Anyone can create a website, and a professional appearing one at that. Site builders and spell checkers provide all the tools needed for a well-structured and authoritative look.
But what does this mean to you?
Beyond the highly topical concept of “fake news”, there exists the related world of fake reality. For this short blog I’m going to focus on discerning the real from the fake, the information from the misinformation and the valuable from the invaluable.
Let us start by considering something very simple, in the world of science, truths can and do change very significantly, indeed, it is a mark of good science when a discipline has, over time, developed new superseding theories. Take this list here as a simple example.
“if science can be wrong, how do I know what to believe?”
This presents a challenging problem, “if science can be wrong, how do I know what to believe?”. It’s important here to carefully analyse what science the is telling us. Is it a proven, irrefutable fact in which there is consensus within the entire scientific community? Or is it a scientific theory based on limited research that is still being peer reviewed?
Increasingly you’ll find, across the internet, a spectrum of stories and reviews where at one end, scientific “research” is quoted, with authors being quick to make the jump from science theory to science fact, or, at the other end, you’ll find fringe elements exploiting uncertainties around science theory to claim science doesn’t know, and therefore it’s all some sort of conspiracy… Towards either end of this spectrum we’re presented with realities that are not based on sound evidence, and these are the sources of information we must be wary of.
“What do I do to counteract the growing mass of misinformation?”
In my view, everything you read or see, everywhere in life, should only be taken as a potential truth until you have proven to yourself that it is fact. That includes this blog.
Think critically…
Think critically…
Think critically…
We must all be critical and questioning of the information we’re presented, be selective in the sources of information we draw upon, and furthermore discerning in the information we share and propagate.
Every day we are exposed to forces at work in the world that seek to deceive and mislead us, and forces that are simply ignorant to the fact they are wrong. Whether these forces are benign or hostile the result is still the same – a fake reality.
My challenge to you all, think critically, question always, and only share information as truth if you know it to be true.
[End]
*includes amendment thanks to jackbemystic
All material is my own unless otherwise specified (in line with Steemit guidelines). Live links lead to targets I did not create. I encourage others to write from the heart also, while always remembering in debate to always remain focused on the idea not the person, and that we can agree to disagree…
I'd amend, only share information as truth if you know it to be true. There's value to opinion, and theory, and fiction, just not when they're masquerading as facts.
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