在《爱因斯坦传》中，作者沃尔特·伊萨克森数次提到美国民主制度的自我修正机制，尤其是针对麦卡锡主义对知识分子的迫害问题。他认为，最终美国的民主制度能够通过这种机制自动调整，纠正偏差。
然而，我对这一观点一直存有疑虑。任何人为设计的系统要维持和谐（即控制熵增），都需要持续的能量支持，而这种能量的来源未必是可持续的。或许只有在整个社会的混沌状态相对均匀的情况下，三权分立的制衡机制才能有效运作。类似于左右两派的拉锯，一旦力量严重失衡，整个系统可能会崩溃。
美国的民主制度既不是理想社会的自动机，更不是永动机。它并不具备自发实现公正与平衡的内在必然性，而是要依赖持续的社会能量输入和制度维护。一旦支持其运行的能量枯竭，或者内部机制失衡，民主制度本身也可能陷入停滞甚至崩溃。因此，所谓的“自我修正”机制并非一种无需人为干预的自动调节，而是在一定社会条件下，由各种力量博弈与妥协的结果。
以上是我阅读《爱因斯坦传》的一点体会。
In Einstein: His Life and Universe, author Walter Isaacson repeatedly highlights the self-correcting mechanism of American democracy, particularly in response to the McCarthy-era persecution of intellectuals. He argues that, in the end, the American democratic system is capable of automatically adjusting itself and correcting deviations through this internal mechanism.
However, I have always had doubts about this view. Any man-made system that aims to maintain harmony (i.e., control entropy increase) requires a continuous input of energy, and such energy may not always be sustainable. Perhaps only when chaos is relatively evenly distributed throughout society can the checks and balances of a tripartite power structure function effectively. Much like a tug-of-war between the left and the right, if the balance of power becomes severely lopsided, the entire system could collapse.
The American democratic system is neither an automaton of an ideal society nor a perpetual motion machine. It does not possess an inherent inevitability to spontaneously achieve justice and balance; rather, it depends on the continuous input of social energy and institutional maintenance. Once the energy that supports its operation is exhausted, or if its internal mechanisms become unbalanced, democracy itself may stagnate or even collapse. Therefore, the so-called “self-correction” mechanism is not an automatic adjustment free from human intervention, but rather the result of contest, compromise, and negotiation under certain social conditions.
The above reflects some of my thoughts after reading Einstein: His Life and Universe.
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