Great headline the NYT gave my new piece on misinformation & intellectual orthodoxy. Those of us who grew up in authoritarian states are used to being told that what we see isn't reality. nytimes.com/2021/06/02/spe…
America failed to cope with Trump's assault on truth, from the media and GOP officials who refused to call his lies lies to his supporters who embraced him not despite the lies, but because of them. Groupthink is empowering, a partisan loyalty pledge.
Unfortunately, the equal and opposite reaction from the other side was as predictable as the laws of physics. Reflexive contradiction, a chilling of free speech; it's not the right way to respond to the threat.
"Protecting these principles does not mean putting up with intolerance or promoting hatred, but it does require courage — courage to admit doubt, to challenge others and be challenged." I hope America rises to the challenge. nytimes.com/2021/06/02/spe…
As Zamyatin wrote, “There are ideas of clay and ideas molded of gold, or of our precious glass. To know the material of which an idea is made, one needs only to let fall upon it a drop of strong acid.” Our strongest acid is freedom of thought.
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