What's the role of someone who, like
Robert Mueller, speaks only facts in a tornado of partisan bombast? Is it a breath of fresh air or an abdication of responsibility to protect America's interests?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Facts
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How can a community decide the direction it should go, if its members cannot even agree on where they are? Two political scientists say the growing phenomenon of dueling facts threatens democracy.
Research suggests people intuitively draw a distinction between what is known and what is believed. Recognizing the difference can help in ideological disagreements.
When I was little, geologists worked out Earth's surface was made of pieces, like a giant puzzle. Those pieces, called “tectonic plates”, move and bump into each other and mountains form.
A video aimed at presenting the facts about Brexit repeats some of the same mistakes Remain supporters made before the 2016 referendum.
Food safety issues are at heart political.
The bullshitter may do even more damage than the liar in politics.
Cognitive psychologists know the way our minds work means we not only don't notice errors and misinformation we know are wrong, we also then remember them as true.
Reading something that sows doubt about a widely agreed-upon fact – even the election of George Washington as president – can have a profound effect.
Dealing with a co-worker or manager who says demonstrably false things can be a challenge, particularly at holiday office parties. Here's a guide to handle a colleague in denial.
The myth of the lone genius, hero scientist is dangerous for science and society. Here's how to fix it.
As Orwell knew only too well, if the concept of objective truth is moved into the dustbin of history there can be no lies. And if there are no lies there can be no justice, no rights and no wrongs.
Will the arrival and popularity of Oculus Go and other VR systems make us think differently about alternative realities and so-called alternative facts?
Intuition is just one of many factors that shape what you believe.
Reports of facts' death have been greatly exaggerated. Effective communication jettisons the false dilemma in favor of a more holistic view of how people take in new information on contentious topics.
Beneath simple labels like post-truth, alternative facts and fake news is a complex set of issues. Any debate about the problems needs to start from some common points of reference.
When it comes to facts versus opinions, just remember that not all facts have been true, and not all opinions should be dismissed either.
Alternate realities don't just exist in politics – and not all falsehoods are lies. Distortions of the truth can range from a normal part of human nature to pathological.
Top contributors
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Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
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Lecturer in Critical Thinking; Curriculum Director, UQ Critical Thinking Project, The University of Queensland
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Professor of International Relations, University of Sydney
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Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute, King's College London
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Professor of Communication, The Ohio State University
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Ronald W. Pies is a Friend of The Conversation.
Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Lecturer on Bioethics & Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine [through Dec. 2019], Tufts University
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Professor and Chair of Linguistics, University of Sydney
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Director, Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab, University of Cambridge
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Assistant Professor of History of Behavioral Science, The Ohio State University
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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
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Visiting Research Fellow in Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire
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Associate professor of Rhetoric and Communications, University of Winnipeg
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Professor of Astroparticle Physics, Queen's University, Ontario
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Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University School of Public Affairs
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Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell
