Artifice Research Paper

In a world full of propaganda and corruption , the skill of artifice is valued. In order to succeed in life you must please others, either by having the same opinions or even giving others a false sense of kindness and the willingness to care. Arguably, artifice can take you places and is a great skill to obtain, even though it may seem a little unsettling to some people. Artifice is high up in the list of skills that people should obtain for themselves. In Hedges Empire of Evolution, he first shows an example of artifice in political leaders. Political leaders must please the public and must be trusted by the public in order to succeed in their position. Being a political leader requires many skills, one of them being artifice. “Political leaders, who use the tools of mass propaganda to create a sense of faux intimacy with citizens, no longer need to be competent, sincere, or honest.” This goes to show that out of all
the valuable skills you must have in order to be a political leader, the most valuable one is artifice. Since being a political leader is a valued position, it suggests that artifice is a valuable skill. Secondly, artifice can interrupt logic. Hedges also writes that “the reality of the narrative is irrelevant. It can be completely at odds with the facts” , and that the “consistency and emotional appeal of the story are paramount.”Often times our emotional state tends to interrupt our logical thinking. For example, If you feel that someone is trustworthy, then you will take their word for something regardless of whether it is completely logical. This goes to show that artifice is a valuable skill because it may dominate over logic. Towards the end of the passage, Hedges goes on to say that” Those who have not mastered the art of entertainment, who fail to create a narrative or do not have one fashioned for them by their handlers, are ignored.” and that they become “unreal”.
It is true that people are more attracted to tragedies and the hardships in one’s life, so even though you may create a false narrative with artifice, it will definitely attract more people to you. The more that people have a liking for you, the more they tend to support you. And anyone can become successful with enough support. This goes to show that artifice is a great skill to possess for the sake of your success. In conclusion, artifice is the most essential skill because artifice eliminates and dominates other skills, it often tends to dominate over logic, and it ultimately leads to success. Although some people may despise artifice, you must admit that is a great skill to value. We all want to succeed in life, right? Then you must value artifice and acquire it as one of your most prominent
skills.