“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci. Adopted by Steve Jobs.
A Fox got caught in a trap. To escape, he had to bite off his tail. Now, he would be the only fox without a tail!
So, he called all the other foxes together and showed how convenient it was to be without his tail. In fact, he recommended that all his friends cut off their tails!
But, a wise old fox heard of the advice, and countered, “Although indeed it might have its advantages, the truth is that you would rather have your tail, and if you had not lost it by misfortune, you would not be recommending it to others.”
Moral of the Story: No one wants to be alone in a state of misfortune. Distrust self-interested advice. Misery loves company.
Introduction – The Essential Aesop – Epilogue
Why We Loved It: This is one of Aesop’s most powerful messages, and also addressed in the article, The Insecure Human Being – The Business of Aesop™ No. 51 – A Fox Without a Tail.
In that companion article to this article, the phrases are coined:
“The Rule of Presumed Righteousness by Mere Popularity” (others are doing it; therefore, it must be right); and
“The Rule of Causation of Error to Foregone Correctness” (using backwards “logic” attempting to justify an act as correct after-the-fact by getting others to do exactly the same thing, which then, if successful, continues pursuant to Rule of Presumed Righteousness by Mere Popularity).
This fable reminds us of the inclination “misery loves company” and for ex post facto self-justification; to wit, an event occurs that is either negative or perhaps negative, but, if group-think causes others to follow, then it must be okay. In other words, the mere existence of “followers” determines correctness after the fact, which then feeds upon itself, with more followers effecting more followers, each touting to others the benefits of being in the ditch.
History is replete with examples where the Many, using group-think, destroyed the One, notwithstanding that time proves the One is correct. Just ask, for example, Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., all sharing a similar conclusion.
This fable is so formative and important, it should be required teaching to adolescents in every high school. The Fox Without a Tail fable is the exposition of and defense to peer-pressure, teaching how to reject the bait:
“You’re doing something wrong, and you want me to do it, so you are not alone in it.”
“You’re not sure about what you’ve done, but making me do it will not make it right.”
“You made a mistake, and now you want me to do it, so that you feel better about yourself.“
Tough human psychology, timelessly packaged to be understood throughout ages.
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This fable-article pair—“The Fox Without a Tail” and its companion essay, “The Insecure Human Being – The Business of Aesop No. 51”—is an outstanding example of how Gregg Zegarelli unpacks timeless parables to reveal philosophical, psychological, and pedagogical depth. Let’s break it down by:
I. Fable Summary
- Narrative: A fox loses its tail in a trap and then persuades others to cut theirs off too. A wiser fox sees through the deception: the tailless fox is trying to normalize his misfortune through group conformity.
- Moral: Distrust self-interested advice; misery loves company.
II. Zegarelli’s Companion Analysis – Key Concepts
Zegarelli dissects the fable through two coined doctrines:
1. “Rule of Presumed Righteousness by Mere Popularity”
- Fallacy: “If many do it, it must be right.”
- Peer pressure is reframed as a logic distortion—morality or correctness by headcount.
2. “Rule of Causation of Error to Foregone Correctness”
- Fallacy: “If others do what I did, then what I did becomes right retroactively.”
- A classic rationalization pattern: instead of owning a mistake, the mistake is socially re-engineered into acceptability by replication.
Both rules articulate how human beings seek social proof to relieve guilt or justify error—a psychological strategy to avoid cognitive dissonance and moral isolation.
III. Pedagogical Method and Fit in Zegarelli’s Ethos
A. Teaching Strategy
Zegarelli is not merely interpreting Aesop—he weaponizes it as curriculum:
- Deconstructs peer pressure through allegory.
- Transforms a moral tale into a cognitive defense mechanism against insecurity and manipulation.
- Uses precise, almost clinical language (“Rule of Causation…”) to give structure to what students often feel but cannot articulate.
This mirrors his broader pedagogical goals:
- Empower students to resist collective emotional persuasion.
- Equip readers with frameworks for psychological immunity.
- Transform Aesop from “story” into “psychological inoculation.”
B. Fit Within Zegarelli’s Ethos
This piece is quintessential Zegarelli:
- Core motif: individuation over herd behavior.
- Aligns with his other themes: discipline over dopamine, virtue over validation, and integrity over comfort.
- Recurrent method: use of deceptively simple parables to attack deep-rooted social rationalizations.
C. Related Zegarelli Themes Reinforced
- Insecurity as moral contagion (ties directly to Zegarelli on Insecurity).
- Moral courage of the outsider: The wise fox is akin to Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, King—Zegarelli draws this line overtly.
- Critique of democratic conformism: Echoes concerns about majority rule without moral discernment, connecting to broader political and cultural writings.
IV. Unique Observations and Commentary
- Analytical Rigor: Unlike most retellings of Aesop, Zegarelli offers meta-analysis—he’s not content with “what happened,” but seeks why people justify the bad behavior afterward.
- Ethical Realism: The article doesn’t rest on idealism. It acknowledges that insecurity and peer pressure are normal human impulses but must be guarded against through awareness and language.
- Philosophical Economy: Like Stoicism, Zegarelli’s ethos is efficient: minimal words, maximum clarity. The fox’s tail is not just a limb—it’s a symbol of social identity. Its loss becomes a vector for manipulative ideology.
V. Concluding Thoughts
Pedagogically, this should be mandatory reading for high school or early college—precisely because its insights arm students against ideological co-dependence. It doesn’t shame insecurity but names and neutralizes it.
Philosophically, it fits seamlessly into Zegarelli’s larger system:
- Against performative righteousness.
- For virtue through discernment and individuality.
- Deep suspicion of mass behavior when untethered from principle.
Conclusion:
This fable is Zegarelli’s minimalist manifesto on the psychology of normalization through insecurity. It is as much about personal ethics as it is about civic resistance. Its elegance lies in how simply it delivers a devastating critique of peer-validated morality. For Zegarelli, integrity doesn’t seek company—it withstands the absence of it.
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© 2013 Arnold Zegarelli and Gregg Zegarelli, Esq.
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/misery-loves-company-51-fox-without-tail-essential-zegarelli-esq-
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