Alasdair AllanMusk has used "Vox populi, Vox Dei" to justify reinstating Trump on #Twiiter. But the quote is from a letter from Alcuin to the Emporer Charlemagne urging him to resist such ideas, "Nec audiendi qui solent dicere, Vox populi, vox Dei, quum tumultuositas vulgi semper insaniae proxima sit." Which translates as "And do not listen to those who keep saying, 'The voice of the people is the voice of God', because the tumult of the crowd is always close to madness."
Musk is not, of course, the first to use the "Vox populi, Vox Dei" quote out of context to justify dangerous actions. The phrase has been a political punching bag for centuries, notably in the 1700s amid the Jacobite rebellions. Although the use of the phrase in the opposite to the original context has been common since 1327 when the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Walter Reynolds, brought charges against King Edward II.
ArneBab@aallan What I’m still missing from this debate: what’s the percentage of bots in the votes?
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TakingOff@straftanz @ArneBab @aallan also, it's insincere on Elon's part. If they had a pole asking whether he should abandon Twitter and just lose his 44 billion dollars, I think 80% would say yes. But of course he wouldn't obey that. Because, "Vocem suam credit esse vocem Dei." He believes that his voice is the voice of God.