One of the oddest cultural features of the new millennia is the concept of alternate facts or the idea that we are each entitled to a personal reality regardless of what anyone else may think. Perhaps influenced by postmodern philosophers, these people insist they have certainty about their viewpoints. In the past, we accepted that what people believe varies from person to person, each with more or less relation to the one reality. Now, people contend that reality is a personal thing. We can live in simultaneous alternate realities.
The personal truth idea seems ludicrous with the advancement of science and technology, which depend on a uniform, consistent, and rule-following universe. The indisputable success of scientific methods shows that these physical laws do not capriciously go into and out of effect. Some aspects are so evident that one might ask an alternate reality believer to find anyone whose world does not include gravity.
The whole situation is possibly an escape from uncomfortable disagreements. Discussions about things that matter can become confusing, frustrating, contentious, and perhaps ego-bruising. Why not stick to sports and the weather?
But this is the most crucial issue of our day: truth discernment. We have too many people in power who use flim-flam to drum up support. They don’t care whether their appeals have any basis in reality. They might lie. Frequently, they employ bullshit, saying whatever it takes to manipulate people. Bullshit is truth whenever convenient but fakery whenever necessary to enhance propaganda. With bullshit, appearance is everything.
How did we get here?
According to Genesis in the Bible, the first instance of humans turning away from God was when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Christians today call this the “original sin.” But the story says that the serpent deceived Eve. Satan had put her in a dilemma. The assertions of God and Satan could not both be true. The knowledge of good and evil must have dawned on Eve as she discovered that someone could intentionally make false assertions. Adam and Eve responded with the fatal mistake of trusting the deceiver instead of their Creator.
This lesson about deception was harsh. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden and isolated from God. But one could characterize this first sin as passive, being naïve, and trusting foolishly.
The active sin in the story is Satan’s. He deceived Eve because he wanted to manipulate her. He wanted her to do something for his benefit, not hers. We can imagine that as Adam and Eve tried to make sense of their banishment, they noticed this trick of Satan. One can manipulate others simply by getting them to believe things that are not true.
Assuming that the early Genesis stories are mythical and considering the evolution of humans as portrayed by scientists, deception might have been a discovery. Similar to trial and error, humans could have accidentally become aware of the power of deception.
A person may gain an advantage in a group if only they understand a situation correctly. At the next similar opportunity, they might intentionally foster misunderstanding. The deception does not need to be harmful to others, just advantageous to oneself.
Humans discovered that deception could be fun. Playing tricks on others could be entertaining to everyone. Some techniques could give a person the appearance of having magical powers. Capable deceivers could exploit thoroughly duped observers to gain a powerful status.
How can we defend ourselves? How can we gain the skills of truth discernment? The methods of science are a good start. Use Occam’s razor. Don’t accept fallacious arguments. Look for evidence. Beyond science, consider motives and human foibles, such as the need to feel influential or respected. Don’t give too much weight to the mere popularity of an idea.
Meanwhile, spread the word. Alternate facts are pure bullshit. Help people see that deception has been an intractable problem for thousands of years. Do we want to accept that humans have made remarkable scientific and technological progress but no spiritual progress? As the Bible showed from the beginning, we must beware of deceivers. Being duped has bad consequences.