Hacker News Reader

Comment by dgfitz | Hacker News Reader

Could you imagine how the entire world would look if they took truth serum for an entire year, how different the world might be?

Lies run the planet, and it stinks.

View on HN

People try to cope and say others are guided by lies. In the US, people knew exactly what they were getting and I’m true the same is true in other “democracies”.

Put LSD in the drinking water

This is actually a plot point of Unsong https://unsongbook.com

We would all be covered in bruises from getting slapped all day long.

If you can’t cope with the lies, what makes you think you’d cope with the truth? Which I guarantee you is magnitudes of order more horrifying.

If who can’t cope with what lies?

Yes, the truth would also stink. I’m sure it’s also horrifying.

The general you, the reader.

What is true is already so. Owning up to it doesn't make it worse. Not being open about it doesn't make it go away. And because it's true, it is what is there to be interacted with. Anything untrue isn't there to be lived. People can stand what is true, for they are already enduring it.

—Eugene Gendlin

I mean you can see that even at any company at any size. I think it’s human nature.

Yes, have you watched The Wheel of Time? Better to read the books... the characters bound to tell the truth are experts in double meanings.

Successful politicans and sociopaths are experts in double meanings.

"I will not drop bombs on Acmeland." Instead, I will send missiles.

"At this point in time, we do not intend to end the tariffs." The intent will change when conditions change, which is forecast next week.

"We are not in negotations to acquire AI Co for $1B." We are negotiating for $0.9B.

"Our results show an improvement for a majority of recipients." 51% saw an improvement of 1%, 49% saw a decline of 5%...

Wow.

Yes I read the whole series. It was a fucking marathon.

I can’t quite tie your point into the series directly, other than to agree that elected officials are, almost by definition, professional liars.

(Tugs on braid)

Not the GP, but I think what they’re getting at is that Aes Sedai can deceive without saying untruthful. So a hypothetical truth serum wouldn’t necessarily guarantee honesty

Human's short context windows with too many areas to research and stay up to date on is why I don't believe any version of Democracy I've seen can succeed, and the only real positive to some kind of ASI government/policing (once we solve the whole universal judgement system issue). I'd love a world where you would be assisted through tax season, ill-intentioned drivers were properly incentivized to not risk others' lives, and you could at least be made aware before breaking laws.

Eliminating the need to lie/misguide people to sway them would be such a crazy world.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com