I don’t disagree with the practical recommendation, but without the collective capacity to deliberate rationally, arguments that the collective would benefit from doing one thing or another don’t generally have the desired effect. For instance, “The Sicilian Expedition would be ruinously expensive even if successful” was available obviously good advice in their recent memory, and the Athenians had responded by authorizing the ruinous expenses.
I don’t disagree with the practical recommendation, but without the collective capacity to deliberate rationally, arguments that the collective would benefit from doing one thing or another don’t generally have the desired effect. For instance, “The Sicilian Expedition would be ruinously expensive even if successful” was available obviously good advice in their recent memory, and the Athenians had responded by authorizing the ruinous expenses.
In another recent piece I discussed the moral risks of empire, i.e. ways in which it can compromise central decisionmaking.