Nassim’s Sword of Social Justice (aka D’Sousa’s Razor)
Identified by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in the Medium article: The Merchandising of Virtue" - May 27, 2017
"Kids with rich parents talk about “white privilege” at such privileged colleges as Amherst –but in one instance, one of them could not answer D’Souza’s simple and logical suggestion: ‘Why don’t you go to the registrar’s office and give your privileged spot to a minority student who was next in line?’
Hence the principle:
If your private life conflicts with your intellectual opinion, it cancels your intellectual ideas, not your private life.
and
If your private actions do not generalise then you cannot have general ideas.
This is not strictly about ethics, but information transfer. If a car salesman tries to sell you a Detroit car while driving a Honda, he is signalling that it may have a problem."
The video Taleb is referencing is:
SO SATISFYING: Dinesh D'Souza absolutely shreds SJW over "white privilege" - Young America's Foundation
Published 09 Jun 2018. Recorded at Amherst College.
If you hold an intellectual ideal, but your real world actions do not reflect or enforce this ideal. Then your actions cancel out this ideological stance. You cannot say to the words "I am a vegan" and claim the moral virtue for such an identity, but occasionally eat chicken. The act of eating the chicken cancels out any moral or ideological virtue or superiority claimed by being vegan.
Identified by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in the Medium article: The Merchandising of Virtue" - May 27, 2017
"Kids with rich parents talk about “white privilege” at such privileged colleges as Amherst –but in one instance, one of them could not answer D’Souza’s simple and logical suggestion: ‘Why don’t you go to the registrar’s office and give your privileged spot to a minority student who was next in line?’
Hence the principle:
If your private life conflicts with your intellectual opinion, it cancels your intellectual ideas, not your private life.
and
If your private actions do not generalise then you cannot have general ideas.
This is not strictly about ethics, but information transfer. If a car salesman tries to sell you a Detroit car while driving a Honda, he is signalling that it may have a problem."
The video Taleb is referencing is:
SO SATISFYING: Dinesh D'Souza absolutely shreds SJW over "white privilege" - Young America's Foundation
Published 09 Jun 2018. Recorded at Amherst College.
If you hold an intellectual ideal, but your real world actions do not reflect or enforce this ideal. Then your actions cancel out this ideological stance. You cannot say to the words "I am a vegan" and claim the moral virtue for such an identity, but occasionally eat chicken. The act of eating the chicken cancels out any moral or ideological virtue or superiority claimed by being vegan.
Student: "We have numbers that demonstrate precisely how much wealth was stolen, and that's money that in some way could be given back."
D'Sousa: "You're willing to have social justice with other people's pay, but you're not willing to pay.
So that's the problem. And that's the problem with the progressivism that marches behind social justice, while protecting its own privileges. You know, how you said, we all have to survive, really, you have to be at Amherst to survive?
You don't have to be at Amherst to survive, you have to be at Amherst to benefit.
You have to be at Amherst because you're getting opportunities at this college that many other people are not getting.
So if you say you believe in equal opportunity, you're a hypocrite because you are taking advantage of opportunities unavailable to others. But for you this hypocrisy is fully justified because you are militating on behalf of the poor. But if it's if you're against privilege - this college is privilege. So there's a glaring hypocrisy, and you will never turn your moral mirror on yourself to say, What am I doing about it?
That's my point. For you - society should act before you do - to enforce your moral code.”
____________
Person A: “I’m a vegan but I occasionally have some chicken.”
Person B: “By the logic of Nassim's Sword of Social Justice - the act of eating the chicken cancels out your vegan claim, regardless of what you say about yourself.”
D'Sousa: "You're willing to have social justice with other people's pay, but you're not willing to pay.
So that's the problem. And that's the problem with the progressivism that marches behind social justice, while protecting its own privileges. You know, how you said, we all have to survive, really, you have to be at Amherst to survive?
You don't have to be at Amherst to survive, you have to be at Amherst to benefit.
You have to be at Amherst because you're getting opportunities at this college that many other people are not getting.
So if you say you believe in equal opportunity, you're a hypocrite because you are taking advantage of opportunities unavailable to others. But for you this hypocrisy is fully justified because you are militating on behalf of the poor. But if it's if you're against privilege - this college is privilege. So there's a glaring hypocrisy, and you will never turn your moral mirror on yourself to say, What am I doing about it?
That's my point. For you - society should act before you do - to enforce your moral code.”
____________
Person A: “I’m a vegan but I occasionally have some chicken.”
Person B: “By the logic of Nassim's Sword of Social Justice - the act of eating the chicken cancels out your vegan claim, regardless of what you say about yourself.”
by bewdew December 10, 2023
Mismatched perceptions or directives made by individuals or groups geared towards other individuals or groups.
There was a large social intention misalignment between Joe and Sally. Sally just didn't want to date.
The social intention misalignment between Russia and the United States had grown out of control. Russian diplomats didn't know how to respond.
Social intention misalignment grew exponentially between sexes, but no one noticed because everyone was trapped in the deception butterfly of technological hypnosis fictitious assumption paradigm causing widespread incremental morale degradation.
The social intention misalignment between Russia and the United States had grown out of control. Russian diplomats didn't know how to respond.
Social intention misalignment grew exponentially between sexes, but no one noticed because everyone was trapped in the deception butterfly of technological hypnosis fictitious assumption paradigm causing widespread incremental morale degradation.
by Ontological June 25, 2018
Es un proceso por el cual se conforma una estructura social , la cual esta compuesta por diferentes partes ya que existe una sociedad posición y papeles diferentes.
by Rafis030808 November 10, 2021
An ideology characterized by the supremacy of medicine, censorship, social democracy, mass surveillance, cancellation, and other forms of suppression.
by Yobberson April 07, 2022
The practice of not emotionally investing oneself in the grand outcome of humanity while approaching society as an amusing spectacle. This attitude was famously espoused by comedian George Carlin.
by Jack Atrophy August 05, 2022
A term that is used when a social butterfly has been put into enough situations or trauma to become anti-social. This means they want to be social but feel like they can't or shouldn't for several reasons. Normally you might need to invite them or ask if they want to go somewhere, other than them going themselves.
Person 1: Hey where is Mark, didn't he want to come to the party?
Person 2: Why didn't you invite him, You know he is an anti-social social butterfly.
Person 1: Oh I forgot about that, I will invite him next time.
Person 2: Why didn't you invite him, You know he is an anti-social social butterfly.
Person 1: Oh I forgot about that, I will invite him next time.
by LaDanielWolfken July 10, 2023
to make an intentional effort to improve one's social interactions and relationships in any social environment to make things more meaningful or engaging (you're not reacting to your environment, you're shaping it)
Schools, that are not forgetful concerning social crafting, offer study groups, clubs, sports, arts, and competitions, which all students can partake in.
Through social crafting, I started to surround myself with people who truly support my growth and values, instead of just defaulting to old dynamics.
Through social crafting, I started to surround myself with people who truly support my growth and values, instead of just defaulting to old dynamics.
by legendaryboomer April 22, 2025