0672 Chapter eight brings the stagecraft of “operation sheepskin” into the construction of pseudo-reality, called “operation spider’s web”.

Stiles outlines the intertwining of hidden agendas in this, the Fourth Battle of the Enlightenment Gods (1989-present).

The hidden agendas formerly disguised themselves as “capitalist” and “socialist”.

Now, capitalism and socialism intersect in a mysterious single actuality, labeled, “value_2b” in the post-truth interscope.  They do so because both fields of expertise have taken on the style of empirio-schematics, thereby constituting the psychometric sciences.  Journalism, advertising, human resources, communications, organizational analysis, criminal justice, education, counseling and social work are among the current labels for psychometric disciplines.  Each “science” takes on the style of the natural sciences.

0673 The empirio-normative judgment_2c is executed by the One Relativist Who Rules Them All_3c, whenever the opportunity arises_1c.  The empirio-normative judgment_2c acts as though the positivist intellect (relation, thirdness) brings the universality of phenomena of ‘what people say’_2a (nevermind the noumenon; what is, firstness) into relation with intelligibility of psychometric valuations_2b (what ought to be, secondness). 

0674 I must not forget that an interventionist event_2c (SV_i) activates what I think_2a (SO_i) and what I think_2a corresponds to the scholastic interscope for how humans think.

The following figure compares elements occurring in the scholastic interscope for how humans think to corresponding elements from the empirio-normative judgment_2c for the post-truth interscope, as they would be expressed during an event staged in operation sheepskin.

Here are targets within what I think.

0675 Secondness for the empirio-normative judgment targets the level of secondness in what I think.

Firstness for the empirio-normative judgment targets the level of firstness in what I think.

Here, the subscripts “a” and “b” refer to the levels of firstness (content) and secondness (situation).

0676 Secondness, the realm of actuality, emerges from and situates firstness, the realm of possibility.  Secondness tends to solidify one possibility among a suite of possible options.  Perceptions may reinforce sensations.  Perceptions may also overwhelm impressions and feelings.

Firstness, the realm of possibility, may support or undermine secondness, the realm of actuality.  If firstness narrows into only one possibility, then the corresponding actuality in secondness appears inevitable.  If firstness offers an alternate possibility, then the corresponding actuality in secondness becomes questionable, if not impossible.

0677 The media narrative (in the above figure) associates to secondness, the realm of actuality, for the empirio-normative judgment_2c, while my phantasms and my emotions associate to secondness alone (an actuality₂ on the situation_b level) for what I think.  The media narrative presents itself as real, as if the pseudo-reality is intelligible, rather than a confabulation that favors the one who has paid for the narrative_3c.  In contrast, my notions and my emotions are fallible, when it comes to my judgment in what I think.

So, my perceptions_2b in what I think hold the character of realness, rather than intelligibility.  Intelligibility is assessed with judgment_2c.

In contrast, media narratives posit intelligibility, as well as realness, thus bypassing the scrappy player’s perceptions_2b.  My judgment_2c goes into what I say.  What I say becomes phenomena for the psychometric sciences.

Media reports of staged events associate to firstness, the realm of possibility, while my sensations associate to secondness and firstness (an actuality₂ on the content_a level) for what I think.  Media reports tend to undermine my own impressions and feelings by offering a manufactured incident for my reactive body and sensate soul to respond to.  I read the news item.  I am not witnessing the event.  My impressions and feelings might be totally different if I am in the midst of the action.  The media report is potentially universal.

0678 Overall, the elements within the overlay (SO_i) spawned by the interventional sign-vehicle (SV_i) target elements of within the actuality of judgment_2c assigned to the same category.  This influences what I say, and has already been mentioned in points 0668-0670.

Here is a picture comparing secondness and firstness for my judgment_2c in what I think with the corresponding categories in the empirio-normative judgment_2c in the post-truth condition.

0679 If I multiply this targeting across a host of oligarch-supported agencies and institutions, message-produces and message-spreaders, wizards and mouthpieces, then the difficulties of the scrappy player appear formidable.

No wonder elites have taken to openly ridicule the “deplorables”.