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Whilst I think there is some insight here, taking what trump says in an interview at face value seems like a poor way to divine what his actual beliefs are. Par

Whilst I think there is some insight here, taking what trump says in an interview at face value seems like a poor way to divine what his actual beliefs are. Particularly on fox he’s speaking to his audience, not from his innermost thoughts.

rbanffy 6y ago
It's very generous to assume he has inner thoughts. For all we have observed in the past years, he has as much internal state as a probabilistic prose generator.
- FuckButtons 6y ago
  He’s a career criminal, he hasn’t lived a life outside of a jail cell by saying everything he’s thinking.
- giardini 6y ago
  rbanffy says>"It's very generous to assume he has inner thoughts. For all we have observed in the past years, he has as much internal state as a probabilistic prose generator."< Similar statements are commonly written, spoken or believed. They fail utterly to comprehend the possible depth of human deception involved. Being a president is like having 4 years of quarters to spend in one of those arcade claw machines at the Walmart Store entrance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3kfLIsaIXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3kfLIsaIXE You have the illusion of control but no true control. U.S. President Donald Trump is head of one branch of the U.S. government. Whether he is in control of that branch is an open question, as it has been for all U.S. presidents. But if you ask "Does he have absolute control over the executive?" the answer is a resounding "No!" for the simple reason that people cannot and will not do what you ask/order them to do, for a variety of reasons. He speaks to his aides, to his underlings, to the press, to other outsiders, all whom have their own beliefs, hidden secrets and goals. Afterwards, sometimes they hold their tongue; other times they go off to speak to/consult outsiders. Sometimes they do what he asks but usually they do (or direct others to do) something else (perhaps similar to what was asked). Some of this is deception, much incompetence and ignorance. I might add that no two people think the same way nor do they have the same experiences. It is often to the benefit of a leader to NOT reveal his thoughts (or his though process) to others. Furthermore it is often to his benefit to mislead others quite deliberately. Just as being predictable can be useful so also can being unpredictable. It is tempting and often humorous to seek a simple explanation for someone's behavior (as you are doing here). Many psychologists favor the so-called "theory of mind" - the idea that we can establish and use models of each others' behavior. But except for very restricted situations, my experience has been that it is almost impossible to predict peoples' future actions. It is so difficult that I simply no longer attempt to do so. And to predict a person's actions when they are in an office with so many unknown (to me) factors and actors who are variously persuasive is simply beyond my experience. That's why presidents often have experienced advisors, men or women who have "been there before" and are familiar with the powers and trappings of the office. But even that is a "trap": who can trust that his advisor is well-informed (and trustworthy &c)? On and on... Anyway, don't assume he's simple b/c, even if he were, the office would complexify him.

rbanffy 6y ago

It's very generous to assume he has inner thoughts. For all we have observed in the past years, he has as much internal state as a probabilistic prose generator.

FuckButtons 6y ago
He’s a career criminal, he hasn’t lived a life outside of a jail cell by saying everything he’s thinking.
giardini 6y ago
rbanffy says>"It's very generous to assume he has inner thoughts. For all we have observed in the past years, he has as much internal state as a probabilistic prose generator."< Similar statements are commonly written, spoken or believed. They fail utterly to comprehend the possible depth of human deception involved. Being a president is like having 4 years of quarters to spend in one of those arcade claw machines at the Walmart Store entrance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3kfLIsaIXE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3kfLIsaIXE You have the illusion of control but no true control. U.S. President Donald Trump is head of one branch of the U.S. government. Whether he is in control of that branch is an open question, as it has been for all U.S. presidents. But if you ask "Does he have absolute control over the executive?" the answer is a resounding "No!" for the simple reason that people cannot and will not do what you ask/order them to do, for a variety of reasons. He speaks to his aides, to his underlings, to the press, to other outsiders, all whom have their own beliefs, hidden secrets and goals. Afterwards, sometimes they hold their tongue; other times they go off to speak to/consult outsiders. Sometimes they do what he asks but usually they do (or direct others to do) something else (perhaps similar to what was asked). Some of this is deception, much incompetence and ignorance. I might add that no two people think the same way nor do they have the same experiences. It is often to the benefit of a leader to NOT reveal his thoughts (or his though process) to others. Furthermore it is often to his benefit to mislead others quite deliberately. Just as being predictable can be useful so also can being unpredictable. It is tempting and often humorous to seek a simple explanation for someone's behavior (as you are doing here). Many psychologists favor the so-called "theory of mind" - the idea that we can establish and use models of each others' behavior. But except for very restricted situations, my experience has been that it is almost impossible to predict peoples' future actions. It is so difficult that I simply no longer attempt to do so. And to predict a person's actions when they are in an office with so many unknown (to me) factors and actors who are variously persuasive is simply beyond my experience. That's why presidents often have experienced advisors, men or women who have "been there before" and are familiar with the powers and trappings of the office. But even that is a "trap": who can trust that his advisor is well-informed (and trustworthy &c)? On and on... Anyway, don't assume he's simple b/c, even if he were, the office would complexify him.