Oddbean new post about | logout
▲ ▼
Alex Budaev | 1 months ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag +1 
 Society is divided. 

For years we have been taught to tolerate and agree with all decisions of the state. Now people are being jailed for saying they disagree. Nobody knows where the truth is or it is only propaganda everywhere.

Humanity no longer has common goals, and even global problems are successfully contested at the level of (sometimes stupid) conspiracy theories. 

War, murder and violence are perceived as ordinary events, and few will comply with the demands of the state in the event of a new pandemic. 

Are we still capable of defending ourselves?
▲ ▼
3ViLk/-\rMa | 1 months ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag +1 
 Society is divided indeed.

The misdirection of language in subtle ways, I believe, has had an impact in furthering some of what you pointed out. Tolerance, for example, does not mean you embrace something. Whether people acknowledge the importance of being precise in their words or not, it makes having a simple discussion difficult. Turn the heat up from "simple discussion" to "critical dialogue" and the whole matter is doomed.

At the bottom level, if we are to engage in anything at all, all participants must know the "rules" of engagement. In the case of language, we can't all have particularized definitions (especially inappropriate and arbitrary ones) of the same word. We're speaking different languages at that point.

I could go on, but I think I'll stick with my seemingly obscure point for now.