On the topic of the Martyrdom meme-complex (Part II):
After reading "The Art Of War" a few years ago, I wrote the following little essay on this
topic. Perhaps it has some value.
BEGIN ESSAY MODE
Defeat
There are three types of defeat: True Defeat, False Defeat, and Victorious Defeat.
True Defeat occurs when an important battle is lost. It is important for the General to
recognize True Defeat as quickly as possible so he can withdraw his troops and use them again
later.
False defeat means intentional defeat and can be used for two reasons: to make the enemy
overconfident, or to lure him to a false battleground. Lure an enemy to a false battleground
so he will invest his forces there while you prepare your main forces at the true
battleground.
Victorious Defeat is a dangerous operation. It means absolute True Defeat without hope for
another battle. To use Victorious Defeat effectively there must be something special about
the Spirit of the defeated. Thus, the winners of the battle do not gain but lose. To
recover from their lose they must accept the special aspect of the Spirit of the defeated,
making it part of their own Spirit. Thus, the Spirit of the defeated is championed by their
enemy. Victorious Defeat is very difficult. You have only one try at it and you will not
know if you've succeeded because you will be dead.
END ESSAY MODE
An obvious example of Victorious Defeat is Jesus being crucified by the Romans.
-- David Leeper Homo Deus http://home1.gte.net/dleeper/index.htm