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No one lives a purely deontological or purely consequentialist life. At some point, senior members of a society are responsible, indeed accountable, for using t

No one lives a purely deontological or purely consequentialist life. At some point, senior members of a society are responsible, indeed accountable, for using their influence to impose standards for the good of that society. I operate a Little Free Library that is a net source of books (people in the neighborhood drop off boxes of books). This has had a number of effects I didn't foresee: 1) we have learned who visits seeking books (usually kids and their moms), a demographic I certainly want to encourage reading in, so we load the stock toward that demographic. 2) rarely we acquire some really great books. 3) Occasionally we get books that give me unintended insight about who's in my neighborhood, not in a good way. I throw them out. I have no problem with Mr. Bezos doing what amounts to the same. We're not talking about censorship of valid information. It's censorship of invalid information. That's just good methodology.

roel_v 8y ago
"I operate a Little Free Library that is a net source of books (people in the neighborhood drop off boxes of books)." Quite OT, but I've thought about doing this - how do you do this, practically speaking? Do you have a cupboard in the front of your house or do people actually come inside? Have you ever had to deal with vandalism? In what climate do you live, and what sort of infrastructure do you have?
- philistine 8y ago
  Go inside your house! Letting the neighbours in your house to grab books. You are the most generous, kindhearted person in the world if you really are thinking of doing it this way. It's a very big bird house on a pole in front of your house, just in front of the sidewalk. It's got a door with a window on it, so people can see the books. I live in a region with a cold climate and there are 7 or 8 exactly like what I'm describing in my neighbourhood. I don't personally have one but my wife wants to build one in the spring. Doesn't seem to be much of a vandalism magnet when they look so gosh-darn cute.
  - roel_v 8y ago
    "Go inside your house! Letting the neighbours in your house to grab books." Well I was thinking more of a 'we're open Saturday mornings only' kind of deal, I can assure you I am far from the most generous, kindhearted person in the world :) "I live in a region with a cold climate and there are 7 or 8 exactly like what I'm describing in my neighbourhood." Does it work OK in rain and cold? It only gets to -10 C here so not even that cold, but it seems it would be hard to build the cute ones (like, all the results when Google Image searching 'little library') in a waterproof way. Then again, I'm probably overthinking it and getting stuck in analysis paralysis like I usually do...
- killjoywashere 8y ago
  Well, they have a good site for starters: https://littlefreelibrary.org/build/ https://littlefreelibrary.org/build/ We live in Southern California and even we get rain. So using a plan is a good idea simply for the value that they've thought of things like eaves and sills. You need to commit to repainting every year or so, maintaining the caulk, etc. it's the details and maintenance that make it. Ours looks good years on. One in the area is starting to look janky because they were too fancy with their first paint job and now it is in the dire need of paint. Another is just collection of rotten plywood at this point.
50656E6973 8y ago
>We're not talking about censorship of valid information. It's censorship of invalid information. Might be a good idea to stock more history books in your library because that is precisely the same hubristic logic used by authoritarians throughout all time. Ever so many of mankind's greatest scientific discoveries and moral progressions were deemed "invalid information" by "senior members of society", which is why the great thinkers of the Enlightenment fought for freedom of speech, thought, and information. It seems we no longer truly value those things as we are increasingly relying upon corporations to decide for us what is true and what isn't.
- killjoywashere 8y ago
  We're not throwing anyone in jail, no one's liberty is being compromised. As for the great thinkers of the enlightenment, I think you would find them squarely in the camp of both not putting people in jail, while at the same time supporting the actions of private citizens to suppress scientifically invalid information. * "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ― Benjamin Franklin * "Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition." - Adam Smith * "Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn." ― Benjamin Franklin * "It is difficult to free fools from the chains their revere." - Voltaire * "We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter." - Diderot * "That Politics may be Reduced to a Science" - title of 1741 essay by Hume. * "One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant." - Locke * "The supreme mystery of despotism, its prop and stay, is to keep men in a state of deception" - Spinoza Shall I go on?
  - 50656E6973 8y ago
    None of those quotes imply tacit support for mass censorship, and if you were aware of their actual historical context you'd realize it's quite the opposite. You are clearly ignorant of how many of those thinkers were persecuted and censored by "senior members of society" because their ideas were deemed "invalid information"-- which is why so many people had to give their lives so that we could inherent their wisdom. Allowing people to say things we disagree with is essential to real intellectual progress. Here's a good starting point if you'd like to learn more: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire

roel_v 8y ago

"I operate a Little Free Library that is a net source of books (people in the neighborhood drop off boxes of books)." Quite OT, but I've thought about doing this - how do you do this, practically speaking? Do you have a cupboard in the front of your house or do people actually come inside? Have you ever had to deal with vandalism? In what climate do you live, and what sort of infrastructure do you have?

philistine 8y ago
Go inside your house! Letting the neighbours in your house to grab books. You are the most generous, kindhearted person in the world if you really are thinking of doing it this way. It's a very big bird house on a pole in front of your house, just in front of the sidewalk. It's got a door with a window on it, so people can see the books. I live in a region with a cold climate and there are 7 or 8 exactly like what I'm describing in my neighbourhood. I don't personally have one but my wife wants to build one in the spring. Doesn't seem to be much of a vandalism magnet when they look so gosh-darn cute.
- roel_v 8y ago
  "Go inside your house! Letting the neighbours in your house to grab books." Well I was thinking more of a 'we're open Saturday mornings only' kind of deal, I can assure you I am far from the most generous, kindhearted person in the world :) "I live in a region with a cold climate and there are 7 or 8 exactly like what I'm describing in my neighbourhood." Does it work OK in rain and cold? It only gets to -10 C here so not even that cold, but it seems it would be hard to build the cute ones (like, all the results when Google Image searching 'little library') in a waterproof way. Then again, I'm probably overthinking it and getting stuck in analysis paralysis like I usually do...
killjoywashere 8y ago
Well, they have a good site for starters: https://littlefreelibrary.org/build/ https://littlefreelibrary.org/build/ We live in Southern California and even we get rain. So using a plan is a good idea simply for the value that they've thought of things like eaves and sills. You need to commit to repainting every year or so, maintaining the caulk, etc. it's the details and maintenance that make it. Ours looks good years on. One in the area is starting to look janky because they were too fancy with their first paint job and now it is in the dire need of paint. Another is just collection of rotten plywood at this point.

50656E6973 8y ago

>We're not talking about censorship of valid information. It's censorship of invalid information. Might be a good idea to stock more history books in your library because that is precisely the same hubristic logic used by authoritarians throughout all time. Ever so many of mankind's greatest scientific discoveries and moral progressions were deemed "invalid information" by "senior members of society", which is why the great thinkers of the Enlightenment fought for freedom of speech, thought, and information. It seems we no longer truly value those things as we are increasingly relying upon corporations to decide for us what is true and what isn't.

killjoywashere 8y ago
We're not throwing anyone in jail, no one's liberty is being compromised. As for the great thinkers of the enlightenment, I think you would find them squarely in the camp of both not putting people in jail, while at the same time supporting the actions of private citizens to suppress scientifically invalid information. * "We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid." ― Benjamin Franklin * "Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition." - Adam Smith * "Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn." ― Benjamin Franklin * "It is difficult to free fools from the chains their revere." - Voltaire * "We swallow greedily any lie that flatters us, but we sip only little by little at a truth we find bitter." - Diderot * "That Politics may be Reduced to a Science" - title of 1741 essay by Hume. * "One unerring mark of the love of truth is not entertaining any proposition with greater assurance than the proofs it is built upon will warrant." - Locke * "The supreme mystery of despotism, its prop and stay, is to keep men in a state of deception" - Spinoza Shall I go on?
- 50656E6973 8y ago
  None of those quotes imply tacit support for mass censorship, and if you were aware of their actual historical context you'd realize it's quite the opposite. You are clearly ignorant of how many of those thinkers were persecuted and censored by "senior members of society" because their ideas were deemed "invalid information"-- which is why so many people had to give their lives so that we could inherent their wisdom. Allowing people to say things we disagree with is essential to real intellectual progress. Here's a good starting point if you'd like to learn more: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltaire