Sublime

The secular argument for human freedom, launched almost three centuries ago under the rubric of “natural rights,” has often been reduced to a calculation of probabilities: democracy and the personal freedoms it protects are good not because they have an inherent moral superiority over other forms of organizing society, but because they are the leas

To stress what may seem like an obvious point, the benefits from making a policy the default option depend on the merits of that policy.

Only if my freedom respects yours can we create a non-tragic human world.

America

one that goes beyond mere orientation.

Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein worries that there’s a social cost to exploiting the long tail. The more successful these personalized filters are, the more we as a citizenry are deprived of a common experience.

some governments will allocate their resources in a way that fits with people’s fears rather than in response to the most likely dangers.

“balkanization and the loss of shared experiences and values may be harmful to the structure of democratic societies.”

Nudge.