An open secret

Definition

A an open secret is a secrecy that all all and know, but which is not shared knowledge. It is characterized some by the fact that the holders of the “secrecy” freely do not express the knowledge which they have (because they believe that it is better, for them or others, to speak only with people about confidence or even completely to keep silent itself), and consequently that they are unaware of the level of knowledge of the others. One is then in the situation where “appearances are save”, “nobody lost the face”.

The secrecy thus does not relate on primary information, but to the degree of information which one expresses and which one supposes with the others.

Information theory

It is a concept at the same time very popular (as its name indicates it) and very major: an open secret is not at all equivalent to a publicly known thing, as prove it the consequences often very important of the public “revelation” of the “secrecy”.

The tale the Clothes of the king illustrates this type of phenomenon: at the critical moment, everyone sees that the king is naked, but behaves as if it were equipped in an extraordinary way, not to reveal its knowledge of this nudity. A child makes steal the secrecy in glare.

Two experiments of thought also illustrate the phenomenon.

The first is that where a father prohibited his son from leaving. However, one evening, the father sees his son outside: he thus knows, but his/her son is unaware of that he knows. Then the father speaks about it with a friend, conversation surprised by the son: in his turn, the son knows that his/her father knows, whereas the father is unaware of that his/her son knows that it knows (etc: one can make last the play a long time, only the talk becomes difficult…). It is seen well that this type of situation, even while pushing ad infinitum, is very different from that where the father and the son cross outside. In the first case, there remains a whole possible play (to make pretense be unaware of and choose the moment of the revelation, to make “spontaneously” amend…), in the second, the father will have to abdicate or the son to subject itself in a direct and immediate confrontation.

The problem of the cuckold illustrates it in a more subtle way, with its alternatives. On an island live NR (at least 2) couples. It is supposed that there exist infidels, and that in accordance with the traditional history, the cuckolds are unaware of (or make pretense be unaware of…) their situation, but that all the other inhabitants know. One adds that a law (or habit) inexorable requires cuckolds whom they call upon justice the very same day discovery of the thing, under penalty of undergoing themselves the opprobrium. The problem starts when, for a reason unspecified (and unimportant), somebody or something releases following information: “There is cocufiage on this island”. With the first degree, this does not learn anything with anybody. Each one knows already cuckolds. But, there is however information which passes: front, one was in uncertainty on the degree of knowledge of the others, now, one knows that they know, and that changes all. One can even deduct the number of cuckolds from the number of day during which nobody calls upon justice.

Etymology

Punchinello is a character of the Commedia dell' arte, a puppet which speaks all the time and which does not maintain the secrecies.

See too

Professional secrecy
Medical secret
List of French expressions

Random links: