Thread

1. laybak · 1790806804 · focus · HN ↗

   the Singaporean government is often described as having a "parental" approach. I guess this move would be on brand

   1. vovavili · 1790809717 · focus · HN ↗

      It's also known as being one of the very few countries actually capable of using state capacity to overcome serious social and economic problems. Godspeed.

      1. jb1991 · 1790811593 · focus · HN ↗

         It's also known as being one of the very few first-world countries actually without basic freedoms, like free speech, freedom of the press, etc.

         1. JumpCrisscross · 1790811765 · focus · HN ↗

            > basic freedoms, like free speech, freedom of the press, etc.

            How is that going for us in the west?

            Like, I believe in these rights. But I also think we should be open to questioning them when we’ve got anti-vaxxers and Holocaust deniers finding popular purchase among an increasingly and proudly illiterate population.

            1. jb1991 · 1790812272 · focus · HN ↗

               The net effect is ultimately positive. Societies are healthier in many ways when people are free to speak their mind.

               1. JumpCrisscross · 1790823617 · focus · HN ↗

                  > net effect is ultimately positive. Societies are healthier in many ways when people are free to speak their mind

                  This is currently not empirically sustained. I hope it will be, in the long run. But if Americans and Europeans keep voting for far-right and -left wing idiots, and China and its similars take the mantle of technological and scientific development, there is a real argument that Enlightenment values don’t apply perfectly in a world with social media and AI.

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