Category: Information Literacy

Why "Misinformation" and Censorship are Problematic

1/18/2022

Recently we have been hearing the following types of claims: "X is misinformation, and x should be censored."

Here, I cover the reasons why each of these claims are problematic. Very few things are irrefutably misinformation. It takes arrogance to proclaim some things as absolute misinformation, and even more arrogance to want to censor them. This is why.

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How Propaganda Makes Us Pyschologically Totalitarian

9/30/2021

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The 20th century witnessed both the rise of sophisticated psychological manipulation techniques and the technology necessary to disseminate them broadly, a trend which has continued into the 21st century. The French philosopher Jaques Ellul set out to study modern propaganda in the 1960s. What he found should be a warning to us all. Our inability to take propaganda and its effects seriously now seem to me like old chickens coming home to roost (perhaps another topic for another day).

In his book Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes, Ellul diverges from previous scholarship in that he considers propaganda to be a sociological phenomenon, one in fact that we cannot live without in modern technological society. Propaganda exists to adjust a normal person to an ever-changing social and technological environment which is profoundly abnormal given the vast majority of our evolutionary history. A modern individual must endure psychological alienation, dissolution of ancestral groups, enormous taxes, brutal wars, inescapable working life. Propaganda both integrates us into this milieu, and acts as an intermediary between us and the state.

Modern propaganda may be socially necessary, but it is not harmless. It exists everywhere, even in democracies, and its effects make us totalitarian in our mindset. We are easy victims because we lack the proper framework necessary to identify it, and because we underestimate its power. In Ellul’s words, "Propaganda is a direct attack against man. The question is to determine how great is the danger."[1]

This post aims to condense and demystify Ellul's analysis, and to build on it by suggesting concrete ways in which we can avoid propaganda's detrimental effects.

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Is Honest Journalism Dead?

11/2/2020

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Why is there such lack of professionalism and ethics in journalism in recent years? My guest Brendan Malone of Left Foot Media and Monday Night live and I discuss the many problems with contemporary journalism and what can be done about them.

To be clear, there are some excellent journalists who try to adhear to time-honored standards of objectivity still doing great investigative work. However we focus on the general negative trends that we see occurring in media - bias, clickbait, dishonesty, illiberal cancel culture, and lack of humility, backed up by references to hard data where possible.

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The Most Powerful Tool For Living Your Best Life

6/20/2018

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Right now is an amazing time to be alive; not least because because we have instant access to so many helpful resources to achieve the goal of living a good life - books, blogs, videos, digital downloads - the possibilities for learning and personal growth are endless.

My friend Jonas Salzgeber recently commented on the phenomenon where we take the time to learn things that will improve our lives, yet fail to properly apply them. In my experience, a major obstacle to putting what we have learned into practice is information overload and it's accompanying disorganization (not just the force of old habit or the lack of will to change - although these are major obstacles too!) Without proper organization and memorization, what sticks in our head after reading a good book or watching an interesting video is piecemeal. It's a matter of chance whether we remember and apply it, despite our best intentions.

The ancient schools of philosophy had their own solution to this problem - handbooks. These were collections of useful and powerful phrases that the students memorized and kept close "at hand," for when they were most needed - in instances of challenge, stress, or trouble. As we'll see, the handbook is the most powerful tool in our arsenal for growth - both an organizational aid for our hectic lives, and a method for directly improving our habits and thinking.

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You Must Master the Media or the Media Will Master You

6/13/2017

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Being angry or depressed over news, politics, Donald Trump and so on, is extremely common at present. Emotions can be useful - they often tell us when something is wrong. But when we are angry or fearful we can't think critically; we just react. It takes intellect to actually break down information piece by piece (critical thinking) and find solutions. Emotionalism overrides proper intellectual process.

Even worse, when we allow ourselves to get upset or angry, we are no longer in control. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus reminds us that "Whoever is capable of angering you becomes your master." We can either master our response to information in the media, or allow it to take control of us via our emotions.

I'm a big fan of Lenon Honor and his work on positive relationships and raising emotionally healthy families. While listening to his channel on Youtube, I was struck by the Stoic overtones in this video (embedded below) and the similarities to my media series, especially 4 Pieces of Stoic Wisdom for Dealing With Negative News Media. While I wouldn't call him a Stoic, Lenon certainly has some philosophical things to say. Technically the video is about race, but overall it's about emotions and dealing with negative media and the subject matter is relevant to everyone. Give it watch!

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Is the Buzzfeed Mentality Dumbing us Down?

4/15/2017

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News isn't doing us any favors when it comes to bolstering critical thinking. Logical fallacies, bias, censorship, propaganda, "fake," news – it’s no wonder American’s trust in the media is at an all-time low according to recent polls. Yet there is another big problem with how news is reported, one which is just as pernicious if not nearly as glaring.

In this social media dominated era, news is increasingly being presented as short, headline oriented, clickbait tidbits of information with little to no context. The phenomenon can be dubbed the “Buzzfeed mentality,” after the eponymous mega-site dedicated to viral content, which has fundamentally reshaped the way news is reported.

Short-form clickbait Buzzfeed style journalism, now predominates online and is encroaching into the print and television media spheres. This cursory way of presenting information may actually be dumbing us down rather than keeping us informed.

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Propaganda: A Soothing, Integrating Influence for Modern Man

12/31/2016

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Just in case you missed it, earlier this month I had a longer piece about integration propaganda published on Uisio.com. Here is an excerpt:

"The conditions of life in mass societies tend to multiply individual frustrations. They produce abstract fragmentary relations between people…totally devoid of intimacy…One can show how the feeling of insecurity or anxiety develops; trace the contradictions of our environment, the conflicts between socially accepted competition and the preaching of fraternal love, between the constant stimulation of our needs through advertising and our limited finances, between our legal rights and the shackles of reality. Propaganda responds psychologically to this situation."

If you have been following my recent series about the perneciousness of propaganda and media you will likely enjoy this too!

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How to Make Yourself Immune to Propaganda

11/30/2016

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In the current climate of increased political tension, it's important to be two things: open-minded and not easily angered. Why? Because being closed-minded, irrational, or both makes you more vulnerable to propaganda.

The French philosopher Jaques Ellul literally wrote the book on propaganda methods throughout history and around the world.[1] Ellul examines propaganda as an existing sociological phenomenon in modern technological societies. One of his most important contributions is the distinction which he draws between agitation and integration propaganda.

Agitation propaganda appeals to anger and anti-social tendencies. Integration propaganda is subtle and perpetual; it speaks to our fundamental anxiety and our need to be part of the mass. In this post I'll explain both types of propaganda and elaborate on how you can make yourself less vulnerable to their effects.

Unchecked exposure to propaganda - even in a democratic society - tends to make people psychologically totalitarian. Propaganda works against dialog, towards belief systems which benefit the system as a whole, but make it genuinely hard for us to live together. So how do we avoid being influenced by propaganda? In short, by being a reasonable person.

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5 Ways to Avoid Being Manipulated and Dumbed Down by the Media

9/20/2016

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Are our opinions really our own? How would we really know if they weren't? Consider this quote by Edward Bernays from his 1928 book Propaganda. Bernays, who is considered the father of public relations, combined social science and psychological manipulation techniques to create a sophisticated framework for influencing public communication:

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society…We are governed, our minds moulded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is the logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organised.”

If you have read the first and second posts in this series, you'll know that I am skeptical about news media, partly because I believe that there are two giant, glaring problems with the quality of media in the West.

News is increasingly taking the form of yellow journalism, that is, it is being presented in a way that is dumbing us down. Even more troubling, news is often thinly veiled propaganda masquerading as news - intended to mold public opinion or manufacture consent.

Mark Twain said it best when he spoke to the conundrum of news consumption. He suggested that avoiding the news altogether leaves us uninformed, but that consuming news inevitably misinforms us at least some of the time. What can we do about this massive problem, short of avoiding news altogether? Here are 5 remedies to avoid being dumbed down and manipulated by the mainstream media:

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4 Pieces of Stoic Wisdom For Dealing With Negative News Media

8/24/2016

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News headlines, predominantly negative and sensational, dominate our lives. We are barraged with news information 24/7 through our smart phones, social media, TV, websites, papers, and magazines. What is the consumption of news media doing to our brain and our outlook on life? Should we choose to avoid the news altogether?

It’s is not a new question to be asking. 2000 years ago, the Roman Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus questioned the effects that negative forms of socialization have in our lives. We, as philosophers, should not worry about the things that most people do as a result of their constant consumption of news media.

“How could we acquire courage if we had merely learned that the things which seem dreadful to the average person are not to be feared, but had no experience in showing courage in the face of such things?” he asks.

You too can exercise the Stoics' ancient brand of philosophical wisdom and not get upset about events in the news. Terrorism? A shooting? Crisis? Corrupt Politicians? Freedom from these concerns can be yours via these 4 important realizations:

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Why "Misinformation" and Censorship are Problematic

How Propaganda Makes Us Pyschologically Totalitarian

Is Honest Journalism Dead?

The Most Powerful Tool For Living Your Best Life

You Must Master the Media or the Media Will Master You

Is the Buzzfeed Mentality Dumbing us Down?

Propaganda: A Soothing, Integrating Influence for Modern Man

How to Make Yourself Immune to Propaganda

5 Ways to Avoid Being Manipulated and Dumbed Down by the Media

4 Pieces of Stoic Wisdom For Dealing With Negative News Media

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​Book of the Month: Journal Like a Stoic by Brittany Polat

​Personal Growth Resources:

Understanding and Applying Stoic Ethics In Modern Life:

​Follow Common Sense Ethics on Pinterest:

​Join the Stoic Parents Facebook Group:

Book of the Month: Journal Like a Stoic by Brittany Polat

Personal Growth Resources:

Follow Common Sense Ethics on Pinterest:

Join the Stoic Parents Facebook Group: