For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day. – Doctrine and Covenants 45:57 Learning to recognize and use reliable … Read more
Delusion – A fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact. (Dictionary.com) You know these people – at work, in your family, in your church congregation. They will firmly tell you that Joe Biden “stole” the 2020 election. They will tell you that climate change is a hoax. Some of … Read more
The internet has facilitated an explosion of information. Unfortunately, the information literacy skills of most information consumers have not kept pace. Amidst all the noise online, effectively determining what is true or false requires conscious, deliberate, and thoughtful effort. These days anyone who adopts a belief or makes a claim based on information they have … Read more
If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what’s false, then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work. And by definition our democracy doesn’t work. We are entering into an epistemological crisis.” Barack Obama Information is only as good as the quality of your sources. Social media in particular is … Read more
Democracy, at least in theory, relies on a rational electorate acting in response to credible information. Since the dawn of mass media, elections have been shaped by voters’ reactions to the news. But as I drove through the three states that decided the 2016 election by a little less than 80,000 votes, I sensed a … Read more
The internet has changed the nature of reading, and the amount of readily available information has exploded. In this information saturated world it is important to understand several things: First, not all information is accurate or true. This seems obvious, but actually very few of us take the time to critically evaluate incoming information. Information … Read more