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Unintended Misinformation: Dynamics and Dangers

March 4, 2020

internet, manipulation, misinformation, society

A mythological king was once asked what was his most precious asset: his health, his army, his wealth, or his offspring. “Information!” he said. “Give me information, and I can easily get back the rest”. Of course, information also comes with misinformation. And unintended misinformation, in particular, can be a very insidious, dangerous concept.

Unlike fake news or intentional propaganda, unintended misinformation neither involves malice nor has ulterior motives. Those spreading misinformation aren’t aware they’re doing so. Instead, they believe they’re helping (either a cause or the general dissemination of knowledge).

But, as I mentioned above, unintended misinformation can be an insidious process, causing significant damage and having far-reaching repercussions. The problem, as we’ll see in more detail below, lies precisely in its lack of intention or malice. Put simply, its dynamics are such that preclude detection of the misinformation until it has effectively displaced the truth.

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The Methodological Flaw of Agnosticism

February 7, 2020

Philosophy

agnosticism, atheism, ignorance, knowledge, methodology, philosophy, religion, society

Certain things are relative: Although we can say “hot” or “cold”, we can also compare, and say “hotter/colder than”. There are also things that are binary – either or. No matter what Hegelians might claim, I doubt you can be “a little bit pregnant”. In this context, an intellectually honest philosopher has to acknowledge a methodological flaw in agnosticism.

Theism is the belief in the existence of a supreme being – “God”. A pedantic observer would perhaps make all kinds of elaborations on this (arguably focusing on the difference between a theist and a deist), but for the purposes of this post – and focusing on what I term as the methodological flaw of agnosticism – the above definition should suffice.

That is, we have people – theists – believing in the existence of God. We also have atheists, who don’t find evidence for such a claim, and therefore do not accept the existence of God. Agnostics, on the other hand, are people who argue that nothing is known or can be known about the existence of God.

Agnosticism is effectively a perpetual suspension of judgment. As an agnostic, you basically say “I can’t know that there is a God, but I also can’t know that there isn’t. Hence, I refuse to take a stance”.

However, that’s precisely what the methodological flaw of agnosticism really is, as we’ll see.

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Why Friends Disappear (and why It’s not a Bad Thing)

February 1, 2020

Experiencing

experiencing, friends, life, nostalgia, society, time

Why friends disappear might sound like a social topic. And yet, as you can see, I’ve chosen “Experiencing” as the post category. The reason is that this post is, like every other, entirely selfish.

Don’t get me wrong; if you can find answers to your questions, I’m happy. But first and foremost, this post is a stream-of-consciousness-like effort (not unlike recalling almond trees or Greek coffee) to find answers to my own questions.

Yes, my friends have disappeared. Others have reappeared. Then they, too, disappeared. Years pass, friends come, friends go. I’m definitely not a good example for friendships lasting a lifetime.

You might be tempted to think that I’m the common denominator, hence, I must be part of the reason. You wouldn’t be wrong to think that, but not for the reasons you might expect.

Yes, my friends have disappeared, and I’m the focal point of my friends that disappear. But so is something else: space-time. Blame my academic research interests, but it’s hard for me not to put everything in a space-time box. Humans are temporal beings.

Why friends disappear is a simple repercussion of our lives, which are bound in space-time.

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