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derrasterpunkt | 2 years ago

My favorite story from Daniel Ellsberg is „The Limits of Knowledge“ in this Mother Jones article: https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/02/daniel-ellsbe...

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breck|2 years ago

Wow, that is super interesting. It amazes me that it's not a universal American principle that we should, as a country, at least aim for a world where these information asymmetries don't exist. We should strive for zero classified documents; zero special access programs.

Of course, I need to think more deeply about this, because who's to say information asymmetries aren't essential (for some reason). But the perspective shared here is very interesting.

Thanks for sharing.

bricemo|2 years ago

I don’t really understand how this would work. Classified information seems like a law of human nature as long as there is competition: trade, geopolitical, military.

As a metaphor imagine if a game like chess required zero classified information: every move you make you need to disclose all your thinking and future moves to your opponent. You would be at a disadvantage.

fires10|2 years ago

I wish there was more thinking along these lines. Almost all governments must publish there secrets. Total transparency can help in many situations. I wonder what political maneuvering would be like.

derrasterpunkt|2 years ago

The anecdote is definitely „food for thought“. It became kind of a ritual for me to revisit the article every time a new US president gets into office.