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When I a boy in the schoolhouse a fact was regarded an objective reality.
Years later facts seemed to have morphed into things shaped by perceptions. That was when spin doctors were on the rise and Ronald Reagan was being the "great prevaricator". Facts were still an objective reality but they perceptions of those had become malleable. Perhaps even elastic.
Now facts seem to be evaluated not by reference to objective reality but by reference to utility. Ask not whether a fact corresponds to reality but whether it draws you towards certain predetermined and desired conclusions. Logic and reason no longer have the primacy as the means of deploying facts. Rather arguments must have a certain resonance with desire. Such were my thoughts on "facts" in this age of alternative facts and fake news.
I read this which explains the breakdown in trust and diminished confidence in our institutions. It is well worth a read.
Years later facts seemed to have morphed into things shaped by perceptions. That was when spin doctors were on the rise and Ronald Reagan was being the "great prevaricator". Facts were still an objective reality but they perceptions of those had become malleable. Perhaps even elastic.
Now facts seem to be evaluated not by reference to objective reality but by reference to utility. Ask not whether a fact corresponds to reality but whether it draws you towards certain predetermined and desired conclusions. Logic and reason no longer have the primacy as the means of deploying facts. Rather arguments must have a certain resonance with desire. Such were my thoughts on "facts" in this age of alternative facts and fake news.
I read this which explains the breakdown in trust and diminished confidence in our institutions. It is well worth a read.
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