Public Opinion — Chapter XXVIII The Appeal to Reason

1. 1. Plato argued that cities will never cease from ill until philosophers become kings or kings become philosophers.
2. 2. The appeal to reason in politics faces an inherent difficulty: the true pilot cannot make the crew recognize his expertise during a crisis.
3. 3. Reason in politics is immature because it cannot predict individual behavior; small initial variations lead to large differences.
4. 4. The rate of reason's advance is slower than the rate at which action must be taken, causing political criticism to often be hindsight.
5. 5. The seven deadly sins against public opinion are hatred, intolerance, suspicion, bigotry, secrecy, fear, and lying.
6. 6. Despair over human brutality is unwarranted because the horrors of war were not universal and human qualities exhibited by some could be multiplied.