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Worldwide, people are circulating damaging lies and falsehoods through powerful social media platforms that reach billions. They range from claims that COVID-19 is a hoax to the theory that vaccines cause autism. In
Liars, Cass Sunstein argues that free societies must generally allow falsehoods and lies, which cannot be excised from democratic debate. At the same time, governments should regulate specific kinds of falsehoods: those that genuinely endanger health, safety, and the capacity of the public to govern itself. Sunstein concludes that government and private institutions, like Facebook and Twitter, currently allow far too many lies, including those that threaten public health and democracy.
List of contents
- Chapter 1: Lies and Falsehoods
- Chapter 2: A Framework
- Chapter 3: Ethics
- Chapter 4: Stolen Valor
- Chapter 5: Truth
- Chapter 6: Falsehoods Fly
- Chapter 7: Your Good Name
- Chapter 8: Harm
- Chapter 9: Truth Matters
- Appendix: Excerpts from Policies of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
- Acknowledgments
About the author
Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard University. From 2009 to 2012, he was Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. In 2018, he received the Holberg Prize from the Government of Norway, often described as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for law and humanities. Founder and director of the Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy at Harvard Law School, he has been involved in law reform activities in nations all over the world. He is the author of many articles and books, including Nudge, How Change Happens, and Too Much Information.
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An insightful, balanced, and readable book, by one of America's leading legal scholars — whether you ultimately agree with its suggestions or not, you will learn much from its analysis.
