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When communication fails on purpose

Schlanger shows plants making decisions, communicating chemically, responding to each other. But what about communication that’s meant NOT to be understood?

Consider: A plant releases a chemical signal that warns others of herbivore attack. But releasing that signal also attracts the herbivore’s attention—it’s a risk. Some plants don’t warn. Some warn selectively. Some produce signals only certain neighbors can detect.

Or: Mycelium networks connect trees, but not all trees equally. Some connections are cut off. Some signals aren’t shared.

The provocation:

What if successful communication isn’t about being understood by everyone, but about being understood only by the right ones?

In your field—whether it’s literature, philosophy, politics, science—find an example of communication that succeeds precisely because it’s not universally accessible.

Could be:

  • Coded language that only insiders recognize
  • Knowledge that requires initiation to understand
  • Arguments that only make sense if you already know something
  • Communication that protects itself by being opaque to outsiders

Bring to session:

One example of deliberate opacity that works better than clarity would.

Then we may discuss: What does Schlanger’s plant intelligence teach us about strategic inscrutability? When is it ethical to communicate in ways that exclude? When is it necessary?

Connection to politics: Resistance movements, diaspora communities, marginalized groups often communicate in ways authorities can’t intercept. Is this a failure of communication or a different kind of success?


Nur der Text ist unter der Lizenz Creative Commons Namensnennung 4.0 International nutzbar. Alle anderen Elemente (Abbildungen, importierte Anhänge) sind „Alle Rechte vorbehalten“, sofern nicht anders angegeben.


OpenEdition schlägt Ihnen vor, diesen Beitrag wie folgt zu zitieren:
Victoria Mummelthei (15. Dezember 2025). When communication fails on purpose. Keine Disziplin – No Discipline. Abgerufen am 9. März 2026 von https://doi.org/10.58079/15cmo


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