, and ruling institutions function as a secular priesthood, manufacturing reality for a willing population.
The Stone Path Becomes a Scorned Minority
A small number of people still desire truth over comfort; they refuse to embrace the illusion. But they are seen as threats, not liberators, because their very existence reminds others that they have chosen deception. They are labeled troublemakers, heretics, or extremists for refusing to comply. The People of the Stone are not seen as guardians of truth, but as enemies of ‘freedom’ and ‘stability’.
Is Plato’s Method Still Enough to Uphold Realitas?
If the majority reject truth, can reason alone restore reality? Hard Truth: No….
Plato’s method alone is insufficient in an age where people actively desire deception. Plato’s dialectical method assumes people want to reason their way toward truth. But when the majority love “The Platonic Nightmare”, rational debate is not enough; they often will not engage in good faith. Instead of pursuing truth, they weaponize language to maintain illusion, ensuring that all debate serves “The Platonic Nightmare” (Illusio🪄), not Realitas🔥.
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