--- In [email protected], new.morning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: <snip> > > This is kind of a backward analogy. The people who > > wrongly believed Saddam was behind 9/11 did so because > > that's the story the administration was pushing; they > > believed what they were told by those in authority. > > > > Those who think the 9/11 commission report was bogus > > do *not* believe what they've been told by those in > > authority. > > > > That per se doesn't mean the latter are right, but > > there's a very different dynamic at work that you > > need to take into account. > > It is a different dynamic, but there are many different dynamics of > misinformation and manipulation in the world. Perhaps taking each into > account is necessary, perhaps not. I will ponder that. > > But what occurs to me is the analogy of disease. There are many > different types of bacteria and viruses out there, with quite > different dynamics. if a person's immune system is strong, it > disallows most or all from gaining a foothold in the body. Regardless > of the source or "dynamic" of the bacteria/virus. > > The analogy is to the mind. Being well-informed, rational, able to > wade through logically fallacies and cognitive errors is like the > immune system of the mind -- disallowing weak, false, manipulative and > unfounded ideas from gaining foothold. > > Applying this analogy would indicate that the real issue and problem > is not a huge diversity of manipulative, misinformative, logically > inconsistent, and highly-spun infotainment "attacking" us daily > (though it is a nusance and is reflective of a low and coarse > culture), but that a large number of folks have weak mental immune > systems and have a hard time fighting off such misinformation and > spin. They have trouble sorting through the onslaught of crap whether > it is administration spin/misinformation that Saddam was involved in > 9/11 or conspiratoral spin/misinformation spread by loons, > biased-agendees, or conspiratoral addicts ("blows against the empire" > mentality).
Yes, there's a lack of critical thinking generally. But my point is that the tendency of noncritical thinkers is to go along with what the authorities tell them. I think it's fair to say that those who reject the administration story have done more critical thinking than those who have accepted it without question. They may need to think *more* critically to see the numerous glaring flaws in some of the conspiracy theories, but you really can't tar them with the same brush as the folks who uncritically believed Saddam was involved in 9/11. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Check out the new improvements in Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/6pRQfA/fOaOAA/yQLSAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
