tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post2804918201073454106..comments2023-11-03T06:36:27.305-04:00Comments on Phronesisaical: Corruptive Globalization, Globalized Corruptionhelmuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09069600766378586919noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-34328348934623483572007-11-28T19:32:00.000-05:002007-11-28T19:32:00.000-05:00It appears Larry Lessig is embracing corruption.It appears <A HREF="http://lessig.org/blog/2007/10/supercapitalism_super_1.html" REL="nofollow">Larry Lessig is embracing corruption.</A>MThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02341704109256270557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-52438274393024659212007-11-20T23:47:00.000-05:002007-11-20T23:47:00.000-05:00I failed to observe the most familiar connection b...I failed to observe the most familiar connection between corruption and government transparency--the principle that "sunlight is the best antiseptic." (That's saying exposure is prudent policy, rather than saying that secrecy is inherently bad, which was what I was suggesting.) Anyway, I noticed this <A HREF="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/health/research/20deni.html?ei=5087&em=&en=8733e1f89564096c&ex=1195707600&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=2&adxnnlx=1195617673-gOQpEaJAIhVtyvu89vpoPQ" REL="nofollow">popular NY Times article on denial</A> and it felt relevant to the antiseptic point. It suggests it's human nature to be blind to friends' transgressions and suckers for their denials, not to mention that we all behave badly and self-deny. Granting that makes the phrase "culture of corruption" look a little blunt and misleading, in that an institution's policy of transparency plus human nature would seem to explain a lot of the corruption we have by themselves.MThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02341704109256270557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-68455634023852033312007-11-20T19:40:00.000-05:002007-11-20T19:40:00.000-05:00It seems to me the quintessentially legal practice...It seems to me the quintessentially legal practice of "classifying" information within a representative democratic government--so that it's not freely accessible to anybody in a timely fashion--ought to count as corrupt. The U.S. is enormously corrupt, if we acknowledge this, and the way we talk about and compare "freedom of the press" across eras and nations seems to be missing a crucial denominator, which is the freedom of information. As FOI goes to zero, FOP can go to infinity and it's still 1984. Already we seem to acknowledge information suppression and privilege of some kinds as corrupt in business and finance (e.g. disclosures in buying a house, insider trading etc), not to mention our personal affairs. Even if we choose to license restricting information access (e.g. A-bomb how-to manuals), perhaps we should observe that in doing so we're acknowledging a likely latent corruption that we believe would manifest if only the information were available (e.g. home-made A-bombs for private fun and profit). We seem to restrict information access to save money on policing and/or to allow the populace the liberty they would lack under such policing as would be practical or cheap. How prevalent is corruption in North Korea? I doubt the question even makes sense. So what if unjust laws enjoy complete compliance by the public or if an unjust system of governance is strictly by the books? It's a trope of movies and novels that under oppressive conditions we root for and cheer on the cheaters.MThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02341704109256270557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-32484124858858559862007-11-16T11:58:00.000-05:002007-11-16T11:58:00.000-05:00Very good post. Corruption knows no borders.Very good post. Corruption knows no borders.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-70382372454611245022007-11-15T14:06:00.000-05:002007-11-15T14:06:00.000-05:00Thanks, Matt.Thanks, Matt.helmuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09069600766378586919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-68917052995435698752007-11-15T13:42:00.000-05:002007-11-15T13:42:00.000-05:00Hi Helmut,I just wanted to let you know that we fe...Hi Helmut,<BR/><BR/>I just wanted to let you know that we featured another one of your posts on The Issue, the blog newspaper. This was a great addition to our World section, which you can check out by going to <A HREF="theissue.com" REL="nofollow"> www.TheIssue.com</A>. Keep up the great work!<BR/><BR/>Mattnewbeginningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14250198150616447838noreply@blogger.com