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Articles on Facts
Displaying 1 - 20 of 32 articles
Two concepts can help explain why society seems increasingly unable to agree on basic facts.
ChatGPT and other AI chatbots seem remarkably good at conversations. But you can’t believe anything they say. Sometimes, though, reality isn’t the point.
Here are some reasons for the natural human tendency to avoid or reject new information that runs counter to what you already know – and some tips on how to do better.
Instead of complacent acceptance of misinformed beliefs, we need institutional moves to cultivate trust between experts and the public.
Fact-checking risks oversimplifying and distorting Americans’ political conflicts, while not actually helping people find ways to work together productively.
How you respond to a risk depends on how you weigh the costs and benefits of an action. The problem is you’re not just a logical computer, and emotions bias your interpretation of the facts.
Cognitive shortcuts help you efficiently move through a complicated world. But they come with an unwelcome side effect: Facts aren’t necessarily enough to change your mind.
Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call ‘motivated reasoning.’
It’s common to encounter people who are misinformed, but don’t know it yet. What’s the best way to talk to someone else about what they think is true?
Is making sense of a story more important than getting at its truth? Looking at the treatment of myth in ancient Greece may help us navigate what is true, and whether that matters.
Images without context or presented with text that misrepresents what they show can be a powerful tool of misinformation, especially since photos make statements seem more believable.
Whether in situations relating to scientific consensus, economic history or current political events, denialism has its roots in what psychologists call ‘motivated reasoning.’
The world faces a collision between facts and alternative facts – so how do experts get their message heard over the din of fake news?
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?
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.
Top contributors
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Assistant Professor of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
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Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University
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Research Assistant Professor, Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University
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Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Education; 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 & Director of the School of Communication, The Ohio State University
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Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Lecturer on Bioethics & Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University; and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine; Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, Psychiatric Times., Tufts University
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Professor and Chair of Linguistics, University of Sydney
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Assistant Professor of History of Behavioral Science, The Ohio State University
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Professor of Public Health, Texas A&M University
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Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut
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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
