(2012-05-30) Farrell Shalizi Cognitive Democracy

Henry Farrell and Cosma Shalizi believe that Cognitive Democracy (Democracy) offers superior outcomes for Problem Solving in Complex Systems than Markets and Command And Control systems ("hierarchy"). Specifically, we argue that democracy has unique benefits as a form of collective problem solving in that it potentially allows people with highly diverse perspectives to come together in order collectively to solve problems. Democracy can do this better than either markets and hierarchies, because it brings these diverse perceptions into direct contact with each other, allowing forms of learning that are unlikely either through the price mechanism of markets or the hierarchical arrangements of bureaucracy. Furthermore, democracy can, by experimenting, take advantage of novel forms of collective cognition (collective intelligence) that are facilitated by new media. Disputation Arena?