If you ask any modern Western politician what “democracy” is, you’ll generally get a rote rehearsed answer about “free and fair elections” and “open public discourse.” And then, given half a chance, they’ll eagerly take the opportunity to follow up by telling you about the need for stricter so-called “disinformation” and “misinformation” laws to protect our precious “democratic norms”.
But there’s an inherent contradiction in this position that’s often ignored. Because disinformation laws, far from protecting democracy, actually undermine the very philosophical foundation it’s built upon.
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