Wednesday, October 9, 2024

The Misinformation Menace

For a propagandist, news isn’t relevant and/or interesting factual information to which the public is entitled. It’s a weapon to be deployed for the purpose of deception. 

The American media scene in the 21st century cannot be understood at all without constant reference to that fact.

The problem is that at least half the country is being fed a largely fictional narrative, every day, and accepts it to be true. That’s the Fox News Effect.

I realized more than 20 years ago that if lying propaganda could be substituted for news, this country’s ruin would follow in short order.

Saturday, October 5, 2024

Determinism? So what?

Whether or not determinism is true in a technical sense, obviously we have free will in a a practical, existential sense. Nothing about the theory of determinism can help avoid having to agonize over a difficult decision. 

As Sartre observed, humanity is damned to freedom. We have it even though we often don't really want it.