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The real virus is a total breakdown in our cohesion as a species. I can't be certain that certain drugs don't work, or are safe, but I do know there are many p

The real virus is a total breakdown in our cohesion as a species. I can't be certain that certain drugs don't work, or are safe, but I do know there are many people who have a significant pieces of the national trust with completely opposite opinions, who are in life-or-death stake arguments with people. How can we deal with living in a society which feels it is post truth? Humans rely on consensus, but if the consensus mechanisms are blatantly failing, we have very little ability to sense the actual truth of things.

jmspring 5y ago
It's just easier to avoid discussions. It's stupid that people who can be completely rational about most things become someone different around certain topics. Spending most of my time in a county in CA that 55-60% are pro conspiracy theory, it's just easier to avoid certain topics.
- WhisperingShiba 5y ago
  The struggle is that some of what we think is reality is actually not reality. What I learned is its only a conspiracy theory if you don't believe it /right now/. And what you believe right now is highly influenced by your culture, parents and media. In a Nietzscheian sense, I have had to start from ground zero, about what I believe, and derive understandings through direct experience of nature. Unfortunately this is slower than consensus, so I also choose to trust sources on non-political topics such as math, physics, and construction/engineering. These days I look back on how much I used to think was truth, and I later came to a realization that it was actually illusion... I don't take much as blind fact these days, and try to stick close to things I can easily understand and get immediate feedback on, such as math, engineering and growing plants. Unfortunately, since so much of my life also consists of economy and psychology, I can't completely ignore the facets of reality out of my control. At least when people tell me they actually believe in a conspiracy theory, they can give me some pre-formatted viewpoint which I cant test their premises against.

jmspring 5y ago

It's just easier to avoid discussions. It's stupid that people who can be completely rational about most things become someone different around certain topics. Spending most of my time in a county in CA that 55-60% are pro conspiracy theory, it's just easier to avoid certain topics.

WhisperingShiba 5y ago
The struggle is that some of what we think is reality is actually not reality. What I learned is its only a conspiracy theory if you don't believe it /right now/. And what you believe right now is highly influenced by your culture, parents and media. In a Nietzscheian sense, I have had to start from ground zero, about what I believe, and derive understandings through direct experience of nature. Unfortunately this is slower than consensus, so I also choose to trust sources on non-political topics such as math, physics, and construction/engineering. These days I look back on how much I used to think was truth, and I later came to a realization that it was actually illusion... I don't take much as blind fact these days, and try to stick close to things I can easily understand and get immediate feedback on, such as math, engineering and growing plants. Unfortunately, since so much of my life also consists of economy and psychology, I can't completely ignore the facets of reality out of my control. At least when people tell me they actually believe in a conspiracy theory, they can give me some pre-formatted viewpoint which I cant test their premises against.