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

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. | David Gurteen Continue reading Distinguishing Between Misinformation and Disinformation Is Crucial 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