The law of unanticipated consequences.

As Micah Goodman shares with Danny Gordis in this utterly fascinating conversation about Israel today (35 minutes and well worth it), conservative leaders are chastened and restrained by the law of unanticipated consequences. Since we never actually know what will ensue from our conduct, the wisest course is humility and restraint lest we unintentionally unleash a hurricane that we never saw coming. Micah offers two examples:

What is the unanticipated consequence of birth control being readily available in Europe? Answer: Radicalized xenophobic, racist, far-right politics.

How? Because of the pill, European families had smaller families, which led to fewer workers, which led to increased immigration to fill those worker slots, which led to Muslim immigration, which led to complexity and navigating cultural difference, which led to a conservative backlash against Muslim immigration, which led to the ascendancy of far-right xenophobic parties in Europe. Unanticipated.

What is the unanticipated consequence of the internet, of all that knowledge being a click away on Google? Answer: The undermining of democracy.

How? We thought that the internet would result in the profusion of information, which would strengthen the marketplace of ideas, which would strengthen healthy and vigorous debate, which would strengthen democracy. What also happened, that few if any foresaw, was the profusion of dis-information, which led to echo chambers, which led to conspiracy theories, which led to people not debating the merits but re-enforcing their own views, which led to the undermining of democracy. Unanticipated.

Micah’s talk with Danny Gordis talks about how the law of unanticipated consequences applies to Israel today.

In Talmud class, we talk about how the same law is a revealing lens for our biblical story.

How does the law of unanticipated consequences play out in your Jewish life, and in your life? Being aware of this law, do we act any differently?