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Mark's avatar

I always thought Marshall McLuhan's definition of charisma was funny and kind of true -- "Charisma means looking like a lot of other people". I always took that to mean, it's not about standing out or being unique, but being a mirror (ahem, paging Dr. Lacan ...) in which people see themselves.

I think Jacques Lacan would say that our desires are shaped by the desires of others and by the social structures and language that surround us - so maybe charisma is just some unconscious embodying of other's people's desires ... that we'll never ever attain!

Great piece, thank you for making my brain churn with your insight!

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Hank Moravec's avatar

Now that is going to be a fun entry to muse on until at least next week! The thing about charisma is not only analyzing what it is, but that despite much analysis it’s almost impossible to acquire, despite millions of humans working at aquiring it.

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