#386 — Information & Social Order

Yuval Noah Harari delves into the complexities of how societies balance truth and fiction, highlighting the challenges and necessities of both in maintaining order and facilitating cooperation.

Truth is costly, complex, and sometimes painful, while fiction is cheap, simple, and appealing

Harari explicates the dynamic relationship between truth and order by comparing the production of an atom bomb, which requires factual knowledge of nuclear physics, to the shared beliefs in ideologies that bind millions of people to cooperate. He posits that large-scale societal cooperation hinges not solely on facts but on the shared beliefs in ideologies or mythologies. Harari points out the costly nature of the truth, citing how historians spend decades researching and validating information against potential propaganda.

Reality is nuanced and often complex, making the truth hard to discern and express while fiction simplifies reality, making it more palatable. The truth can disrupt social order since maintaining order is often more straightforward with fiction and fantasy. Moreover, Harari reflects on the fiction of the dollar's value as a uniting belief of American society, showcasing how a collectively upheld fiction is critical for societal cohesion.

Institutions play a crucial role in protecting and promoting the truth

Harari and Harris discuss the contemporary conservative viewpoint toward institutions, based on a deep-rooted distrust, which is being propelled by both the political right and left. Harari warns of a revolutionary approach by historical conservative parties, discarding conservative values, and emphasizes the traditional conservative insight into respecting and cautiously improving existing institutions and traditions. He highlights the importance of institutions like courts, media, universities, and research centers in the effort to produce and protect the truth, contrasting democracies' decentr ...

Geopolitical thinker Harari delves into the disparities in information management between democracies and dictatorships, elucidating the essential differences in how each system curates and circulates information.

Democracies are distributed information networks with decisions made in many places, whereas dictatorships centralize information and decision-making

In a democracy, much information never passes through a central authority, making it harder to control the flow of information

Harari describes democracy as a widespread information network with decisions made at numerous points, where information does not always pass through a central authority. This diffusion of information and authority characterizes democracies and inherently makes it more challenging for a central power to control the narrative.

He exemplifies this with the United States, where decisions are made in places like Hollywood or Los Angeles, independently of the federal government in Washington, DC.

Dictatorships concentrate all information and decision-making power in a single hub, enabling tight control over the narrative

In contrast to democracies, Harari explains that dictatorships centralize all information and decision-making in a solitary hub. This consolidation of power permits dictatorships to maintain stringent control over the public narrative and information flow.

Both democracies and dictatorships require a balance between truth and order to function effectively

Institutions in democracies must self-correct to maintain both truth and order, a delicate balance

Harari and Harris discuss the essential balance between truth and order required for a society to function. They touch upon the crucial role of institutions in democracies that must continuously self-correct to preserve this balance, which can prove to be an i ...

Yuval Noah Harari and Sam Harris discuss the automation of the news editor's role by algorithms on social media platforms and how these platforms might be managed more responsibly.

Social media platforms have effectively automated the role of news editors, with algorithms controlling information flows

Harari points out that one of the first jobs to be fully automated was that of news editors, a role now played by algorithms on social media platforms. He discusses the pivotal role editors traditionally play in shaping societal dialogues and focuses on the impact algorithms have on what information people see and discuss daily.

Harari draws attention to historical figures like Lenin and Mussolini, who used their positions as newspaper editors to influence society and rise to power, underscoring the potency of the editorial role. Sam Harris concurs, noting that the way platforms tune their algorithms equates to making editorial choices and thereby suggests they should be considered publishers.

Platforms should be treated as publishers, held liable for the content and actions of their algorithms

Both Harari and Harris argue that social media platforms should be held to the same standards as traditional media when it comes to the spread of misinformation. Harari asserts that these platforms should bear the responsibility of fact-checking and not promoting misleading or harmful content, just as newspapers are expected to do.

Bots and artificial entities should be prohibited from masquerading as human users on social media

Harari is adamant that only humans should possess the right to freedom of speech and that this right must not extend to bots and algorithms. He stresses that bots should not be permitted to imitate humans on social media and that if they are a part of conversations, they should be clearly identified as non-human entities.

Information networks need "benevolent" oversight with fiduciary responsibilities to users

Harari argues that the guardians of high-tech information networks, such as social media platforms, should be bound by principles of fiduciary responsibility, akin to the duties upheld by professionals like doctors or lawyers. This would imply that platforms must prioritize protecting user privacy and using data exclusively in ways that serve user i ...

In a conversation with Sam Harris, Yuval Noah Harari discusses how the current state of the U.S. reflects broad dangers to democracies, including a loss of trust in institutions and rising conspiracy theories.

The US election and the breakdown of shared reality

The loss of trust in institutions and the rise of conspiracy theories and misinformation pose grave threats to democracy

Harari and Harris address the pervasive sense that there’s been a loss of the ability to communicate about fundamental issues in the U.S. Harari outlines two significant threats observable in the current U.S. situation: the loss of trust in democratic institutions and the rise of conspiracy theories and misinformation. He states that when societies lose trust in their institutions and turn to conspiracies, they leave room only for dictatorship.

Harris expresses concern that social media platforms have amplified these issues and fears that regardless of election outcomes, half the country might not accept the results. Harari identifies the "suicide" of conservative political parties like the Republican Party, which has turned to a revolutionary platform, claiming that all institutions are corrupt and need to be destroyed and rebuilt.

Potential solutions require reinforcing self-correcting mechanisms in the democratic system, not abandoning it

The conversation implies that societies require self-corrective mechanisms, much like those in the U.S. Constitution, to manage issues, including the breakdown of shared realities. Harari encourages moving slowly and being respectful towards existing institutions, suggesting improvements rather than destruction. He warns against the potential harms in starting from scratch, underscoring the need to reinforce, not discard, the self-correcting mechanisms in democratic systems.

The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East

Information networks play a crucial role in shaping public perceptions and support for these conflicts

In the discu ...