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Factual misinformation
We can be misled by false information, but we can also be misled by information that is the 100% unadulterated truth. And we ourselves are doing the misleading…
These days, there is a lot of buzz about misinformation — not least because several countries will be holding important elections this year. In fact, we even hear misinformation about misinformation. Some misinformation consists of outright untruths, manifestly false information. Other common forms include bullshit, a general term that philosopher Harry Frankfurt gave a more formal definition: “ speech intended to persuade without regard for truth”; and spin and distortion of the truth in order to serve a certain agenda. Even though, here, the responsibility lies with those who spread the misinformation, a critical attitude on our part might help us detect the attempt to mislead us and avoid being taken in.
Unfortunately, that is not all there is to misinformation. It is possible to be misinformed, even when we are looking at accurate facts. No lies, no bullshit, just the plain truth — and still we are being misled.
Looking at the facts
Alice is a young mother with four-year-old twins. Two days ago, she was at a local playground with a friend who has a…
