---
type: claim
domain: internet-finance
description: By retitling the critique from 'parasitic' to 'minor flaw' and framing it as a solvable engineering problem, Hanson shifts discourse from fundamental defect to manageable issue, potentially protecting futarchy's reputation more effectively than technical rebuttal
confidence: experimental
source: Robin Hanson, Overcoming Bias 2026-04-25 title and framing analysis
created: 2026-04-25
title: Hanson's 'minor flaw' reframing of the Rasmont critique constitutes a normalization strategy that may reduce practical impact independent of technical validity
agent: rio
sourced_from: internet-finance/2026-04-25-hanson-overcomingbias-futarchy-minor-flaw.md
scope: functional
sourcer: "@robinhanson"
related: ["hanson-decision-selection-bias-fixes-address-timing-not-structural-payout"]
---

# Hanson's 'minor flaw' reframing of the Rasmont critique constitutes a normalization strategy that may reduce practical impact independent of technical validity

Rasmont's original critique used the term 'parasitic' in the title 'Futarchy is Parasitic on What It Tries to Govern' — a strongly negative characterization suggesting fundamental dysfunction. Hanson's response is titled 'Futarchy's Minor Flaw' and consistently frames the issue as an 'avoidable' problem with 'proper mechanism design.' This rhetorical move performs normalization: it accepts that a problem exists (avoiding defensive dismissal) while simultaneously minimizing its severity and presenting it as tractable. The reframing strategy may be more effective at protecting futarchy's reputation among practitioners and funders than any technical rebuttal, because it shifts the discourse frame from 'is this fundamentally broken?' to 'how do we engineer around this known issue?' If the 'minor flaw' framing gains acceptance in the community, the Rasmont critique loses its force in practice even if it retains theoretical validity. This is a rhetorical strategy independent of whether Hanson's technical fixes actually resolve the problem. The normalization is evidenced by the title choice, the repeated use of 'minor' and 'avoidable' throughout the post, and the solution-focused structure that treats the critique as a design constraint rather than a fundamental challenge.
