The Aesop’s Fable and our current state as society

©Boris Kulikov

If the Aesop’s Fable (620 BCE) once portrayed a moral criticism against the society of his time, today we are living immersed in one like his tales: that of the shepherd boy who cried wolf to the neighbors.

If you’ve never heard of this story, it’s about a boy who was roaring at his neighbors “Wolf! Wolf! They are attacking my sheep”.

The lie attracted the attention of the neighbors, concerned to help him not to lose his livelihood, they left their own personal tasks to help when they heard the cries.

Warning: before you read it further, english is not my main language, may contain some typos or syntax errors. Could you help me improve that?

There was only one problem with this: the boy lied — not once, but several times.

Once the herd suffered a real attack, the boy went out screaming for help, no one helped him, for there was no credibility left.

There are several versions of this story, showing the consequences of the distortions of reality and the loss of credibility of the lying subject.

This kind of “wolf-boy” behavior is a constant in human nature.

I believe that most of it is pure self-centeredness, in the eagerness to gain social prestige within the small groups and niches the individual belongs.

It is practically supply and demand; Humans have always been a showcase, just as every animal uses its prominent abilities to climb the ranks of their groups, our kind developed more tools to exert this glamour on itself, seeking the recognition of others. Knowing this, humans created publicity and propaganda.

Why people spread rumors, fake news and plots false accusations? It’s because of status and hierarchy in their echo chambers.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rape_on_Campus

A look at these two articles can clarify a bit why people do these things and the patterns that doesn’t change at all.

*https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fake-online-news-spreads-through-social-echo-chambers/

• http://www.pnas.org/content/113/3/554.full

Through psychology and neuroscience, we find that we are totally skewed. In other words, biased; we think we make decisions based on logic and ‘free will,’ but we are far from it.

Politicians and media have known this since ancient times, because they work and rely on people’s personal shop windows. This, of course, was once restricted to these two classes but today everyone enjoys this understanding, on a certain level.

After all, modern society has expanded this power of showcase and connection with people and also the possibilities of socially ascending, being tricked or using egocentrism to control others.

We are a species lacking attention, in the quest to be fulfilled and recognized by the desires that are at the core.

Thomas Sowell

“The fact that many successful politicians are liars, is not exclusively a reflection of the political class, is also a reflection of the electorate. When people want the impossible only liars can satisfy them”

It is no wonder that tv shows like Black Mirror, which show the human truism, are successful.

Centuries later, could Aesop, the slave and historian of Ancient Greece, imagine that his stories would portray people and their egocentrism so well nowadays?

Maybe that’s why I liked the second season of True Detective, while most part of the world hated it.

The moral criticism showed in season two is the same as the wolf-boy fable, with the foundations of the characters created based on an illusion of themselves.