• MrSmiley@lemmy.zip
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    7 days ago

    The word “truth” itself ceases to have its old meaning. It describes no longer something to be found, with the individual conscience as the sole arbiter of whether in any particular instance the evidence (or the standing of those proclaiming it) warrants a belief; it becomes something to be laid down by authority, something which has to be believed in the interest of the unity of the organized effort and which may have to be altered as the exigencies of this organized effort require it.

    The Road to Serfdom, F. A. Hayek

      • MrSmiley@lemmy.zip
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        7 days ago

        That’s typically the case between theory and practice. His writing carved out exemptions to justify totalitarianism in certain instances, defeating the entire purpose of his warnings against it. That said, the analysis of totalitarianism is accurate, the chapters on why the worst get on top and the end of truth are relevant to today’s political climate.