When a political figure is killed, his supporters want to believe he was killed by some powerful, organized "them." They want his death to be meaning… - Paul Graham

The more arbitrary the rules imposed by an authority — the more at odds they are with reality — the more opportunities they create for hacking them.

The reason ideological enforcers want to make you recant is not that they care what you believe. It's to demonstrate their power, and to show which beliefs are forbidden.

That's why forced recantations are public. If they cared what you believed, a private one would suffice.

At any given university, the kids from public schools are smarter than the kids from private schools. This is a necessary consequence of private schools improving kids' admissions prospects, and parents wouldn't send their kids to private schools if they didn't.