I'm not in the 'ignorance is bliss' camp. I would rather know the terrible truth than live a beautiful lie. The interesting thing is that I appreciate the beauty of life (especially the natural world) far more, now that I have some sense of the depravity of those who presume to rule over us. There's nothing like contrast, I guess.
Don't underestimate the sturdiness of the weapon of truth. The whole totalitarian system depends on everyone accepting the lies. The smallest intrusion of truth into that web of lies threatens the whole system. That's why dissent has to be crushed. The more voices speaking truth, the harder it will be to hold back the tide.
While I agree that truth is a potent weapon, I do not think this applies at all times or always at useful speeds. I think truth has so far been reasonably commonly spoken and yet surprisingly impotent vs the modern tools of crushing/ignoring it, while the gains it is making are slow enough to be called a battle-victory for tyranny. I hope, of course. Yet this is why I mention the plight of women - though gender oppression is not an exact comparable for totalitarian systems. It would seem so blatant that they are the intellectual equal (at least!) of men (except, perhaps, some niche visual spatial operations), and yet for thousands of years, truth lost that battle in the majority of cultures. I try to use truth because it seems a perfectly honourable weapon, and the only one I've had any practice or training in, but I'm open to the prospect of it being insufficient in the short term.
Fat lot of good it did to those that perished in the soviet gulags knowing that “this too shall pass”. It’s probably more apt for those “lucky” enough to live in a country try like the US which has freedom baked into its DNA. Or so it seems to an outsider.
I agree, who knows what future historians will write, there might not even be any historians in the future, possibly too dangerous to the clerisy.
"fat lot of good it did" - At times I've said the exact same thing. And yet when experiencing hardship or pain of any kind, one's expectations mold the experience. This is why pain medication is so difficult to distinguish from placebo. Knowing this is one reason why I am wrestling with ideas and understanding in this public sphere. I had always hoped during my fortunate life, that if I was tested, I would find peace, tolerance and joy. Yet in these Covid hardships, seeking tolerance of clear atrocities felt just plain wrong, so I became radicalised, polarised, prickly, outspoken, and markedly more intolerant of certain actions/mindsets. Seeking peace and joy still seems very worthwhile. I find peace through a sense of understanding, hence thought experiments - and sharing them, have value I hope.
On the Brave New World/1984 potential future: Historians might be like social media - a captured version might be far more useful than getting rid of them entirely. This Black Mirror episode is a great one about something similar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteen_Million_Merits
I'm not in the 'ignorance is bliss' camp. I would rather know the terrible truth than live a beautiful lie. The interesting thing is that I appreciate the beauty of life (especially the natural world) far more, now that I have some sense of the depravity of those who presume to rule over us. There's nothing like contrast, I guess.
"as flimsy a weapon as speaking honestly"
Don't underestimate the sturdiness of the weapon of truth. The whole totalitarian system depends on everyone accepting the lies. The smallest intrusion of truth into that web of lies threatens the whole system. That's why dissent has to be crushed. The more voices speaking truth, the harder it will be to hold back the tide.
While I agree that truth is a potent weapon, I do not think this applies at all times or always at useful speeds. I think truth has so far been reasonably commonly spoken and yet surprisingly impotent vs the modern tools of crushing/ignoring it, while the gains it is making are slow enough to be called a battle-victory for tyranny. I hope, of course. Yet this is why I mention the plight of women - though gender oppression is not an exact comparable for totalitarian systems. It would seem so blatant that they are the intellectual equal (at least!) of men (except, perhaps, some niche visual spatial operations), and yet for thousands of years, truth lost that battle in the majority of cultures. I try to use truth because it seems a perfectly honourable weapon, and the only one I've had any practice or training in, but I'm open to the prospect of it being insufficient in the short term.
Fat lot of good it did to those that perished in the soviet gulags knowing that “this too shall pass”. It’s probably more apt for those “lucky” enough to live in a country try like the US which has freedom baked into its DNA. Or so it seems to an outsider.
I agree, who knows what future historians will write, there might not even be any historians in the future, possibly too dangerous to the clerisy.
"fat lot of good it did" - At times I've said the exact same thing. And yet when experiencing hardship or pain of any kind, one's expectations mold the experience. This is why pain medication is so difficult to distinguish from placebo. Knowing this is one reason why I am wrestling with ideas and understanding in this public sphere. I had always hoped during my fortunate life, that if I was tested, I would find peace, tolerance and joy. Yet in these Covid hardships, seeking tolerance of clear atrocities felt just plain wrong, so I became radicalised, polarised, prickly, outspoken, and markedly more intolerant of certain actions/mindsets. Seeking peace and joy still seems very worthwhile. I find peace through a sense of understanding, hence thought experiments - and sharing them, have value I hope.
On the Brave New World/1984 potential future: Historians might be like social media - a captured version might be far more useful than getting rid of them entirely. This Black Mirror episode is a great one about something similar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifteen_Million_Merits