Like most people, I am glad to be saying goodbye to 2020. This annus horribilis started out with the death of one of my favorite philosophers in January. Roger Scruton was a hero who smuggled philosophy books to students behind the Iron Curtain, despite great personal risk to himself. I posted about his story in February, and you can read it here.
In March, all of our lives were turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of us are now facing challenges that we didn't have before. If you need inspiration, check out this post from March about Hope, Courage and Gratitude during the pandemic and this post from April, about how Stoicism can help.
Also, if you are feeling seriously depressed, please get help! One thing the pandemic has made clear with the advent of "lock-downs," and other madness, is that many people don't take mental health seriously enough. Mental health problems and suicide are collateral damage to some of those in charge. Social isolation is not healthy or normal. Please reach out to a professional if you are struggling.
In March, all of our lives were turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of us are now facing challenges that we didn't have before. If you need inspiration, check out this post from March about Hope, Courage and Gratitude during the pandemic and this post from April, about how Stoicism can help.
Also, if you are feeling seriously depressed, please get help! One thing the pandemic has made clear with the advent of "lock-downs," and other madness, is that many people don't take mental health seriously enough. Mental health problems and suicide are collateral damage to some of those in charge. Social isolation is not healthy or normal. Please reach out to a professional if you are struggling.
Sickness and Censorship
In April, me and my entire family got coronavirus. It called for courage and resilience, but we got through it and now we are better. Justin Vaculla interviewed me about my experience being sick on his show Stoic Solutions Podcast back in May. In June, I also wrote a meditation on life, death, and what is ultimately important.
I wrote a general post about my family's experience with the virus on my other site, Common Sense Mother. My cousin wanted to hear about my experience, because he felt that not enough people were speaking out about having recovered from Covid. He shared my story on his personal Facebook account, and Facebook later censored it!
It is ludicrous for Facebook to censor posts about people's direct personal experience with this illness. As if that wasn't bad enough, Facebook and other social media have been censoring many posts, even by Doctors, that don't conform to the "official," medical guidelines on Covid, although those official guidelines change practically every day as more becomes known about the disease. The information changes daily because science isn't a monolithic orthodoxy. Science is about being less wrong that you were the day before.
Facebook, YouTube and others have the arrogance to "fact check," censor, and deplatform over brand new information on what is itself a novel and evolving pandemic situation which changes every day. Even the New York Times did not pass Facebook's fact checking muster, with this straightforward news article recently removed. I am fed up with Big Tech censorship, both as a thinking person with Liberal values and as a Covid survivor.
I wrote a general post about my family's experience with the virus on my other site, Common Sense Mother. My cousin wanted to hear about my experience, because he felt that not enough people were speaking out about having recovered from Covid. He shared my story on his personal Facebook account, and Facebook later censored it!
It is ludicrous for Facebook to censor posts about people's direct personal experience with this illness. As if that wasn't bad enough, Facebook and other social media have been censoring many posts, even by Doctors, that don't conform to the "official," medical guidelines on Covid, although those official guidelines change practically every day as more becomes known about the disease. The information changes daily because science isn't a monolithic orthodoxy. Science is about being less wrong that you were the day before.
Facebook, YouTube and others have the arrogance to "fact check," censor, and deplatform over brand new information on what is itself a novel and evolving pandemic situation which changes every day. Even the New York Times did not pass Facebook's fact checking muster, with this straightforward news article recently removed. I am fed up with Big Tech censorship, both as a thinking person with Liberal values and as a Covid survivor.
The Big Tech Exodus Has Begun
This leads me into the topic of Big Tech censorship more generally. 2020 might as well have been the year of censorship by media and Big Tech, as well as the year of Covid-19. Thankfully, the Big Tech exodus has begun. Although Common Sense Ethics will continue to be on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest, I have branched out and created accounts with several of the newer pro-free speech social media sites. I created an account for Common Sense Ethics on Minds Social Network several months ago.
Some of you may remember that earlier this year, I posted this video by Daryl Davis, a black man who deradicalized over 200 Klux Klux Clan members using friendship and dialog. Davis knows a thing or two about free speech. Like Noam Chomsky who I quote above, Davis believes not only in free speech for people he dislikes, but for people who dislike him! He took things even further, befriending and deradicalizing hardened KKK members. Davis believes that sunlight and civil discourse, not censorship, are the best methods for transforming ideas. Davis teamed up with Minds CEO Bill Ottman for the Change Minds Deradicalization Initiative. I couldn't agree more with their philosophy:
This human approach, based in free expression and civil dialogue, is much more aligned with our values and peer-reviewed research than blanket ban policies. The goal is to provide a breeding ground for changing minds via civil discourse as Daryl has proven can work, even if it takes years. We also built a jury system for the appeals process to bring the community into the moderation structure. Our approach is long-term and synced with the First Amendment. We care a lot about building tools for people to not see anything they don't want to see as well as reporting truly harmful content. We think policies involving censorship should be data driven.
If you care about the Liberal principle of free speech, that I talk about in a new video clip, (embedded below) then please consider joining me on Minds or other open social networks. There are plenty of new social networks to join right now as well.
Some of you may remember that earlier this year, I posted this video by Daryl Davis, a black man who deradicalized over 200 Klux Klux Clan members using friendship and dialog. Davis knows a thing or two about free speech. Like Noam Chomsky who I quote above, Davis believes not only in free speech for people he dislikes, but for people who dislike him! He took things even further, befriending and deradicalizing hardened KKK members. Davis believes that sunlight and civil discourse, not censorship, are the best methods for transforming ideas. Davis teamed up with Minds CEO Bill Ottman for the Change Minds Deradicalization Initiative. I couldn't agree more with their philosophy:
This human approach, based in free expression and civil dialogue, is much more aligned with our values and peer-reviewed research than blanket ban policies. The goal is to provide a breeding ground for changing minds via civil discourse as Daryl has proven can work, even if it takes years. We also built a jury system for the appeals process to bring the community into the moderation structure. Our approach is long-term and synced with the First Amendment. We care a lot about building tools for people to not see anything they don't want to see as well as reporting truly harmful content. We think policies involving censorship should be data driven.
If you care about the Liberal principle of free speech, that I talk about in a new video clip, (embedded below) then please consider joining me on Minds or other open social networks. There are plenty of new social networks to join right now as well.
Common Sense Ethics Turns 7!
Common Sense Ethics turned seven in August. It has been my honor to maintain this site for the past seven years. I'm grateful to have met so many new and inspiring people, and to have continually explored interesting topics here on the site. Given that I have been publishing written and video content for so long, I finally decided to launch a Patreon.
If you are interested in supporting my work by becoming my Patron, you'll get several exclusive perks, including the ability to ask questions directly to my YouTube guests before I interview them, and the ability to suggest topics for video or written content.
Please considering supporting my work! You can also make a small one-time donation of $3.00 securely through Kofi.
One more thing to keep in mind is that I am a freelance writer and editor. If you are looking for these services by someone knowledgeable about philosophy and related topics, you can check out my homepage here.
If you are interested in supporting my work by becoming my Patron, you'll get several exclusive perks, including the ability to ask questions directly to my YouTube guests before I interview them, and the ability to suggest topics for video or written content.
Please considering supporting my work! You can also make a small one-time donation of $3.00 securely through Kofi.
One more thing to keep in mind is that I am a freelance writer and editor. If you are looking for these services by someone knowledgeable about philosophy and related topics, you can check out my homepage here.
Looking ahead to 2021
Rounding out the year, I published two in-depth posts on political philosophy, as well as as two new videos on Liberalism and Media Integrity. You can also check out Common Sense Ethics' YouTube channel for all of my other video content from 2020.
I've got some great YouTube guests planned for early next year. Topics will likely include independent thinking, virtue in family culture, and the continuation of my Socratic dialog on the ideal government.
For the blog, I plan to continue my According to Cicero series, and add more posts on critical thinking, just to name a few.
Please also keep in mind that I accept guest posts if you want to submit something. Guidelines can be found here.
I hope you have a happy new year! Thank you for reading.
- Leah
*Image credit emilysquotes.com.
I've got some great YouTube guests planned for early next year. Topics will likely include independent thinking, virtue in family culture, and the continuation of my Socratic dialog on the ideal government.
For the blog, I plan to continue my According to Cicero series, and add more posts on critical thinking, just to name a few.
Please also keep in mind that I accept guest posts if you want to submit something. Guidelines can be found here.
I hope you have a happy new year! Thank you for reading.
- Leah
*Image credit emilysquotes.com.
