Were witch hunts an optimal societal shelling fence? Scott Alexander quote goes viral
shakoistsLog · x · 2026-09-05
A Scott Alexander line is making the rounds: "Declare that you're going to stop holding witch hunts, and your coalition is certain to include more than its share of witches."
The poster marvels that witch hunts may have been an optimal societal shelling fence—"this utopia shit is hard." The quoted post contrasts last year's worry ("the American people are capable of witch hunts") with today's ("the American people have witches"), turning the sociological argument from metaphor into literal reality.
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