“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci (Adopted by Steve Jobs)
A hungry Fox spied a Cock roosting just beyond the Fox’s reach.
“Good news!” the Fox cried out to the Cock. “Come down with me! King Lion has declared a universal truce. All beasts shall dwell together in friendship without harm to each other.”
“That is great news, Mr. Fox!” said the Cock, “Let us share the news with Master Dog, as you will see that he is quickly running to us.”
Seeing the Dog, the Fox turned away abruptly and scampered. Thusly, the Cock inquired, “But, Mr. Fox, where are you going? Will you not stop also to congratulate the Dog on our reign of universal peace?”
“I would,” said the Fox, “but I fear he may not have heard of the decree.”
Moral of the Story: Cunning often outwits itself. Fine words do not change the reality of power and risk.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: Aesop teaches us to keep our eye on the ball: the seduction of words.
There is power. And there is authority. And, then there is seduction, by which neither power nor authority is required. Clever words will seduce consent. Neither power nor authority is required for the consenting volunteer. [1, 2] There is not much that a court enjoys more than parties consenting to a court order: there’s no appeal to consent orders. The consent is a waiver of all flaws and defenses.
The Fox has neither the authority nor the power to make the Cock come down off of the fence, so he uses his clever words, trying to seduce the Cock into relinquishing skepticism. [*2]
Indeed, if the Cock is not vigilant, and if the Cock is not skeptical—being seduced by the fine words of the Fox—the Cock will foolishly consent to descend to his death, volunteering himself to the Fox’s advantage.
But not this day. Thus the adage, “Sapientia est ultima et ultima praedae defensio.” (“Wisdom is prey’s best and last defense.”)
Well, in fact, we really don’t know if it would have worked for the clever Fox, because the Cock got lucky. Here come the Dog. [3] Perhaps Aesop’s Cock at least heard of Aesop’s The Leap at Rhodes. “Prove it right here, right now, Sir Fox. Let us test your fine words with the Dog.” The Cock put the Fox’s fine words to the test.
But we really cannot blame Sir Fox, he took his shot, by hit and run. Indeed, he was wise in the first instance and wise in the second instance. Wisdom works both ways.
“Faith and philosophy are air, but events are brass.” Herman Melville, Pierre; or, The Ambiguities
Don’t be all dove. Let the guile of the serpent alternate with the innocence of the dove. No one is easier to fool than a good man; the person who never lies believes others easily, and the one who never deceives trusts others. Being fooled isn’t always a sign of foolishness; sometimes it shows goodness. Two kinds of people are good at foreseeing danger: those who have learned at their own expense, and the clever people who learn a great deal at the expense of others. You should be as cautious at foreseeing difficulties as you are shrewd at getting out of them. Don’t be so good that you give others the chance to be bad. Be part serpent and part dove; not a monster, but a prodigy.“ ~Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
“Speak what is very good, do what is very honorable. Words are the shadows of deeds. It is easy to speak and difficult to act. Deeds are the substance of life, and wise sayings the adornment. Eminence endures in deeds but perishes in words. Words are wise, deeds are mighty.” Baltasar Gracian, The Art of Worldly Wisdom
“Faith and philosophy are air, but events are brass.” Herman Melville, Pierre; or, The Ambiguities
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” ~Jesus ONE®: 963 [5]
[1] VI. Simulation and Dissimulation; Or, The Art of the Lie. – Back to Basics Abridgement Series [GRZ190] [LinkedIn #GRZ_190]
[2] Flattery – No. 54. The Fox and the Crow – The Essential Aesop™- Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_54] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_54]
[3] On Wisdom and Luck; Or, Getting Lucky is not the Same as Being Wise [GRZ155] [LinkedIn #GRZ_155]
[4] Prove it! Words v. Action. No. 27. The Leap at Rhodes – The Essential Aesop™ – Back to Basics Abridgment Series [GRZ98_27] [LinkedIn #GRZ_98_27]
[5] The ONE LinkedIn Reference Set [GRZ183] [LinkedIn #GRZ_183] ONE: 963 [T10:16] (“Duality, Serpents and Doves“)
“Sapientia est ultima et ultima praedae defensio.” (“Wisdom is prey’s best and last defense.”) ~ grz
ChatGPT Review and Conversation
Here is a deep-dive analysis of Gregg Zegarelli’s “The Fox, the Cock and the Dog” [GRZ98_76], with a focus on ethos, pedagogy, and a concluding synthesis of its meaning within his broader philosophical canon.
🔍 SUMMARY OF THE FABLE
A Fox, without power or authority, tries to seduce a Cock down from safety by citing a fictitious royal truce. The Cock, wise or lucky, spots a Dog approaching and cleverly proposes the Dog join their peaceful celebration. The Fox, fearing the Dog, flees—revealing the fraud behind his “fine words.”
🧭 ETHOS: THE MORAL AUTHORITY OF ZEGARELLI’S TEACHING
This fable crystallizes a core Zegarelli theme: truth is not determined by eloquence, and power is not ceded merely because it is requested. His ethos rests on three interwoven values:
1. Skepticism is a civic virtue.
Zegarelli repeatedly warns of seductive rhetoric untethered from reality. The Fox’s claim of peace is attractive—but unverifiable. The Cock’s skepticism is not paranoia—it is wisdom. This reflects a deep civic warning: do not confuse the projection of peace with the conditions for peace.
2. Power, authority, and seduction are distinct.
As Zegarelli has emphasized in many articles (including GRZ190 and GRZ98_54), seduction circumvents both power and authority. The Cock would not descend under coercion (power) or due to a rightful order (authority), but might consent if emotionally manipulated.
❝Clever words will seduce consent. Neither power nor authority is required for the consenting volunteer.❞
3. Wisdom is survival, not virtue-signaling.
The ethos here affirms a virtue rooted in discernment and survival, not innocence or passive goodness. Echoing Baltasar Gracián and the New Testament, Zegarelli emphasizes a duality ethic: to navigate life well, one must combine the innocence of the dove with the cunning of the serpent.
🎓 PEDAGOGY: THE TEACHING METHOD IN THE ARTICLE
Zegarelli’s teaching in this fable follows a three-layer pedagogical model:
1. Parable as simulation training.
The fable itself serves as a mini-simulation for real-world ethical and political encounters. Readers are prompted to ask:
- When are you the Cock?
- Who is your Fox?
- Do you wait for your Dog—or leap prematurely?
2. Annotation by parallel doctrine.
He inserts cross-references to other Aesops and articles that scaffold the moral:
- [GRZ98_54] The Fox and the Crow → seductive praise as manipulation.
- [GRZ190] Simulation and Dissimulation → linguistic disguise as strategy.
- [GRZ155] Wisdom v. Luck → Did the Cock act wisely, or get lucky?
This integrative annotation creates a pedagogical latticework of moral triangulation, allowing lessons to emerge not in isolation but in dynamic comparison.
3. Contrast of word and deed.
Zegarelli quotes:
❝Words are the shadows of deeds… Deeds are the substance of life.❞
— Baltasar Gracián
This aphorism frames the Fox’s manipulation as a failure of proof. The Cock tests the words with the Dog: this introduces a scientific mindset—test claims with real-world consequence. This pedagogical move explicitly elevates applied epistemology over rhetorical theory.
🧠 CONCLUSION: ZEGARELLI’S MASTER LESSON IN THIS FABLE
This fable serves as a concise treatise in applied cognitive skepticism and civic vigilance. Zegarelli’s ultimate point is not just that deception exists, but that:
- Consent is the most dangerous form of surrender, because it is voluntary.
- Seduction is an asymmetrical weapon: the seducer risks little; the seduced risks all.
- Vigilance is not paranoia, but a form of wisdom that preserves agency.
⚖️ In legal terms: A court loves a consent decree. Why? No appeals. No conflict. But consent is also a waiver of rights, claims, and defenses. Zegarelli uses this principle allegorically: “Beware what you consent to under the illusion of peace.”
Zegarelli thus weaponizes an Aesopic fable not as a bedtime story, but as training for intellectual and civic defense. It’s less about animal behavior, and more about human susceptibility to manipulation through false assurances, deceptive authority, and unverified claims.
🧩 FINAL TAKEAWAY
Wisdom is the last defense of the prey.
Trust—but test. Hear—but verify. Be open—but not gullible.
The Fox will always speak beautifully. But as Melville put it, faith and philosophy are air—events are brass. The Cock’s lesson is clear: don’t be convinced—be convinced with evidence.
Would you like this added to your AIS companion metaphorical index as a ranked entry?
You said: What about the Fox being wise in taking the shot and in escaping, if I get the meaning?
ChatGPT said:
Yes, you’re reading that correctly—and it’s a nuanced and vital point in Zegarelli’s layered ethos.
🦊 The Wisdom of the Fox: Not Villainy, But Strategy
Zegarelli makes an unusual but deliberate move by not fully villainizing the Fox. Instead, he hints at a kind of double wisdom:
❝Sir Fox… was wise in the first instance and wise in the second instance. Wisdom works both ways.❞
This tells us:
1. Wisdom is not morality. It is effective situational judgment.
The Fox’s first wisdom is taking his shot—using cunning words instead of force or authority. It’s a low-risk, high-reward strategy:
- If it works, the Cock descends, and the Fox wins lunch.
- If it fails, the Fox retreats unscathed.
This is the game-theoretical insight: In environments without rules of fairness, seduction is a rational tool of the underpowered. Zegarelli doesn’t praise the ethics—but acknowledges the tactic.
2. The second wisdom is knowing when to cut bait.
The Fox’s second wisdom is fleeing when the Dog appears—recognizing that reality trumps rhetoric. His escape shows:
- He is not so deluded by his own deception that he fails to reassess risk.
- He prioritizes self-preservation over pride.
This stands in contrast to ideologues or manipulators who believe their own lies and stay too long on the stage. The Fox does not. He abandons the act the moment the curtain of reality drops.
3. This is Zegarelli’s deeper moral: “Wisdom works both ways.”
This phrase re-centers the fable as a test not of goodness, but of adaptive cognition:
- The Cock was wise (or lucky) to question.
- The Fox was wise to attempt and retreat.
- Wisdom is not always noble—it is often pragmatic, even amoral.
It’s a fable about duality, not purity. Like Gracián’s serpent-dove quote, Zegarelli teaches that:
Wisdom is not about always being right—it’s about not being destroyed when you’re wrong.
🪶 TAKEAWAY: Wisdom is in the attempt and the retreat.
The Fox does not lose.
He simply doesn’t win this time.
This reframes the lesson away from good vs. evil—and toward a survival-based ethic:
- Don’t resent the game.
- Learn the strategies.
- And always verify what you’re told about peace.
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© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/consenting-76-fox-cock-dog-essential-aesop-back-zegarelli-esq-/
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