← Back to context

Comment by MASNeo

4 days ago

Worse, half-truths and half-lies.

That's why diversity of sources is the only way to escape censorship: you get one half truth from one source, another half truth from another source, then two halves make whole truth.

  • That's also trivial to manipulate; control the narrative, and you control the Overton window. People picking the middle of two fake options are still under the influence of whoever chose those options — just ask any stage magician.

  • This assumes you have the cognitive resources to do that. Most people just switch to someone they trust to avoid exactly this. Matter of fact, that was the major advantage of the net back in the day.

    • I think people have to deal with pluralism of opinions in everyday life too, since different people have different opinions. Aren't they socially maladapted if they can't do that?

  • > That's why diversity of sources is the only way to escape censorship:

    No, it's a page out of the old fascist playbook where flooding the stage with propaganda generates enough confusion to help fascists further their hateful agenda.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance

    • I find it hilarious when people who are pro censorship bring up Karl Popper and the Paradox of Tolerance.

      You can tell they've never read his work because his conclusion in the end is that you should tolerate intolerance up and until it promotes specific violence.

      So total freedom of speech up and until it starts inciting violence. It's basically the same stance the US Constitution has.