Thread by @mhbx

Noticing a few of the "free speech" pronouncements from @elonmusk. I have made the point that Elon is amazing where he is amazing, & is to be honored for it.
But that does not mean he is a master of those domains, like social philosophy, where he is little more than a "user".

https://twitter.com/mhbx/status/1524402199735848960

It is easy to toss around ideas like "Free Speech". And the ideas themselves are not necessarily wrong.
But when ones ideas are potentially actionable, as in "fixing" twitter, then they require more depth, more consistency, more clarity as to the embedded premises .
The #systemic

The #systemic principle comes into play:
"A thing (proposition for example) can be true at one level, and not true at another. And true again at yet another..."
A long way round to say, "it depends".

And what these unspoken premises of Elon are take on importance to the

public and the public square proportionate to his, or anyones, ability to influence them.

It is the reason why Trump needed to be exiled from Twitter, & other places...he was fomenting lies. And the system was not able to adequately counter them.

This is an advanced argument

that needs to be worked out in depth. In short: clearly the decisions about who, how and why someone is deplatformed need to be made more clear. Stipulated.

But as clear, it was not just the content that was being filtered, but the person. Demonstrated by the fact that most

people holding and expressing similar views were not being de-platformed. And still are not.

There are a few books that deal with "How Democracies Perish". One of the central observations is how an inimical threat to the system uses the system to destroy the system.

There have been many counters to @elonmusk's proclamations concerning FreeSpeech.
Some have asked: 'Would you allow Hitler free speech?'

Which makes my point. Levels.
So the real question is what defines these "levels" upon which the veracity of a proposition depends.

Thus the complexity.
Thus the reason why the 1st principles of society are distinct from the 1st principles of physics. As well as those of business within the established frames. (for ex. capitalism - itself a derivative framework...)

Elon is clearly a master of the physics as well as the comprehension of data, computer systems, systems in general such as manufacturing and etc.
None of that makes him an expert at governance or social issues.

IMO, he is to be honored for what is is, & not deified, or mythologized for what he is not.

Tevye, fr Fiddler on the Roof, understood the syndrome as he lamented about being rich:
"Solving problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes...
And it won't make one bit of difference if you answer right or wrong,
When your rich, they think you really know..."

We should avoid this.