Hi John,

Regarding the idea of transparency and public belief being manipulated by elites, this quote by Nobel-Prize winning economist Paul Samuelson came to mind:

"I think there is an element of truth in the view that the superstition that the budget must be balanced at all times [is necessary]. Once it is debunked [that] takes away one of the bulwarks that every society must have against expenditure out of control. There must be discipline in the allocation of resources or you will have anarchistic chaos and inefficiency. And one of the functions of old fashioned religion was to scare people by sometimes what might be regarded as myths into behaving in a way that the long-run civilized life requires. We have taken away a belief in the intrinsic necessity of balancing the budget if not in every year, [then] in every short period of time. If Prime Minister Gladstone came back to life he would say “uh, oh what you have done” and James Buchanan argues in those terms. I have to say that I see merit in that view.”

I think this speaks directly to your final conclusion, that: "On some level, then, the perceived scientific quality of the law is a form of social control that has more power than the law itself" - so-called "budget sustainability" and "national debt" concerns have led us to collectively accommodate huge amounts of suffering and injustice in the name of economic "laws" that would otherwise be completely unacceptable. The current economic crisis is, I think, as good an example as you'll find of how refusing to engage with realism through social self-deception can cause harm far greater than any temporary peace of mind that it creates.