Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument

A Law that many smart people fail to observe... not least the big-mouthed hosts of this podcast! In this episode we dissect the crucial differences between being smart and being effective, and dig into how to score results rather than points. Dre vents about his experiences with freelancers, while Jon has an existential crisis about how any of his academic work can observe the Law... And we both tell some excruciatingly embarrassing stories of how we've both been conned when others have used the devilish Reversal of this Law against us.

FULL NOTES & LINKS: http://voicesinthedark.world/2016/07/18/win-through-your-actions-never-through-argument-exploring-the-48-laws-of-power-episode-09

This Episode includes:

• Why the need to be right actually places you in a weak position
• The trouble with freelancers
• Offer once, and only once
• How to weaponise clichés... but be on your guard against others doing likewise
• Why winning the logical argument isn't the same as winning the emotional – and more important – argument
• Why you must choose when to show off your qualities
• Listening for people's needs rather than to their words
• Telling your story, not trying to tell other people theirs
• Why the need to demonstrate a quality can reveal some harsh truths
• The perception of time and how deeply it can affect your happiness
• The shortcuts your brain takes to understand the world: why we're all living in our own simulations
• The voices in your head... which ones should you listen to?
• Why an attitude of 'that's not my job' leads nowhere good. #howtheholocausthappened
• The worrying realisation that you can't teach curiosity
• The dangers of wanting to believe the lie – of wanting to be tricked
• Why truth and reconciliation are more important than 'justice'
• Remembering that it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Baltasar Gracián's superb The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence– a major source for the 48 Laws of Power. Check out the shirt, below, for this Law, featuring the perfect quote from Gracián
• Dothraki footnotes!
• The marvel of the Intervision Song Contest – the Eastern Bloc's Eurovision

Join us as we continue our exploration of Robert Greene’s provocative and compelling study of the 48 Laws of Power, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for the ‘modern Machiavelli’, we take a closer look, beyond the hyperbole, and discuss how understanding and implementing these Laws can actually enrich your life personally, professionally and spiritually.

Jon and Dre aim to get to the heart of each of the Laws, grapple with their sometimes disturbingly amoral nature, and discuss what the Laws mean in everyday life (often revealing their own experiences – good and bad – when they’ve either observed or transgressed them).