[state_less]

>>Google could have been an advertising company with a search engine. I'm glad they aren't.

>They kind of are though?

Splitting[1] is a psychological phenomena that you'll find often once you learn to recognize it. Google can both be doing great research, and run a significant influence operation.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)

[DiscourseFan]

This antinomical understanding (contradictory opposites that are both true) has its origins in Kant's work[0], which was of course picked up by Freud, consciously or not.

[0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kant%27s_antinomies

[canjobear]

I’m pretty sure the idea that things can be good in some ways and bad in other ways came way before Kant.

[nsomaru]

This may be of interest to you, a few years before Kant with “Syādvāda” going beyond the binary implied by contradiction alone: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anekantavada

[zcw100]

Google is not a person

[Nevermark]

Splitting is referring to people's dichotomous impressions of Google.

Google is not being described as a person.

Google is not a person.

Google just is.

Google!

[financetechbro]

Feels like everything falls under this psychological phenomena nowadays

[callumgare]

I assume that’s because most of the world we regularly interact with is run and/or shaped by humans