Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
Suppose you’re crafting a Noble Lie to motivate people to defend democracy. What will you tell them First, that actually-existing democracy is wonderful. Second, that democracy faces an existential threat. If you convincingly and charismatically spread your Noble Lie, listeners won’t just be motivated. They’ll be hysterical: ‘We’re in heaven, yet hell is at our gates.’ Sure, a few strange listeners who combine gullibility and cynicism will shrug, ‘That’s terrible, but my personal ability to sway the outcome is trivial, so I’ll just keep my head down and hope for the best.’ But most people who fall for your Noble Lie will live in a state of panic — and unless they’re extremely introverted, they’ll spread their panic to others. The main problem with pushing Noble Lies is that skeptics will start asking obvious questions.” (10/23/25)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/against-the-noble-lies-of-democracy