Matisyahu's Blog

I finished watching the first season of Pluribus and I can’t help but get ‘The Borg’ vibes from the whole way in which individuality disappears, it also gives MAGA cult vibes of how eventually MAGA types eventually end up repeating something they heard online without consciously thinking about what they’re saying. The idea of not having a moment of privacy, a moment where I can be alone with my own thoughts without anyone else listening in makes the whole idea of Pluribus as a horror movie. It reminds me of a discussion I had many years ago at university regarding the idea of idea of organising a society in a particular way which produces the most efficient outcome but at what cost does it come at – is a utilitarian argument a good enough reason to do something? is it better to have a society that isn’t ideal and has it’s problems but people have the freedom to able to live as they see fit even if it means that there is a price paid that some may choose to live a lifestyle that results in a shorter life span.

This one of the reasons I’ve never been keen about politicians who make it their life’s work to go on moral crusades, a sort of “I don’t know what is best for you” paternalism that has always rubbed me the wrong way. Yes, I sit on the left but that being said I’ve retained many of the social libertarian ideas from my days at university primarily because the idea of telling people what to do with he force of the state behind it undermines the idea of individual freedom to live ones life as one see’s fit as so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else in the process. Yeah, a bit rambling but I thought I may as well throw my thoughts out there before I settle in for a good night sleep.