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RE: YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

in Deep Dives4 years ago (edited)

Thanks for posting this @logiczombie!
Great post and comment thread.

Terror (fear mongering) shuts down the function of your prefrontal cortex.
This makes you more susceptible to censorship.
Censorship is the key to psychological domination.


Yes, fear is the instrument of choice to force the masses to behave in a manner that is counter to their own interests.

We must always challenge authority. They must provide clear evidence and transparency for their actions as well. When the free press and media outlets are almost entirely captured by special interest it is the duty of all citizens to demand accountability.

We can't afford to blindly follow authority as when we inspect these institutions closely we find that they are just as vulnerable to manipulation, fraud and corruption as individuals are - as they are made up of individuals. Even peer-review journals has been shown to have strong biases as many scientific journals and science departments at the most prestigious campuses depend on corporate and special interest for funding.

Nowadays, we're inundated with information/misinformation and often only read the headlines and get our information from social media, soundbites, memes and preferred pundits. People quote the NYTimes as if it is the final word on objectivity and truth, the same outlet that beat the drums of war in Iraq and bogus claims of WMDs. And to your point, they used fear to realize that outcome. Millions of lives destroyed.

Perhaps nothing is more anti-intellectual than those that cry-out the talking points from their 'trusted sources' - like the NYTimes WMD lies - or who doggedly defend the right or left based on affiliation and nothing more. Asinine blowhards that only care about 'winning' an argument and not about the truth or substance of a given issue.

"The wise man knows he knows nothing, the fool thinks he knows all."

- Chinese proverb

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I am honored by your comments.

Perhaps nothing is more anti-intellectual than those that cry-out the talking points from their 'trusted sources'

FUCK "TRUSTED SOURCES" (appeal to fabricated authority).

The rather bizarre Orwellian concept of "objectivity" has somehow managed to worm its way into our language. Practically everyone falsely believes (with unjustifiable confidence) that "objectivity" exists and is an unquestionable ideal-high-goal and more so that their own beliefs are "more objective" or "fair and balanced" than their detractors, and beyond that, all their detractors are either being disingenuous, "are fundamentally and incurably stupid and/or evil", or intellectually deaf and blind. Case closed. Let's all go back to our bubbles.

This premise about "objectivity" detailed above, allows people to pretend great atrocities are justified against "non believers" (anti-vaxxers/flat-earthers) because "they deserve what they get". Side note: In order to properly justify such a hypothesis (like "they deserve what they get") would require significant and detailed philosophical exploration. In other words, if you believe in a black & white world and "philosophy" muddies the waters, then "philosophy" is a "problem" and must be wrong, ex post-facto. This is an example of "affirming the consequent" (a logical fallacy) which basically means you are "closed minded" and only seek serious exploration of ideas that you believe are likely to reinforce your own pre-conceived ideas, technically known as prejudices.

And before you think I'm trying to single out one particular group of people, "godless secular liberal progressives" are just as guilty of this type of thinking as the other more obvious religious and political targets.

The simple fact that people (followers of "TRUSTED SOURCES") are able to very effectively dismiss and deflect all criticism by characterizing their detractors as "biased" proves how pervasive and insidious and anti-intellectual this ideal-high-goal of "objectivity" is. This specific technique is a combination of "false choice" and indirect "ad hominem" attack. In formal logic it is widely recognized as an illegitimate form of argument (logical fallacy). And yet, by all accounts "millions of people" think this qualifies as a plausible line of reasoning.

Now before you dismiss me as "a crack pot", I would like to point out that I do believe "a broad consensus" is a very good standard for "truth". And even Karl Popper admits, when pressed, that science isn't based on "objectivity" but rather on "a broad consensus" of "well qualified individuals", which in a lot of ways is nearly functionally identical, but with the key difference being that "a broad consensus" doesn't necessarily categorize detractors as either being disingenuous, "fundamentally and incurably stupid and/or evil", or intellectually deaf and blind. It at least leaves the door open to the idea that there may be some legitimate disagreement based on contrary evidence or other logical considerations without an automatic reflexive leap to pure DEMONIZATION (terrorism/freedom-fighters is another good example of this).

Feel free to expand upon and/or challenge any of the arguments described above or add your own. I look forward to having a civil conversation regarding the topic at hand.