Simplistic thinking. Reality meets fiction. Perpetual discontent. Cynicism ain't smart. Visual deception. Us versus them. Changing their minds.
“In today’s world, simply being born into a decent home in a developed country
makes you better off and luckier than 99.999% of all humans who have ever lived on the planet.”
– DK-9565 in r/Showerthoughts on Reddit
1. “Simplistic memes invite simplistic thinking”
We’re Too Old to Spout Memes in a World Demanding Complex, Critical Thinking – Julia Hubbel – (Too Old for this Sh*t)
I’ve long said that most posts supporting, mocking, or deriding “the opposition” are pointless exercises only feeding those already in your own information bubble. As I put it in one of my personal blog posts, “At best, they’re just social media masturbation – you’re only pleasuring yourself.”
The fact is, issues are much more complex than memes, slogans, and overly simple solutions could ever hope to address or influence.
Let’s not add to the problem by demanding overnight answers to problems that took decades or longer to develop.
The epidemic of short attention spans and immediate gratification extends to our willingness to deal with social issues as well. If it takes too long, we’re not interested. If it’s too complicated, we stop paying attention. And heaven help us if it doesn’t agree with our pre-conceived ideas.
And yes, all of that only makes the problem worse.
Do this: Don’t add to the problem.
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2. “Reality and tech-enabled fiction felt somehow mashed together”
The Slop Candidate (gift link) – Charlie Warzel – (The Atlantic)
Regardless of how you feel about the candidates involved, this essay highlights something I believe will only become a larger problem in the coming years: distinguishing truth from fiction, reality from AI-generated “slop”.
Warzel notes that the (very real) photographs of Trump at McDonalds during a recent campaign stop had many characteristics of AI generated images.
In his own way, Trump has shown us all the limits of artificial intelligence. Computers, at least for now, cannot quite capture the crushing surreality and maddening absurdity of modern electoral politics.
I know I’ve already done double-takes at images that prove to be real, thinking that they looked somewhat AI-like. And we’re all certainly worried about AI images that look all too real. We all owe it to ourselves to confirm that what we see — whatever it is, and from whatever source it might come from — is, or is not, real. In a sense, it’s another level of fact checking.
Do this: Check facts, visible and otherwise.
3. “Perpetual discontent even in the face of considerable success”
In Praise of Progress – Zachary Karabell – (The Edgy Optimist)
Tell someone what we’re living in what is arguably the best, safest, and most amazing time in all of humanity, and people are likely to look at you funny. And yet, a) the past isn’t everything it’s nostalgically remembered as, and b) the life the average human lives today is orders of magnitude better, safer, healthier, and longer than ever before.
Human progress is real and magnificent and that we are selling ourselves and our culture short by over-emphasizing the harbingers of doom and underestimating the forces of progress.
It’s difficult in the heat of those urgent, scary messages we’re bombarded with every day to step back and take a realistic look at how far we’ve come. It’s absolutely amazing. Truly.
Do this: Appreciate how far we’ve come.
4. “Cynicism looks smart, but isn’t.”
Instead of Being Cynical, Try Becoming Skeptical – Jamil Zaki – (Behavioral Scientist)
So many people are cynical. Just ask your group of friends if they believe people are basically good or bad? The results, as they say, may surprise you. Then again, maybe they won’t, if you’re among the many that have lost faith in humanity.
This is perhaps the best definition comparing cynicism and skepticism I’ve run across so far:
Cynicism is a lack of faith in people; skepticism is a lack of faith in our assumptions.
I definitely consider myself a skeptic. I try not to be too much of a cynic.
Do this: Be skeptical.
5. “Our eyes routinely deceive us”
Why deepfakes pose less of a threat than many predict – Keith Raymond Harris – (Psyche)
Oversimplified, the essay argues that rationality and skepticism will protect us from deepfakes being as concerning as we think. I’m not convinced. Particularly when deepfakes are weaponized and targeted at specific audiences, those characteristics are difficult assumptions to make.
One of the author’s criteria is, essentially, to “consider the source”. Unfortunately, many people don’t take the time, particularly when the content is particularly inflammatory. Many also choose to trust sources that, objectively, are untrustworthy.
My concern is a little different: the effect of deepfakes on authentic video.
A public figure, confronted with compromising video evidence, may insist that the video in question is a deepfake.
Put another way, the mere possibility of deepfake video can erode trust in legitimate evidence. I think we’ve seen instances of this already. I expect more.
Do this: The most important things you can do is to be aware, be skeptical, and be willing to put in the effort before assuming truth or fiction.
6. “If they support it, we will oppose it”
Science over Party: Five Tips for the Left and Right – Timothy J. Redmond – (Skeptical Inquirer)
I like to believe I’m a rational, science-based engineer. I think my beliefs about science are party-independent. As I believe they should be. But I’m probably wrong about some things.
It would appear large numbers of people are less objective. And, of course, politicians leverage that to the hilt to manipulate their base.
In an ideal world, Democrats and Republicans would defer to the expert consensus on scientific issues of import. Unfortunately, in the real world, partisans tend to look to their political parties’ politicians, pundits, and activists for guidance on such subjects instead
I see too many people looking to the party line to tell them what to think, rather than objectively trusting the science.
Do this: Trust the science.
7. “Facts are just observations that have been repeatedly confirmed”
Facts (usually) Don’t Change Minds – Melanie Trecek-King – (YouTube:TheThinkingAtheist)
Trecek-King, of Thinking is Power, discusses beliefs, how they come to be, how they’re closely held, and perhaps most relevant, what to do and not do when attempting to change someone’s mind about something.
It takes a lot more strength and courage to […] try and approach other people in a more human way, in a more empathetic way, and recognize that we’re all doing this. We’re all in this together, and our best shot is to stop othering people who disagree with us.
Respect those who disagree. Today’s knee-jerk reaction seems to be to mock, or worse, which just deepens the divide.
Do this: It’s an interesting 10 minute video. I’d recommend watching it. But, as hard as it is, try to respect and understand those you disagree with.
#beliefs #critical-thinking #facts
Random links
- The tough are those too cowardly to face tragedy – Philosophy bear
- Why “Cultural Marxism” is Made Up Right Wing Horsefuckery – Joan Westenberg
What I’m reading
In progress:
- Service Model – Adrian Tchaikovsky
- How to Read a Book – Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren
- Where Good Ideas Come From – Steven Johnson (re-read)
- The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century – Steven Pinker (audio)
Daily:
- A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World’s Sacred Texts – Leo Tolstoy
A full list of my common sources is on the sources page, and I list the books I’ve read on my Reading List page.
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I like the saying that we should be skeptics not cynics
Melanie Trecek-King – Facts (usually) Don’t Change Minds
Thoughtful