The principle that secrecy operates in two modes: absolute secrets (information that is truly hidden, known to none or few) and relative secrets (information that is secret to some but known to others). The law acknowledges that some secrets are genuinely hidden—the location of buried treasure, the true identity of a spy. Other secrets are matters of access—what's secret to the public may be open to insiders, what's secret in one culture may be common knowledge in another. The law of absolute and relative secrets reconciles the reality of hidden information with the observation that secrecy is often about boundaries, not absence.
Law of Absolute and Relative Secrets Example: "They argued about whether the government had secrets. Absolute secrets: yes, some information is truly hidden. Relative secrets: much of what's called 'secret' is just inaccessible to the public but known to many insiders. The law of absolute and relative secrets said: both true. The question wasn't whether secrets exist but who they're secret from and why."
by Abzugal February 16, 2026
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