150 Years Ago, a Philosopher Showed Why It’s Pointless to Start Arguments on the Internet
Wildly inaccurate facts and spurious arguments are unavoidable features of social media. Yet no matter how infuriatingly wrong someone is, or just how much counter-evidence you have at your disposal, starting arguments on the internet rarely gets anyone to change their mind. Nearly a century-and-a-half ago, British philosopher John Stuart Mill explained, in a few clear sentences, why certain arguments simply won’t go anywhere. As historian Robert Saunders notes, Mill’s analysis neatly applies to heated and futile internet debates.
How Trump’s executive order targeting social media may affect you
This afternoon, President Trump signed an executive order to address what he sees as a bias against people with conservative politics by removing some legal protections afforded to social media platforms. The focus of the order falls clearly on Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which states that sites can moderate user content without taking on full responsibility as a publisher—which has long been a controversial statute.
POPULAR SCIENCE
Cannabis firm Canopy Growth reshapes strategy after reporting CA$1.3 billion loss
International cannabis giant Canopy Growth Corp. lost ground in Canada’s growing recreational marijuana market in its fourth quarter, with net revenue dropping 13% compared to the previous quarter.
Canopy posted a fourth-quarter net loss of 1.3 billion Canadian dollars ($944 million) and an adjusted EBITDA loss of CA$102 million.
MARIJUANA BUSINESS DAILY
