The Correct Foundational Logic
- john raymond
- 24 minutes ago
- 1 min read
In adversarial systems—whether political, military, or metaphysical—the first discipline is to assume betrayal as the baseline condition. The enemy, like the devil, will always stab you in the back, because treachery is his natural mode of operation, not an aberration.
This is not paranoia; it is minimax logic applied to existential threat. The rational agent facing a proven deceiver must assume that every action is optimized for one outcome: your harm. Under this axiom, trust is not an input but a reward condition, granted only after repeated proof of reliability. Every failure to internalize this principle leads to strategic collapse, because it permits the adversary to define the tempo of engagement and to hide offense behind the veil of reconciliation.
Thus, the foundational rule stands: when dealing with an enemy—particularly one of cunning—operate from the presumption that treachery is inevitable, deception is deliberate, and loyalty is an illusion maintained only so long as it is useful.
The wise strategist expects the knife, anticipates its arc, and shapes the field such that the act of betrayal destroys the betrayer first.