The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > Do we want 'truth' or 'truthiness'? > Comments

Do we want 'truth' or 'truthiness'? : Comments

By Don Aitkin, published 6/2/2015

Truthiness is 'What I say is right, and [nothing] anyone else says could possibly be true.'

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. All
I find one of the characteristics of "truthiness" as distinct from truth, is purporting to resolve issues of complex phenomena, for example economic or climatological phenomena, by talking about about "the evidence" as if evidence interprets itself without theory.

This ignores the fact that long chains of complex reasoning are necessarily involved in construing the evidence. If the process of reasoning contains even only one logical error, it is liable to invalidate the whole chain. And in such complex phenomena there is not just the ordinary human liability to logical error, and not just the extra liability from long and complex processes.

There is also the very great liability from the fact that these complex phenomena concern huge political redistributions of wealth, which create vested interests in *factually and logically false* "truthiness".

For everyone else, the cost will be a certain fraction - usually small - of their total product. But for the vested interests, the benefit will be the whole of their income. So they will, and do, form a class of proselytes devoting all their brains and energy to spreading the word of "truthiness".

What we have seen demonstrated in this forum, over and over and over again, is that belief in both global warming policy and statist economic policy fails for simple illogic, to which the statists have no answer but only to endlessly repeat their problematic appeals to problematic "evidence" consisting of nothing but the pronouncements of their own political vested interests, larded with every logical fallacy in the book.
Posted by Jardine K. Jardine, Friday, 6 February 2015 8:51:19 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
I can not for the life of me understand why Don's head didn't explode while writing this, from the sheer Irony.

Don you have taken the Dunning–Kruger effect to a whole new level.
Posted by Cobber the hound, Friday, 6 February 2015 9:38:17 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
With just a couple of words changed, I easily imagine this piece written by someone like Tim Flannery.

Weird.

But that's postmodernism for you, people always interpreting pieces by who writes it and why...

Truthiness indeed.
Posted by Bugsy, Friday, 6 February 2015 9:58:30 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
What you blokes are looking for will not happen till our shores are barricaded, and then there will be skeptics as to how long it will last.

Without a base belief that mankind is responsible for the change, you will never come to any sort of belief.

As long as there is majority belief that science is doing it's best to inform of us of safeguards that need to be looked at, we can only hope for our long term future as a civilization.
Posted by 579, Friday, 6 February 2015 10:11:37 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
It's about perspective as much a anything else Don?

As an ancient ancestor would've noted, facts are cheils that dinna whinge!

Anybody can own an opinion, but nobody can own the facts.

If one can believe in anything, it has to be the mighty irrefutable truth!
Professorial Tutti Frutti won't cut it.

Faith based belief, which has to include the theory of evolution is, however plausible; just that, theory! And a whole alphabet behind one's name will not change that!

On the balance of probability, there is a greater chance of a whirlwind whipping through a junkyard and creating a fully functioning,flyable 747; than mere chance and or serendipity creating a vastly more complex human being!?

A theory ceases to be a theory once proven, when it then enters the realm of fact.

As to climate change, opinions can and do vary, but the graphs just don't lie.

There is a solid connection between Co2 levels and ambient temperatures; and at 400 ppm, we are in unprecedented uncharted territory!

The graph that show temperature changes since we began keeping records; shows a steady rising trend line and an upward curve into the bargain.

And the one relating to solar activity, peaked in the mid seventies and has been on the wane since. (NASA)

One can argue with the interpretation but not the collected data!

Now we can adapt, and change, and in so doing, quite massively improve our economy and economic prospects; albeit those with an interest in the fossil fuel industries, may not fare very well financially? [The reason for the endless obfuscation!?]

But particularly if they just happen to be the last ones holding the (pass the parcel) parcel!

One notes in conclusion, the sheer number of so called "academics", who told us that tobacco was not harmful; or, the number of so called "scientists", who tell us that climate change is just cyclical; or due to increasing solar activity.

Apparently unable to differentiate between wax or wane.

Or should one say Sensi, wax on wax off!
Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Friday, 6 February 2015 11:44:10 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
reject Christ (Truth personsified) and you end up defending all sorts of fallacies such and gw, evolution and baby killing.You can even get phd's to prove your point.
Posted by runner, Friday, 6 February 2015 4:37:19 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy