Dark Rhetoric Series – The Game of Definitions: When Meaning Becomes a Maze
Download MP3When reason fails to persuade, some retreat into semantics. This episode explores the game of definitions — a rhetorical tactic that twists clarity into confusion. By constantly redefining words, manipulators trap conversations in endless loops, transforming truth-seeking into a contest of control.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- The game of definitions transforms dialogue into a labyrinth designed to exhaust and confuse.
- Semantics can become a shield against accountability when clarity threatens control.
- True understanding requires shared meaning, not linguistic victory.
💬 Featured Quotes
- 0:00:17 — “One of the more exhausting and complex techniques in dark rhetoric is the game of definitions.”
- 0:00:38 — “It’s not meant to move the conversation forward, but to control it completely.”
- 0:00:50 — “You’ll hear people say things like, ‘Well, it depends on what you mean by X.’”
- 0:01:05 — “Endless redefining becomes a form of power — a way to make understanding impossible.”
🔗 Explore Related Episodes
- Dark Rhetoric Series – Baiting: How Provocation Becomes Power
Examines how emotional manipulation turns reaction into control. - Dark Rhetoric Series – Ad Hominem: How Ego Replaces Evidence
Explores how personal attack replaces honest argument and evades accountability. - Dark Rhetoric Series – Gatekeeping: How Power Hides Behind Standards
Reveals how self-appointed arbiters define who belongs and who doesn’t.
Dynamic Inserts
Creators and Guests
Host
Brian Mattocks
Host and Founder of A Mason's Work - a podcast designed to help you use symbolism to grow. He's been working in the craft for over a decade and served as WM, trustee, and sat in every appointed chair in a lodge - at least once :D
