The Light Triad
(Recorded February 12th, 2025)
Description
Deception and self-interest seem to be increasingly prevalent in our modern cultural reality. From the highest levels of power to the cultural metrics of what is considered ‘success’ for individual humans: the Dark Triad traits of Narcissism, Sociopathy, and Machiavellianism have become disturbingly normalized. But is there an antidote? Could an opposing “Light Triad” of traits – if nurtured and protected – offer a path toward a society in service of life rather than power?
In this Frankly, Nate explores the concept of Light Triad personalities and their struggle against the Dark Triad forces shaping our social, economic, and ecological landscape. He examines how social media amplifies manipulation, why individual goodness is often outmatched by structural incentives, and whether strong, cooperative groups might hold the key to shifting the balance. Importantly, he questions whether the Light Triad can ever truly compete – or if it must evolve new strategies to stand a chance in service of life.
How many people does it take to shield a Light Triad individual from Dark Triad manipulation? Will these competing traits become more or less dominant as we move into the downslope of the Carbon Pulse? And can someone with a Dark Triad personality ever truly change, or are they hardwired for self-interest?
Show Notes
00:00 – Link to Submit Your TGS Story
02:22 – Light Triad Linkedin Post
02:36 – Dark Triad (Tetrad)
03:35 – Traits vs Values
04:41 – Metabolic Superorganism
06:09 – Light Triad, Scott Barry Kaufman, article comparing light and dark triad
06:43 – Kantianism
09:11 – Multi-level Selection
10:32 – Machiavellianism
Read the full article at the original website
References:
- https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/s/Frankly-85-Transcript.pdf
- https://senja.io/p/the-great-simplification/r/LO0uRO
- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kasper-benjamin-reimer-bj%C3%B8rkskov-660a4899_article-alert-the-sociopathic-nature-activity-7292987852475322369-KsZO?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAIT4QQBuvVmsZ3oy6TCFnvbvT-3XJjcWWo
- https://health.clevelandclinic.org/dark-triad
- https://psychology.org.au/for-members/publications/inpsych/2021/november-issue-4/analyse-this/the-dark-tretrad
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886902001459
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800919310067
- https://www.simplypsychology.org/light-triad-personality.html
- https://scottbarrykaufman.com/
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/beautiful-minds/the-light-triad-vs-dark-triad-of-personality/
- https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/#HumFor
- https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-19650-3_647
- https://dictionary.apa.org/machiavellianism
- https://unsplash.com/@miracleday?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash
- https://unsplash.com/photos/two-clear-wine-glasses-close-up-photography-mj7kMQBVZxw?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash
- https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Light%20Triad+https%3A%2F%2Fwww.resilience.org%2Fstories%2F2025-02-18%2Fthe-light-triad%2F
- https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Light%20Triad&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.resilience.org%2Fstories%2F2025-02-18%2Fthe-light-triad%2F
- https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.resilience.org%2Fstories%2F2025-02-18%2Fthe-light-triad%2F&title=The%20Light%20Triad&summary=In%20this%20Frankly%2C%20Nate%20explores%20the%20concept%20of%20Light%20Triad%20personalities%20and%20their%20struggle%20against%20the%20Dark%20Triad%20forces%20shaping%20our%20social%2C%20economic%2C%20and%20ecological%20landscape.&mini=true
