A fairly hair raising choice for another Obama czar (and what is it with all the czars, good god). He wants the government to 1) “nudge” you to the lifestyle they want you to have and 2) be able to “chill” speech with threats of legal action.

I’m not unsympathetic.

In “On Rumors,” Sunstein reviews how views get cemented in one camp even when people are presented with persuasive evidence to the contrary. He worries that we are headed for a future in which “people’s beliefs are a product of social networks working as echo chambers in which false rumors spread like wildfire.”

He is quite correct in this observation, even though this has been around way before social networking existed online, which is where he seems to be primarily concerned. (DDT anyone?) It just happens more quickly now that people aren’t solely dependent on establishment media to set the narratives. It does mean that false accusations do spread more quickly and by the time the truth comes out, it is often too late to correct the initial impression. I do agree with this, and combined with the echo chamber effect, I think it is a detriment to honest and open discussion.

However, we part agreement when he advocates new laws making internet providers and host sites liable for even what their commenters say. Shut down the internet to anyone but those approved by the government? Check.

Falsehoods undermine democracy, he says. Erm… not really. Democracy means you are free to believe what you want, true or false. Falsehoods may undermine what Mr. Sunstein thinks is fair, but they aren’t a threat to democracy. The threat to democracy is a petty policy tyrant imposing choices on us before we have a chance to make them oursevles.

As much as I bemoan this, democracy is the freedom to be as ignorant and uninformed as you want yet still have a voice. Democracy is the freedom to believe in chupcabras or that the moon landing was faked. Your belief in a lie may make you an object of ridicule among those who are more critical in their thinking, but that is your choice and likewise, the choice of your critics is theirs alone.

All opinions and theories need not be respected, but they should never be silenced. Roundly condemned, vigorously refuted and widely ridiculed, yes. Silenced, never.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. – Beatrice Hall, The Friends of Voltaire, 1906

Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too. – Voltaire, Essay on Tolerance

Monsieur l’abbé, I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write. – Voltaire in a letter, 1770

Via I Own The World

Source for Voltaire information: Classroom Tools

Tags: democracy, free speech, sunstein

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 12th, 2009 at 10:03 pm and is filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.