Table of Contents

Gnostic Judo

Wolsey, the printing press, and the first appearance of learning against learning as a concept.

Learning Against Learning, Part I: Cardinal Wolsey and the Printing Press Revolution

Introduction

In the early 16th century, the English statesman and churchman Cardinal Thomas Wolsey coined a phrase that captures one of the most enduring problems of human knowledge: learning against learning. He saw, with rare clarity, that the very tools of scholarship and truth could be turned inward, weaponized against themselves. What was meant to enlighten instead created confusion, contradiction, and chaos.

This warning emerged at a pivotal moment in history—the dawn of the printing press revolution. The sudden multiplication of books transformed Europe, democratizing access to knowledge but also destabilizing the authority that had controlled knowledge for centuries.

Wolsey: Power and Perception

Born around 1475, Wolsey rose from humble beginnings to become Lord Chancellor of England and chief adviser to King Henry VIII. He was also a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, wielding enormous influence over both secular and spiritual affairs.

Wolsey was not merely a political operator; he was an astute observer of the cultural tides. He recognized that the new printing technology, while promising progress, had unleashed something unprecedented: a flood of learning that contradicted itself.

Where once monasteries and universities carefully guarded texts, the printing press churned out pamphlets, Bibles, treatises, and polemics in ever-growing numbers. Suddenly, laymen could debate theology. Priests could question Rome. Scholars could undermine each other with rival interpretations.

“Learning Against Learning”

Wolsey’s phrase referred to the spectacle of knowledge turned into civil war. Every argument gave rise to counter-arguments; every authority faced rival authorities. Instead of uniting society under clearer truth, the explosion of printed matter set learning against itself.

Scriptural Chaos: Competing translations of the Bible (Latin, German, English) undermined the Church’s monopoly on interpretation.
Doctrinal Warfare: Luther, Calvin, Erasmus, and countless lesser figures published tracts and counter-tracts, each claiming the mantle of truth.
Intellectual Fatigue: Ordinary believers and scholars alike were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of contradictory claims.

The printing press, in short, did not simply liberate knowledge—it destabilized it.

Information Overload in the Renaissance

This was one of history’s first encounters with what we now call information overload. The human mind could not keep pace with the exponential growth of texts.

Erasmus complained of “the multitude of books,” which he considered a plague.
Montaigne admitted that no one could possibly master the flood of new works.
Reformers and Counter-Reformers alike struggled to keep up with pamphlet wars, which spread rumors and polemics faster than they could be answered.

What had been a relatively stable order of knowledge turned into an avalanche. And in the avalanche, certainty collapsed.

Chaos as Opportunity: Ordo ab Chao

For Wolsey, the danger was obvious: if left unchecked, learning against learning would breed chaos—and chaos would destroy the foundations of both Church and Crown.

But from a conspiratorial perspective, this very chaos also presented an opportunity. By overwhelming the public with contradictory voices, authorities could:

Dilute truth until it lost its power.
Exhaust minds so that people surrendered critical inquiry.
Step in as arbiters of “real” or “authorized” knowledge.

This is the essence of ordo ab chao—order out of chaos. Whether consciously deployed or instinctively recognized, the principle is the same: flood the field, then offer to clean it up.

Legacy of Wolsey’s Warning

Cardinal Wolsey did not live to see the full consequences of the information explosion. He died in 1530, disgraced after failing to secure Henry VIII’s annulment from Catherine of Aragon. But the forces he warned of were unstoppable.

Within a generation, Europe was in flames—religious wars, doctrinal splits, and a Reformation that shattered the unity of Christendom. Learning against learning had indeed produced chaos, and from that chaos new orders emerged: Protestant churches, centralized monarchies, and modern nation-states.

Conclusion

Wolsey’s phrase was not just a conservative lament; it was a profound recognition of a recurring human problem. Whenever knowledge multiplies beyond control, it risks turning on itself. The Renaissance printing explosion was the first modern instance of information overload, and it destabilized an entire civilization.

Seen conspiratorially, this dynamic was not merely accidental. The very chaos of competing learnings could be harnessed as a tool of governance—an early form of information warfare. Out of the cacophony, those with power could impose their own ordo ab chao.

Sources

ORDO AI CHAO – Essence of AI – Learning Against Learning, Info War

ORDO AI CHAO 1 – Essence of AI – Overwhelm, Exhaust, Control