Will AI Kill Democracy? | Yuval Noah Harari

Truth vs Fiction

Yuval Noah Harari discusses the intricate distinction between truth and fiction, emphasizing that truth is a small subset of the vast sea of information. He argues that most information serves to connect individuals rather than convey truth, using examples like music, which unites people without claiming to be true or false 1. Harari highlights the costliness of truth compared to fiction, noting that truth is often complex and painful, while fiction is cheap and simple 2.

Truth is a particularly expensive form of information, but it's also a valuable form of information.

--- Yuval Noah Harari

This economic disparity means that in a free market of information, fiction often overshadows truth 3.

   

Historical Examples

Historical examples illustrate how information has shaped societies, often through fictional narratives. Harari points to the print revolution, which flooded Europe with information, much of it junk, leading to events like the witch hunts and religious wars 4. He explains that large-scale cooperation often relies on fictional stories, such as money or religious myths, which can unite people but also lead to dangerous delusions 5.

More information is not necessarily more truth, and certainly won't be more truth unless there's some sort of mechanism, institution, something that pays the economic cost to translate that truth into, or translate that information into truth and get a picture of reality.

--- Ryan Adams

These narratives can have severe consequences, as seen in the witch hunts fueled by conspiracy theories 6.

   

Naive View Critique

Harari critiques the naive view that more information inherently leads to truth and wisdom. He argues that this perspective, prevalent in places like Silicon Valley, overlooks the fact that most information is not truth and that fiction often prevails due to its simplicity and appeal 7. The populist view, which sees information as a mere tool for power struggles, is equally flawed, reducing all human interaction to power dynamics 8.

The naive view, which is kind of the semi-official religion of places like Silicon Valley, is that more information is always good for us.

--- Yuval Noah Harari

This misunderstanding leads to a breakdown in communication, as seen in modern political discourse, where basic facts are often disputed 9.