Hmmm... I really wonder what the said tyrants did when they got into power? Oh that's right they imposed heavy restrictions on speech and all forms of media. And it's not like there was free speech before them, the Weimar republic tried banning them as well. It's almost like challenging ideas and defeating them on an intellectual level is far better than trying to supress them.
> You're straw-manning. I never proposed anything like government enforcement against misinformation.
Tyranny is the only alternative to free speech. I just don't see it ending in any other way.
> I don't think misinformation should be illegal, for the reasons you touch on: You certainly don't want government deciding the truth.
Awesome! Then we can stop making such a big deal out of misinformation and protect free speech.
> But I can at least hope you can agree that misinformation as a concept is unethical, right? People are literally dying because of misinformation.
Yes lying is unethical it's been established thousands of years ago.
Sorry but I'm not willing to live in an insane orwellian world just so your grandma gets her vaccine. It's her family's responsiblity to convince her and if she still refuses shes an adult she has the right to refuse treatment and vaccines.
As for libel, it has always existed and always will. There are laws against it to protect people if they suffer any damage from it. It's not without consequences.
What you're proposing is so much worse. Imagine a tyrant government is after you and has control on information like you propose. How will you protect yourself from the goverment's false accusations?
So what? People have the right to be wrong and ignorant. It's far better than having The Ministry of Tru... sorry I mean Disinformation Governance Board. Even if lies spread far and wide they always get exposed eventually. For example consider the Iraq war, a war the american public was rushed into without the free flow of information, something you seem keen on, but now that the public has access to info the same republican base that was in support of the war now hates war hawks like john bolton.