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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

rshowalter - 11:11am Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4545 of 4548)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

People are afraid of complexity, and uncertainty -- as they should be -- but people are not afraid enough of making mistakes -- and not clear about the simple fact that, to make sense of the world, we need to make decisions on the basis of things that are true. For that to be possible, we need to find things out, and check facts and ideas. For that to be possible, we have to admit that we sometimes don't understand, and admit that we're sometimes afraid. And afraid for good, natural, inescapable, honorable reasons. Admit that to ourselves, and admit that to others. And expect that degree of honesty from other people, as well.

For that to be possible, people have to be more aware of their humanity -- their animal limitations -- and aware that everyone else, including all leaders, share those limitations.

Now, much too often the truth is bad for ratings because people fear reality.

They think it the height of bad taste for someone to ask for checking of facts in any way that might actually work.

Now, the world is full of many, many dangerous deceptions. The story of the nuclear terror is one of the most important and wrenching of examples, and the end of that story may still be the end of the world. But there are many other examples - and many of them involve wrenching losses and risks as well.

rshowalter - 11:12am Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4546 of 4548)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

A big reason these horrors happen is that people aren't willing to admit to mistakes and lies, or to recognize mistakes and lies when "trusted" people make them. That makes lying both easy and profitable. It gives an advantage to the predatory and the dishonorable, and makes the world uglier than it needs to be.

The US has now elected a President who seems to have concluded, very often, that deception is permissable at essentially any time it serves his purposes, or the purposes of his supporters -- and there seems to be surprisingly little indignation -- because "the culture of lying" goes so deep.

Part of that has to do with press policies that are now old, described in a book titled "The Culture of Lying".

The advantages of a "free press" are great -- and the ideals of a "free press" are high. But current realities fall far short -- a matter Almarst, Dawn and I have discussed at length on this thread.

A challenge is to find ways to make truth as entertaining as deception now so often is.

Another challenge is to find ways to persuade people that they should be less entertained by misstatements of fact and distortions.

rshowalter - 11:31am Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4547 of 4548)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

NEWS AND THE CULTURE OF LYING: How Journalism Really Works by Paul H. Weaver,

md1294 rshowalter 3/22/01 8:11am . . . md1295 rshowalter 3/22/01 8:22am

a question for diplomats in md1293 rshowalter 3/22/01 8:10am

rshowalter - 11:36am Jun 7, 2001 EST (#4548 of 4548)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

rshowalter 3/22/01 10:05am

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