#hostile telepath

[circuitfurscaleandvine3]

Hostile Telepath - Problem Overview

The Hostile Telepath Problem comes from this post by Valentine on Lesswrong. In this series, I'll be re-explaining it in my own words, but if you want to read the original, absolutely check out the above link. If only want my thoughts not reexplaining the original, see the Corollary List here.

The Hostile Telepath Problem, at its most basic, works like this:

You need the Telepath to believe you.

You say "I think X".

The Telepath says "You don't /really/ think X. You're lying."

You now need some way to fool their Telepathy.

Now of course, no one is actually Telepathic. We're not talking about magic here. Instead, the Telepath is using some other rule to check if you "really" believe what you say, maybe microexpressions or body language or tone. Or they might be making it up entirely, gaslighting you by claiming to see some invisible "tell" that doesn't exist. Regardless of why the Telepath believes you're lying, you need to convince them, so you're in a Hostile Telepath Problem.

If you think you've got it, most on to the next post. Otherwise, I'll give some examples below the break.

The prototypical example, pulled directly from the original post, goes like this.

You've Upset your Parent, you're scared

Your Parent demands you Apologize

You say "I'm sorry".

Your Parent replies "You don't sound sorry. Say it and mean it."

You are now in a Hostile Telepath Problem. Some unknown thing has your Parent challenging your reports of your own thoughts.

Here, the Hostile Telepath is giving a hint at how they "know" you're lying: you sounded unrepentant. This gives the kid a hint on how to change behavior. By using a different tone, their apology will be accepted. In more extreme cases, the Hostile Telepath won't hint how they "know" what you're thinking, making the situation even harder to solve.

Here's an example of something that is NOT Hostile Telepath.

"I'll take out the trash"

"You usually forget, I doubt you'll actually get it done."

The other person is making a prediction about your actions, not your thoughts. This distinction matters: we'll see in later posts that it's the "mindreading" part that makes Hostile Telepath situations so impactful and often harmful.

[circuitfurscaleandvine3]

Hostile Telepath: Index

Hostile Telepath is a class of social problem, where one party is "mindreading" the other, claiming to have (and maybe having) special knowledge about their inner thoughts. This class of problem is especially relevant to childhood, abusive households, autism, passing, masking, and plurality.

Origin of the Idea: The hostile telepath problem by Valentine

Main Series

Hostile Telepath - Problem Overview: What is the Hostile Telepath Problem?

Hostile Telepath - Solutions: What are some responses when you find yourself in a Hostile Telepaths situation?

Hostile Telepath - Subconscious Masking: How does self-deception become necessary around Hostile Telepaths, and how can you tell if you're doing it?

Hostile Telepath - Breaking Out: How do you notice when you're Subconsciously Masking, and how do you convince your subconscious that a thought is safe?

Corollary Posts

Hostile Telepath - Childhood: How parental "mindreading" cause children to confront this problem early.

Hostile Telepath - Abuse: How abusive households often cause Subconscious Masking, and how this can stop people from noticing Abuse.

Hostile Telepath - Gaslighting: How gaslighting attempts to subvert common solutions to the Hostile Telepath problem.

Hostile Telepath - Autism: How autism creates a functional Hostile Telepath problem against the rest of society, leading to Masking.

Hostile Telepath - Passing: How minorities are faced with a Hostile Telepath society, and how this creates Double Consciousness.

Hostile Telepath - Plurality: How having two Hostile Telepaths in your life can lead to split personalities and memory loss.

If a post is missing a link, that's because I haven't written it yet. Please bother me if you're interested in a missing post, I have motivation issues.