Edward Snowden, Russia's 'Disinformation Campaign' Drive 'Downhill' Narrative, Says 'Black Swan' Author

“Black Swan” author Nassim Nicholas Taleb said “Kremlin disinformation camp,” former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden and others are making everyone forget that “west lives in the most transparent times ever.”

What Happened: Taleb tweeted that the idea that things are “downhill” emanates from sources like the Kremlin's disinformation campaign and Snowden among others. Taleb also pointed the finger at former Libertarian presidential candidate Ron Paul.

4) The idea that things are "downhill" comes from the Kremlin disinformation camp. with players like @Snowden and others trying to make us forget that the West lives in the most transparent times ever. And it is partly thanks to the efforts of people like @ROnPaul.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) August 9, 2022

In a Twitter thread, Taleb said — while seemingly taking a side dig at former President Donald Trump — that while he liked Paul and the idea that “overinterventionism” and “printing money” is bad but, since the 1900s, standards of living have risen “yuuugely.” 

I like Ron Paul; overinterventionism is bad, printing money is bad.
BUT
Since the early 1900s: standards of living have risen yuuugely, > 1 billion exited famine, medicine saves lives & until 2008 holders of fixed income were paid for inflation w/something called interest. https://t.co/Hh0wCEUnHJ

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) August 9, 2022

Taleb’s comment’s on the 1900s were made in response to a tweet by Paul, where the latter said “Americans ditched sound money, with the creation of the Fed, and ditched the belief of non-intervention in the affairs of other nations...It's been all downhill ever since.”

Why It Matters: Taleb said on Twitter that “we should improve the system, make people more accountable, etc.” He said he failed to see the “downhill.”

3) And interventionism, say to stop states from having slavery or prevent Hitler from putting people in gas chambers is not just good policy; it is a MORAL imperative.

As I wrote in AF, it is like medicine. You use it to save lives not for ordinary matters.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb (@nntaleb) August 9, 2022

On interventionism, he said to stop states from having slavery or preventing dictators like Adolf Hitler from putting “people in gas chambers” is not only good policy but also a moral imperative.

In July, Snowden had taken a potshot at the rising inflation in the United States and said “we’re all going to be billionaires.” At the time he had expressed trepidation on the future of young people and said they were about to “step into the world with the difficulty slider locked on Nightmare Mode.”

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