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This highlights an important failure of total lassiez-faire: by restricting or distorting access to information, you can effect a nefarious result without viole

This highlights an important failure of total lassiez-faire: by restricting or distorting access to information, you can effect a nefarious result without violence or even protests. It's like slowly boiling a frog. And it works especially well in a democracy, where political outcomes are (at least in principle) determined by those who are most susceptible to information control.

syshum 9y ago
>>This highlights an important failure of total lassiez-faire: by restricting or distorting access to information What now? Do you believe government never restrict access or distort information to their citizens, it is only a failure of lassiez-faire... Historically governments are the largest propaganda machines
- nemo1618 9y ago
  I do not claim that it is only a problem with lassiez-faire. Governments are of course capable of the same manipulation. I only claim that lassiez-faire does not solve the problem either, and indeed may be worse since the people believe they are free and are thus more complacent.
emiliobumachar 9y ago
Off-topic, but the "slowly boiling a frog" myth is false. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
- Houshalter 9y ago
  That's true but the metaphor is useful in many places.
  - jwilk 9y ago
    Are there any other popular metaphors based on misconceptions?
    - Karunamon 9y ago
      "Fire in a crowded theater" comes to mind. In reality, the judge making that comparison later rescinded it, and the guy won his case (about distributing anti-war pamphlets) anyways.
    - Jach 9y ago
      http://danluu.com/dunning-kruger/ http://danluu.com/dunning-kruger/
    - thaumasiotes 9y ago
      Ostriches sticking their heads in the ground. Living fossils. That prokaryotes are "primitive" life. Eskimo words for snow. "Anal" behavior. Essentially all popular metaphors are based on misconceptions, really.
      - Houshalter 9y ago
        Basically everything from this list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions

syshum 9y ago

>>This highlights an important failure of total lassiez-faire: by restricting or distorting access to information What now? Do you believe government never restrict access or distort information to their citizens, it is only a failure of lassiez-faire... Historically governments are the largest propaganda machines

nemo1618 9y ago
I do not claim that it is only a problem with lassiez-faire. Governments are of course capable of the same manipulation. I only claim that lassiez-faire does not solve the problem either, and indeed may be worse since the people believe they are free and are thus more complacent.

emiliobumachar 9y ago

Off-topic, but the "slowly boiling a frog" myth is false. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog

Houshalter 9y ago
That's true but the metaphor is useful in many places.
- jwilk 9y ago
  Are there any other popular metaphors based on misconceptions?
  - Karunamon 9y ago
    "Fire in a crowded theater" comes to mind. In reality, the judge making that comparison later rescinded it, and the guy won his case (about distributing anti-war pamphlets) anyways.
  - Jach 9y ago
    http://danluu.com/dunning-kruger/ http://danluu.com/dunning-kruger/
  - thaumasiotes 9y ago
    Ostriches sticking their heads in the ground. Living fossils. That prokaryotes are "primitive" life. Eskimo words for snow. "Anal" behavior. Essentially all popular metaphors are based on misconceptions, really.
    - Houshalter 9y ago
      Basically everything from this list https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_common_misconceptions