4 ms·
I sympathize with your position and the uncertainty it brings; I myself have struggled with these issues, which is what got me interested in epistemology. Sadl
by md224 13y ago
I sympathize with your position and the uncertainty it brings; I myself have struggled with these issues, which is what got me interested in epistemology.
Sadly I think, if anything, your position is still a bit naive; the Internet may have exacerbated the problem of truth by giving everyone a soapbox to spout their own version, but I think this problem has always been with us, since the dawn of human communication. While we gain some information through first-hand experience, a great deal of our knowledge comes from cognitive authorities[1] who we rely on for second-hand knowledge. So a significant portion of our knowledge rests upon our faith in the testimony of others. Granted, we can take steps to try and minimize our chance of error, such as consulting multiple sources, but it's hard to eliminate that leap of faith entirely.
But it's worse than that. Even agreeing on the "facts" is not enough to guarantee a unified interpretation. Different people may view a singular event through different lenses, based on how that event fits into their own personal narrative; this becomes especially apparent when dealing with contentious political issues.
So yeah, I agree: the Internet has made it more difficult to get a firm grasp on the truth. But when it comes to matters outside our own immediate experience, that grasp has always been nothing more than a useful fiction.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_authority http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_authority
- jsmthrowaway 13y agoYou concluding that I was blaming the Internet in obliviousness to all the rest of the points you shared (which I already know but deemed out of scope for my specific complaint) is, in itself, a misinterpretation. That you then built upon that misinterpretation to call my position naive is a very interesting comment in light of what I'm saying. Before computing, I was a journalist. Nothing you said is news to me, though you used some epistemological concepts to make a similar point to my own.
- md224 13y agoSorry if the suggestion of naivety came across too harshly; didn't mean to imply you didn't know what you were talking about. I just find this topic really interesting (competing narratives, the Lippmann-Dewey debate, etc.), so I jumped at the opportunity to ramble about it. Again, my apologies.
- jsmthrowaway 13y agoNo worries. I'm not offended, I just noticed the interesting irony. I learned long ago to not be offended by things people say on the Internet, along with my ability to stomach images that would probably make anybody else pass out. I'm not convinced all of the Internet's effects on me as a human are good.
- harshreality 13y agoThe cargo-cult phenomenon dates from before the internet, but the internet (and certain historically recent social changes, too, I think) create an echo chamber of massive proportions that changes the nature of the phenomenon. In this environment, it becomes much more difficult to insulate yourself from cargo-cult thinking, and much more difficult to tolerate opposing opinions. (@jsmthrowaway I'd enjoy discussing this in more detail off-forum, if you'd like.)