Psychology
Strategy 25: Occupy the Moral High Ground (The 33 Strategies of War)
#### Luther Martin Luther attacked the Catholic’s church by creating a law of morals against the pope. He criticized the lavish lifestyles of those who headed the church, and the extraordinary power they were given.
Luther
Martin Luther attacked the Catholic’s church by creating a law of morals against the pope. He criticized the lavish lifestyles of those who headed the church, and the extraordinary power they were given. He argued that the Bible had no justification for this behavior, and that the Catholic church was not a spiritual organization, but a political one. By pointing out these hypocrisies, he forever tainted the image of the pope and the church in the eyes of the public.
Luther wrote An Open Letter to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, in it, he claimed that Rome used its authority to bully German people for centuries. A long political struggle between pope Leo and Martin Luther ensued after that, and through his own shrewdness, and the help of his followers among the aristocracy, Luther survived unscathed.
By 1526 a Protestant party was officially recognized in different parts of Europe. This was the birth ofthe Reformation, and with it the vast worldly power of the Catholic Church, at least as Leo had inherited it, was irrevocably broken. That obscure, pedantic Wittenberg priest had somehow won the war.Robert Greene,The 33 Strategies of War
Luther won the political conflict against the pope by appealing to the people, and he did so on moral grounds. People will not join your side unless it seems righteous or just. Moral “warriors” know how to play on people’s emotions, they appear fragile, but they are in fact dangerous and powerful.
It is a world not of angels but of angles, where men speak of moral principles but act on power principles; a world where we are always moral and our enemies always immoral.RULES FOR RADICALS, SAUL D. ALINSKY, 1909-1972
In a few years, while Luther was constantly being attacked by the church, the support he gained from the people only increased. He led an exemplary life and took it further in his writings – which he refused to take income for – this compelled the public to revere him.
Successful wickedness hath obtained the name virtue…when it is for the getting of the kingdom.THOMAS HOBBES, 1588-1679
If you are interested in exploring the darker or hidden parts of human psychology that most people ignore, check out The Dichotomy of the Self.
YARPP List
Related posts:
- Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean (The 48 Laws of Power)
- Chapter 21: Meditation (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
- Strategy 10: Create a Threatening Presence (The 33 Strategies of War)
- Chapter 1: The Ottoman Empire (An Introduction to Middle East Politics)
Keep Reading
Related Articles
Psychology
Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation (48LOP)
P.T Barnum The Chinese general, Chuko Liang, had a great reputation. During the war of the Three Kingdoms (A.D 207-265), he dispatched his large army to a far away camp, while he stayed in a small town with only a few soldiers.
Psychology
Intolerant Minority (Skin in the Game)
An intolerant minority will set the rules for everyone else. People in the U.S eat Kosher food not because most of the U.S is Jewish, but because non-Jews tolerate Kosher while Jews don’t tolerate non-Kosher. This asymmetry informs us about what will happen with GMO’s.
Psychology
Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability (The 48 Laws of Power)
#### Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability *Muhammad Ali* Unpredictability is a potent weapon you can use to rattle your opponents. Human beings are creatures of habit and expect to see patterns of behavior in others.
Psychology
Chapter 2: Work (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)
# Chapter 2: Work *AI* > When you grow up, you might not have a job What will our future look like with AI? Already, we are seeing signs of a very different world.For example, technologies already exist that can recommend books and videos to us based on our previous tastes.