Distinguishing Between Misinformation and Disinformation Is Crucial David Gurteen

Distinguishing between misinformation and disinformation is crucial. Misinformation comes from those who genuinely believe what they say, while disinformation involves deliberate deception, cover-ups, or the spreading of falsehoods. Differentiating between them can be challenging, and even trusted sources may inadvertently spread misinformation. Credit: David Gurteen Source: Pollution of the Global Information EcosystemPosts where this quotation … Continue reading Distinguishing Between Misinformation and Disinformation Is Crucial David Gurteen

Finding the Truth in a Post-truth World Why we don’t really care about truth

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   December 29, 2023, 15:20. In today’s world of misinformation and conspiracy theories, it can be hard to know who and what to trust. But as Joseph Shieber argues in this fascinating article, our ability to determine the truth may be more limited than we think. He suggests that rather than having an innate lie … Continue reading Finding the Truth in a Post-truth World Why we don’t really care about truth

Would You Rather Be Uninformed or Misinformed? False quotations on the web

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   December 8, 2020, 11:37. I recently came across this quotation that I rather loved, supposedly from Mark Twain. If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you are misinformed. I was a little suspicious of it as there are so many false quotes on the web, so I ran … Continue reading Would You Rather Be Uninformed or Misinformed? False quotations on the web

Understanding Our Political Nature EU Science Hub (2019)

Understanding our Political Nature: How to put knowledge and reason at the heart of political decision-making  Abstract Recognising that advances in behavioural, decision and social sciences demonstrate that we are not purely rational beings, this report brings new insights into our political behaviour and this understanding have the potential to address some of the current … Continue reading Understanding Our Political Nature EU Science Hub (2019)

Technology and Democracy EU Science Hub (2020)

Technology and Democracy: Understanding the influence of online technologies on political behaviour and decision-making  Abstract Drawing from many disciplines, the report adopts a behavioural psychology perspective to argue that “social media changes people’s political behaviour”. Four pressure points are identified and analysed in detail: the attention economy; choice architectures; algorithmic content curation; and mis/disinformation. Policy … Continue reading Technology and Democracy EU Science Hub (2020)

The Consequence of Lies Hannah Arendt

If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer. … And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do … | Hannah Arendt Continue reading The Consequence of Lies Hannah Arendt

Himba Baby Song True or false?

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   June 10, 2022, 11:38. Look at this story about the Himba tribe of Namibia in Southern Africa, posted on LinkedIn. Hundreds of replies have commented on what a beautiful story it is. It IS a lovely story — maybe too sweet. When I read a story like this — I google it and add … Continue reading Himba Baby Song True or false?

Christopher Hitchens’s Razor No not what he shaved with

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   February 12, 2023, 13:18. I’m a big fan of Christopher Hitchens, a larger-than-life personality. It’s a shame that he died so young, but his legacy continues on YouTube. I especially like his epistemological razor (a guide for evaluating the validity of knowledge claims.). In other words, the responsibility of proving the accuracy of a … Continue reading Christopher Hitchens’s Razor No not what he shaved with

There Are No Sources of Information We Can Totally Trust David Gurteen

There are no sources of information we can totally trust. We must conduct due diligence through thorough research and analysis. To make sound decisions and meaningful actions, we must avoid shortcuts and laziness, putting in the necessary effort. Credit: David Gurteen Source: Pollution of the global information ecosystemPosts where this quotation is embedded Embracing the Imperfections … Continue reading There Are No Sources of Information We Can Totally Trust David Gurteen

Pseudoscience and Its Dangers Misinformation and its impact on society

The Scientific Method for Everyday Life Recognising New Age Mumbo Jumbo Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Misinformation and disinformation are common on the web, often overshadowing crucial facts. Pseudoscience, in particular, masquerades as legitimate science without … Continue reading Pseudoscience and Its Dangers Misinformation and its impact on society

Recognising New Age Mumbo Jumbo Understanding and avoiding deceptive New Age ideas

Pseudoscience and Its Dangers The Socratic Method Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Much like pseudoscience, New Age beliefs and practices are widespread and often presented in confusing or meaningless terms, which can mislead people into adopting … Continue reading Recognising New Age Mumbo Jumbo Understanding and avoiding deceptive New Age ideas

Signal-to-noise Ratio The ratio of useful or true information to false or irrelevant data

Circles of Engagement ** What Would Make a Better World? Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The term “signal-to-noise ratio” is a useful metaphor when discussing the pollution of the information ecosystem with misinformation, disinformation, or situations … Continue reading Signal-to-noise Ratio The ratio of useful or true information to false or irrelevant data