AUG 4, 2013  

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democracy, wisdom & knowledge

Are you annoyed by the frequent announcement of various pooling results? All those statistics of who likes whom (politically and/or sexually), exit results at presidential election and early afternoon (discount) cinemas, the number of bathroom visits for smokers and non-smokers, the life expectancy for carrot eaters vs  high altitude hikers, and so on, you name it. Who cares, did you say? Well, we better take care, we should protect ourselves.

The bombardment with pooling statistics is a sort of brainwashing, a very serious one, the brainwashing of (mostly) innocent citizens.. Here, for now, I’ll put forward two objections:

(1) pooling is not a democratic social activity;

(2) pooling fakes the knowledge on the subject of pooling.

On the first point: pooling statistics are presented as a result of ‘winner takes all’ game. If 60% of people asked said "yes", they are the right ones, who cares about the other 40% saying "no"? However, a democracy in which the majority exercises its powers without restrain is actually a dictatorship of the majority. Yes, the opinion of the majority is a democratic authority but, on all matters essential for the society, the toleration of minorities is an essential part of democracy.

On the second point: pooling statistics represent a collective wisdom. "Collective wisdom, alas, is no adequate substitute for the intelligence of individuals. Individuals who opposed received opinions have been the source of all progress, both moral and intellectual. They have been unpopular, as was natural.. Socrates, Christ, and Galileo all equally incurred the censure of the orthodox" (from Freedom and the Colleges by Bertrand Russell, 1940).

early morning, new promises

 

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Krešimir J. Adamić