AR wrote to me about the Metaphysical Club post, comparing the idea there to the observer's paradox. As I understand it, the observer's paradox is that human subjects invariably behave differently when they are aware of any observer: a person, a camera or a tape recorder. However, observing and recording human subjects without their permission is ethically questionable. So AR, was suggesting a parallel between the individual reaction of a single subject, and an entire society, where being watched as an individual is similar to being modeled as a society.