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@datatitian@social.coop"We should delicately and subtly undermine the idea that truth and facts are possible in the first place. Once people have become doubtful about the truth of anything, all kinds of things are open to us."
I am so impressed with how Pullman has, with the 20 year gap since the Golden Compass / #HisDarkMaterials, seamlessly updated the themes of his work to deal with today's pressing issues in The Secret Commonwealth.
@books
I'm dealing with this problem in my family. Both parents have fallen victim to this tactic and confidently dismiss any information they don't like as false while accepting what confirms their beliefs without criticism.
This has been deliberately done by the 1% through the funding of news media, online personalities, and bogus think tanks for no other reason than to protect their wealth and avoid paying for climate change and disasters they've caused along the way.
@datatitian The Right has weaponized confirmation bias.
@Steve I don't think it can be attributed to just one of the wings of the capitalist party; Rachel Maddow used all the same techniques to stir up a new age of McCarthyism as well. I think it's an issue of power and of the ruling class versus the working class
@datatitian Both wings are guilty of it, but not to equal degrees. But, yes, both use it to reinforce the identity of their respective bases and their loyalty to party leaders.
@datatitian how do we deal with this. I have issues with this kinda missing critical thinking.
@OliviaParamour there's the saying "What is not reasoned in, cannot be reasoned out." I've given up on addressing it individually and am going after the source: the very existence of the rich and powerful. It starts with Bernie Sanders, who's always stood up to them and will limit their power and drain their wealth, but it doesn't stop there. When the propaganda has been cut off, then people can begin to heal
@datatitian
When The Golden Compass came out on film, I watched it and it's a story which stuck with me. For a young adult fantasy story it seemed to draw on deep cultural mythology, far more than - say - Harry Potter.
Seeing this kind of wisdom come from the author I will definitely have to investigate his work more closely.
@cjd oh there is so much in store for you if you've only seen the film! That covers the first book of the original trilogy, but the scope of the story expands so much further in the next two. Despite its YA categorization, the series deals with difficult metaphysical questions, challenges notions of black & white good v. evil, and is so brutally tragic at times it makes George RR Martin seem weak
@datatitian
I've read Taleb, Popper and James C. Scott so I'm not new to the idea of reasoning under the condition of uncertainty. But being able to enjoy such concepts in fictional form sounds really exciting.
@cjd I didn't recognize any of those names, but I see anarchism come up with James C. Scott, so I can go into the real reason why I love these books. The reason I think they've held up so well to time and to my own evolving view of the world is that the overt criticism of religion in the books is rooted fundamentally in a skepticism of power. While I doubt Pullman would use the label, for me it's an anarchist allegory in the same vein as Le Guin's The Lathe of Heaven
@datatitian
Yes, his characterization of a church which governs what types of scientific exploration are acceptable also hits close to home.
If you are in to non-fiction, I recommend Taleb's Antifragile because it provides a solid mathmatical basis for a lot of what is otherwise common sense and common wisdom.