Joseph de Maistre: False Money
on Thursday, February 11, 2021Joseph de Maistre Money Quote saying Disinformation is created by the guilty for profit from the belief of honest citizens who perpetuate the falsehood by circulating the counterfeit. Joseph de Maistre said:
“False opinions are like false money, struck first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people who perpetuate the crime without knowing what they are doing” — Joseph de Maistre
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In this quote, Joseph de Maistre seems to be drawing a comparison between counterfeit currency and misleading ideas. By stating that “False opinions are like false money, struck first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people”, de Maistre implies that just as counterfeiters initially create fake bills that are then unwittingly spread by others, misleading ideas are first introduced by some with ill intent but can then be propagated more broadly even by those who are well-meaning but mistaken.
The quote conveys de Maistre’s perspective that incorrect beliefs, similar to counterfeit money, are initially fabricated and put into circulation by “guilty men” but end up perpetuated further by people acting in good faith yet unknowingly disseminating falsehoods. Overall, he appears to be arguing that disinformation can spread widely in society in the same way that counterfeit currency enters common use.
Birthday: April 1, 1753 – Death: February 26, 1821