Auschwitz and the wisdom of crowds

In the age of the information explosion, much is written about the "wisdom of crowds".

Surely, the thinking goes, when we can so easily collaborate on solving major problems via digital platforms, we should be able to stamp out destructive patterns of thought before they take hold.

Moreover, today's easy access to travel and migration provide unprecedented opportunities to break down cultural walls and promote empathy between people groups.

Surely, something as clearly outrageous as eugenics and its flatmate ethnic cleansing will in future be eradicated through our viral and physical interconnectedness.

I'm not so sure.

Marking the liberation of Auschwitz forces us to remember that the general principles that effectively undergirded this forlorn place were at times, whether overtly or indirectly, supported by popular sentiment among some very learned people.

The wisdom of crowds is not always terribly wise.