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Framing raises certain moral issues.

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Should it even be allowed?

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Doesn’t it oversimplify issues in a way
that could be dangerous?

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Or at the very least unfair?

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Doesn’t it distract us from what really
matters?

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What is the difference between framing and
manipulation?

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We are not going to answer these questions
in this episode.

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Instead,
we will present several views on the moral

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aspects of framing.

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It is up to you to form you own opinion on
this issue.

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There is some overlap between the various
views presented in this episode,

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but one thing will hopefully become clear:
although the question regarding the moral

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aspects of framing seems pretty straightforward,
the answer is anything but.

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Framing is nothing more than political game.

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Politicians are trying to,
to seduce us into voting for them using superficial

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images and slogans.

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Reality is obviously much more complex.

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I think that framing is dangerous.

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It’s a form of populism.

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And you know personally,
I would never use framing.

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as a scientist.

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My work focuses on climate change.

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I believe that mankind has a moral responsibility
to fight global warming.

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As scientists,
we must present the results of our research

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in a convincing manner in order to influence
public opinion.

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It is therefore important to think about how
we frame these results.

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If we have a moral responsibility to counter
global warming,

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we also have a moral responsibility to come
up with good frames.

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There are people who are living in this country
illegally.

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Who crossed the border by breaking the rules.

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These people are illegal immigrants.

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There are no two ways about it.

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Our opponents refer to them as undocumented
workers,

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but this is a frame,
and they are using it to cover up the truth.

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This frame – and the use of frames in general
– is immoral.

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There are people who live in this country
without proper documentation.

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Some of them have lived here for fifteen years
or more.

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These undocumented workers do the dirty jobs
that no one else is prepared to do.

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Some of them have two or three jobs and don’t
take a dime from the government.

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In fact,
certain parts of the economy would collapse

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if not for them.

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We profit from these people,
who make our lives more comfortable.

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Our opponents refer to them as illegal immigrants,
but this is a frame,

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and they are using it to cover up the truth.

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This frame – and the use of frames in general
– is immoral.

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Guys,
listen up,

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our opponents have a very powerful frame that
claims they are “tough on crime.” It implies

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that we are not tough on crime,
even though we are tougher on crime than they are.

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They don’t even bother prosecuting white-collar
criminals,

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so I’m not interested in discussing the
moral aspects of framing.

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We need to come up with a frame of our own,
and we need to do so fast.

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Otherwise the whole country will accept the
nonsense they are spouting as the truth.

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Now,
that is the moral issue:

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white color criminals.

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Right?

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Let’s get to work.

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What is – and what is not – a frame?

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There is no such thing as objective reality.

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Everyone perceives things differently,
so there cannot be a single criterion for

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determining whether or not a certain message
constitutes a frame.

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One person’s calculated frame is another
person’s principled standpoint.

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Personally speaking,
I am against frames,

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and I would not consider using them under
normal circumstances.

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However,
our opponents keep coming up with powerful

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frames that help them to attract voters and
sway public opinion.

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I believe we have no choice but
to participate in the game of framing of reframing.

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I don’t believe in this traditional types
of development aid.

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I mean,
I’ve been there.

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I’ve lived there.

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And I believe that,
instead of giving poor people fish,

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we should teach them how to fish.

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Framing?

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This is the essence of what I believe.

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We cannot and should not encourage dependency,
we should empower people.

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Trust me,
subsidies and development aid are toxic in

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the long run.

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They really are.

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Is framing superficial?

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Are slogans one-dimensional?

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Are philosophers small-minded?

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Absolutely not.

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In fact,
some of the greatest philosophers had a big

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impact precisely because of their powerful
slogans (or aphorisms).

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Thomas Hobbes famously said “homo homini
lupus est”.

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That means a man is a wolf to man,
and Marx’s critique of capitalism is often

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summarized as “the rich get more rich and
the poor get more poor.” These phrases are

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simple not because these men were simple thinkers
but because they were great thinkers.

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I don’t know much about politics.

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It’s pretty complicated.

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I believe that politicians should use plain
language to say what they want or what

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they are doing.

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Is framing good or bad?

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I’m not even sure what framing is.

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A famous quote by the American journalist
H.L.

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Mencken states:
“For every complex problem there is an answer

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that is clear,
simple,

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and wrong.” This is a perfect example of
a frame.

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Ronald Reagan once said “Facts are stupid
things,” and was widely dismissed as a trivial

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shallow B-movie actor.

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However,
when Nietzsche said “There are no facts,

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only interpretations,” his words were hailed
as a profound philosophical insight.