Snakes in the Grass

How Should We Handle Our Enemies?

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

“I always knew she was a snake in the grass!” my friend exclaimed. “I just thought she would just stay on her side of the fence...”

“Snakes aren’t usually respectful of property boundaries”, I rejoined rather unhelpfully.

Truth be told, I had no idea how to advise my friend. What do I know about the careful twists and turns of navigating office politics? I'm a horrible liar with no gift for deception. When I played the card game “Bulls**t” as a kid, I found my best strategy was to actually never scam, to play it straight and narrow... and it’s a tactic I’ve continued to this day in all facets of my life. 

The problem arises (as it did for my friend) when you encounter a snake in the grass. It’s happened to me a few times in my career as well, and each time, it took me completely by surprise. Perhaps I’ve just been naive my whole life... but no matter what your situation is, it’s a hard ethical realm to maneuver. 

Of course the ancients had plenty to say on the subject. The Stoics would claim that offense in the ear of the ‘listener’ and Jesus and the Cynics would offer another cheek. Modern Game theory, however, would recommend a ‘tit for tat’ tactic... while Plato employed the ‘Noble Lie’. Perhaps we have to think like the snakes, even momentarily, in order to predict their actions and secure our position? 

So how do we handle the snakes, the enemies, the conniving and manipulative souls in this world? How can we protect ourselves when dealing with evil? 

As always, you can write to me directly at Anya@classicalwisdom.com 

Now, onto today’s mailbag. We have a wide range of responses to the question: Are Labels good, bad or neutral? As well as a few timely replies to last week’s historical events. 

Enjoy!

All the best,

Anya Leonard

Founder and Director

Classical Wisdom 

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Monday Mailbag

On ‘Labels’:

Hi Anya,

I think labels, or kategoria, as Aristotle might call them, are helpful as long as they articulate the structure of reality. If a category is only mental, and represents only a false construct, it becomes problematic.

Daniel 

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Wonderful example of something that can be both. I think, societally, we have gone overboard on 'labeling' everything/everyone by physical characteristics as opposed to our broader classification/label as, simply, human. I believe this push is an effort by many, to separate us by group, make assumptions about who we are, and to win votes. Politicians rarely fail to drive wedges between us as PEOPLE.

However, they are part of life and we must learn to work within the constraints of the system if we are ever to be able to break the system. ;)

Erik G

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Hi Anya,

I don’t think your analogy is quite right. What the ever-growing number of letters in LGBT+ nomenclature demonstrates is that while discussion of the wide range of possibilities between male and female has become more nuanced, what we lack are good descriptors and clear definitions of boundaries between one and the next.

I am ‘on the spectrum’ of autism, but I’m not sure where, nor does it bother me. I wasn’t diagnosed till I was in my fifties, and over the last twenty five years, I have been able to recognise my autistic traits, but it hasn’t changed my behavior. I wouldn’t benefit from a better categorisation of my autism, since we neither seek each other out, nor avoid each other. But when it comes to gender and sexuality, I can see that a good descriptor and clear understanding of what that descriptor means, is very important. This is way beyond lists.

Regards,

Ian A.

Labels can be descriptive, in that they describe what is (no worth attached), or they can be prescriptive, in that they prescribe what should be (worth attached). Or both.

Makes sense to me.

Stephen P. 

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Hi Anya,

Here is my take.

It should be perfectly obvious to everyone that labels are essential to all forms of communication. Communication is essential to a civilized culture.  Therefore, I would conclude that labels are good.  This argument is not structured properly to qualify as a logical one but it is a common sense conclusion.

How would we describe anything without labels?  I was asked recently by a medical assistant if I identified with being a man! This shows that labels can be misused by those who seek to remove the meaning of labels (which is another discussion for another day). But let’s take the label of “man” as an example.  If we remove that label from our lexicon, we are left with describing what a man is.  What would that look like?  I guess you could say, “a homosapien possessing a penis and testicles that he enjoys using for procreation and pleasure”, but then could you use penis or is that a label? That might not even cover it, but it suffices to illustrate my point.

Of course, labels can be and often are misused in many ways, but it does not detract from the conclusion that labels are good and essential.

David A

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Labels are not inherently good or bad; it is how we use them that determines their inherent values.

Labels are ways of organizing information to form connections that are memorable, and to show their relationship to something of value.

What I am learning from the labels of sound money, is that Aristotle is a teacher, and the labels are his teaching method of direct instruction to all who come in contact with the lessons.

Dr. Olanike A

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Per Willy:  A rose by any other name

Ed K

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Labels are meant for suits.

While a label may take on a life of its own, some labels are more meaningful than others. Take the Declaration of Independence. Please! In the Declaration all men are declared as being created equal and therefore all men have their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But in day-to-day life, the constitution distinguished whether a person was free or a slave and in a sense whether they were male and property holders or female, or landless.

Labels can take on a life of their own, though Greek culture at least recognized that not all labels were created equal. Modern society often fails to remember that labels are for suits, and that in the value system of classical Athens versus Jerusalem, only Jerusalem attested to the dignity of all.

Stuart L

On ‘Ides of March’:

Since the aftermath of Caesar's assassination changed the tide of Roman history, the "Liberators" would have done well to beware the "Tides" of March!

Regards,

Denis

On ‘St. Patricks’:

Nice to hear you're in Ireland!

As an Irish teen who doesn't plan on leaving the house for St Patrick's day (ever), it's a nice reminder that this day is about, oh, I don't know... St Patrick as opposed to alcohol.

𝕃𝕒𝕚𝕝𝕒𝕙 

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An excellent article of the "Patron Saint of Ireland". Growing up with many children who were, with their parents, WW2 survivors, I quickly learned to listen and learn from them. St. Patrick was known to my new friends.

Your article brought back many memories of war torn families from Europe who arrived on ships, and with almost nothing on their backs. After quarantine and "processing", all across my country both men and women were given work, a place to live, and schools for the children. They flourished in their new country, and made it their home.

Today we are all grandads and grandmothers. 

From one Kelly to another, thank you Sean Kelly for your wonderful article.

L. Kelly