Thoughtober...... I am thinking about
The Truth
So here we are, Thoughtober nearly over. I intend you have had a thoughtful month.
I have certainly been thinking in a different way.
I have been challenging my viewpoints.
Testing my hypotheses.
Pondering truth.
So Truth is defined as this
The quality or state of being true
A fact or belief that is accepted as being true
I am not really a fan of subjectivity being the basis of truth.
'Truth' is not a feature of correct propositions which are asserted of an 'object' by a human 'subject' and then are 'valid' somewhere, in what sphere we know not. Rather, truth is disclosure of beings through which an openness essentially unfolds. All human comportment and bearing are exposed in its open region.
Truth for me has to be found in an open, respectful discourse.
Not where opposition to the zeitgeist is vociferous, hateful and isolating.
I think something can only be true if it is open to being tested, open to being discussed, open to respectful debate and open to perhaps being found to be false.
If something needs to be protected from scrutiny then that is a huge red flag for me that all is not true.
Truth based in reality, in common sense, and a universal understanding, is a final protection for our way of life, our wellbeing, and our very survival.
If this is allowed to be overlooked and replaced with its opposite, all semblance of order and justice is lost.
Seeing the truth and facing the truth is often not pretty, but it is better than what happens when we do not accept the truth.
There is a lot in the ‘news’ about misinformation and disinformation.
Misinformation is fake news that is created and spread by a MIS take – by someone who doesn’t realise that it’s false. The main thing to remember here is that misinformation isn’t deliberate – it’s not created intentionally to deceive other people.
On the other hand, disinformation is fake news that is created and spread deliberately – by someone who knows full well that it’s false.
Both are detrimental to society and community.
The majority of disinformation is created by governments and political parties.
I find this abhorrent.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false."-William J. Casey, CIA Director
This quote was originally spoken by Casey sometime in early February of 1981, at a meeting in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House, at which the White House policy analyst Barbara Honegger was present (who was then acting as Assistant to the chief domestic policy adviser to the President). She then relayed it to her Godmother, the Senior White House Correspondent Sarah McClendon, who made the quote public without naming the original source, through the Radio host Mae Brussel.
Governments may spread disinformation for various reasons. According to a report by The Economist, governments and political parties use propaganda to discredit opponents, influence public opinion, drown out dissent, and meddle in foreign affairs.
Disinformation campaigns are propagated in four key ways:
social engineering,
amplification,
manipulation,
exploitation of vulnerabilities.
Disinformation is often used to sway public opinion in favour of a certain agenda, policy, mandates and/or legislation.
We should all be questioning and debating the truism of the information being given by governments and their agents.
The neuroscience of truth is as simple as this. We navigate the world through perception. We take in data, we feast on information, that comes through all of our senses and we decided , through perception, what is real and what is not.
What is false and what is true.
Perception is not just about senses data. It needs structure and inference. We need to have scaffolding on which to base our perception of reality. The more open our mindset to difference, to debate and to challenge, then the richer the framework of perception. The more closed we are, the more resistant to debate then the smaller our perception blue print.
Part of having perception is also about being able to critique the information that we have been given. To what ends are we being allowed to have the data, the imagery, the sounds, the sensations?
We should always question who benefits, who loses, who breaks even, what is the point, and the purpose of the data and information that we receive.
Why might the following be useful? What ideology is being promoted? Why might that be? For each of the following sections, what examples can you think of that are utilised to distract, blind and shut down the masses?
Social Engineering -
Social engineering attacks manipulate people into sharing information they shouldn’t share, downloading software they shouldn’t download, visiting websites they shouldn’t visit, sending money to criminals, or making other mistakes that compromise their personal or organisational security. Because social engineering uses psychological manipulation and exploits human error or weakness rather than technical or digital system vulnerabilities, it is sometimes called ‘human hacking.’
Amplification -
Amplification refers to the production, dissemination, and scope of disinformation through content production, publication, paid and/or coordinated amplification. Social media platforms harvest personal data and track online activity to deliver engaging content, including sensational content and disinformation, which can be targeted and weaponised against users. Artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning, is poised to amplify disinformation campaigns.
Manipulation -
Manipulation is the intentional spread of inaccurate or misleading information content to deceive and influence the public. It can use various tactics such as media manipulation, false flag operations, emotional appeals, polarisation, discrediting, and trolling.
Exploitation of vulnerabilities -
Exploitation of vulnerabilities refers to the susceptibility of individuals and societies to be harmed or manipulated by false or misleading information.Some factors that contribute to this vulnerability are information overload, online platforms algorithms, fast technology development, globalisation, and post-colonialism. Additionally, psychological features such as cognitive miserliness (this is the unwillingness to put effort, energy and focus into cognitive functions), lack of reasoning, preference for novelty, and competition for attention make people more prone to be exploited.
It does us good to be skeptical, to question, to want to know more, to be curious, to understand the why.
We get closer to the truth that way.
When we just close ourselves off to this, we limit our autonomy, we reduce our cognitive functioning and we lose a little bit of humanity along the way.
The truth is important to me.
I recognise it as the backbone of the type of society that I wish to live in.
I am blessed with an ability to smell falsehood at a 1000 paces.
In these days it is more of a curse than a blessing as everyday there are numerous attempts of mis and disinformation that pass before us.
I give you this advice though as someone who has made it her business (literally) to understand our nervous systems -
The more you use your prefrontal cortex, the more you practice its ability, the further you hone its functonality then the better you become at both seeing, knowing, feeling and living your truth.
Authenticity and truthfulness are so important, even in this age of smoke, mirrors and illusion.
The more we do this, the more that we show how against disinformation and manipulation we are.
What do you think of the truth?
Is it important to you?
Have a think of how truth shows up in your world.
What is your version of the truth?
How do you know this?
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”