EF22 (AMA-EF5): Defeating Fake News and Critical Thinking as the Superpower the World Needs Most — Ask Me Anything of Episode EF5

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(EF22) AMA-EF5: Defeating Fake News and Critical Thinking as the Superpower the World Needs Most Ask Me Anything of Episode EF5

(EF22) AMA-EF5: Defeating Fake News and Critical Thinking as the Superpower the World Needs Most — Ask Me Anything of Episode EF5

PLAY | DOWNLOAD To try and understand the truth about truth itself, we'll look at correspondence theory, coherence theory, pragmatism and truth-seeking components of the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Each argument will give us a unique approach to just what the truth might be. But if there can only be one truth, which one is correct? The one molded by your hands, or someone else's hands? More...

What is the truth?

The big question driving Episode EF5 is… What is the Truth? Without knowing the truth, what can we do? Somewhere deep in our DNA, there’s a code that says we always need to seek honesty, we need to fight for trustworthiness. So we do our best to seek justice we all believe to be the same. When we attack someone for telling a supposed “lie”, we don’t do it because we want to hurt the person. Instead, we’re doing it because we want him or her to be “right” as well. Because, if there’s a single correct path and you are already on that path, then it’s logical you must help anyone who isn’t.

Sadly or maybe even luckily, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Destroying the “mental shell” that what we know is correct is the first and the toughest step towards realizing that what we think is right, is not the only “right”. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it only says it’s not the only valid opinion.

Episode EF22 Summary

Spoiler alert: You’re about to listen to a Ask Me Anything  (AMA) of Episode EF5, which was Season 1, Episode 3 of the Evolve Faster Podcast titled The Truth is Clay in the Hands of a Sculptor.  The driving question of this episode (and this AMA) for you to think through is … what is the truth?!

As a reminder about Episode EF5: Truman, an ordinary man with a regular job, is caught lying in a country where lying is illegal. Thanks to his actions, he ends up facing a mandatory Truth Course to get him back on the track. Terrified, Truman slowly realizes the truth is not what we all grew accustomed to believe. Is it possible that truth is nothing more than a piece of clay molded by someone’s interests? Time is running out for Truman, and the sculptor of truth might just hold the power to mold his future.

The third episode of the first season of the Evolve Faster Podcast Episode is driven by the big question What Is The Truth? In the age of the Internet, we can no longer ignore our critical thinking skills. Without it, we can easily fall in a deep pit that keeps getting darker and darker.

To peek behind the curtain of Episode 5, we’ll dissect the following submitted questions:

  • Do you think copywriting is really lying?
  • Do people really not even listen to stuff if it’s not sensational anymore?
  • Can anyone really know the truth now that the info volumes are so high? How can anyone be informed enough?
  • Is the fundamental truth actually correct?
  • So is the categorical imperative the best definition of the truth? Is there a list of some good categorical imperative examples I can use in everyday life?
  • How does one brave enough to take actions?
  • Why can’t we just agree not to lie? Why do we need rules to form the truth for us?
  • Is the country based on any country or movement that tried this about lying?
  • That scene from the matrix? Huh?
  • Cold you really outlaw lying?
  • Is lying really bad?
  • Why is it that people attach famous people onto their narratives like happens to George?
  • And more…

Into The Rabbit Hole

SHOW NOTES: This episode is dedicated to Richard Dawkins. See the EF19 Show Notes for details of the dedication, inspirations, references, selected quotes and more. 

ABOUT THE EVOLVE FASTER PODCAST: Everything is changing, yet the questions that drive us remain the same. Will humanity face the absurdity of our collective existential crisis in time? Join Scott Ely as he takes us deep into the rabbit hole with philosophical tales to reboot your mind, upgrade your life and explore your soul. To Evolve Faster is to see the fact that you will die someday as a formidable challenge, instead of a source of immense fear. Create your reality…before it creates you. Isn’t it time for an upgrade? More episodes…

SUBSCRIBE: The Evolve Faster Podcast is written, performed and produced by Scott Ely. Writing and production of each episode of the podcast is a significant undertaking spanning many months—it’s a labor of love, but it needs your help to survive. To help ensure the creation of more episodes, please learn about ways you can support the podcast (register, share, review and subscribe) on the Support Evolve Faster page. Your help is much appreciated.

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