Knowledge, Truth and Propaganda

This is Part II and final part of my article based on the Paper, "Knowledge Cities and the Search fir Truth" co-authored by Alex Bennet and presented at the 10th Knowledge Cities World Summit, 2017 at Arequipa, Peru from 20th to 22nd June 2017. Thanks to her for permitting publishing of this extract from her paper. 

 All knowledge is imperfect since it is continually shifting and changing in concert with our environment, the demands placed upon us and our response to the environment. Even knowledge that has been effective in one instance may serve only as information at another instance. The information explosion has also enabled a misinformation explosion. The system filled with information is also filled with misinformation, distorting the search for truth.

Disinformation is information which is widely believed, but is probably false. This term, in contrast to misinformation, also includes the intent of deception. One source of disinformation (or misinformation) is the occurrence of honest errors, which are simply mistakes, misquotes or misattributions, but upon which myths are built. In this case, some information is partial, confusing, or ignoring details and context such that what is provided can’t be understood.

A second source of disinformation is official spin that is selective partial information released by those in-charge. This can be a destructive and controlling force when used by people in positions of power.

A third source of disinformation is that spread by foreign sources. The media may pick up dubious information and run with it; or they may be misled by foreign websites and releases.

A fourth source of disinformation is collected to historical amnesia. History easily vanishes from media memory and dates of events are often confused in the rush to be the first to reveal breaking news.

A fifth source of disinformation is leaks, which may or may not contain a level of truth. These are generally on purpose, with a personal agenda.

Distinguishing Truth and Untruth

Truth has value; untruth reduces the ability of thought to control energy, so thinking becomes more difficult. Exposure to untruth reduces the structure of our thinking and reduces our senses. The greater our exposure to untruths, the lower our ability to sense those untruths!

Perception

Perception is our impressions, attitude and understanding of what we observe. An artist will see things that a lawyer will not, and vice versa. We can affect our personal feelings, bringing about personal change by changing our perception.

Perceptions can be impacted by external forces. For example, because fashion magazines use incredibly skinny models week after week, year after year, many individuals with normal body weight perceive themselves as fat. Thus, individuals are perceptible to social trends.

Repeated bombardment of ideas also have a heavy impact, such that even initially recognized untruths become partial truths, which may for an individual or society over time become truths. The mixture of truth and untruth clogs our filters such that we lose the power of discernment.

With freedom of thinking and choice comes the need for discernment and discretion in recognizing truth and a good understanding of the broader ramification of decisions. To discern is to have the ability to see the unobvious.

 Propaganda

Propaganda is a group of ideas or statements, often false or exaggerated, spread with intent to help or hinder a cause, a political leader, a government, etc. It is a mode of power and control through information. While the information associated the propaganda may or may not be true, it is selectively engaged and spread to accomplish a hidden agenda. The knowledge created from propaganda does not lead to intelligent activity. Propaganda has no visible or definable fronts. It is not geographically localizable and is ubiquitous. It may be intangible and difficult to recognize.

In today’s information environment, there are two primary forms of propaganda, (a) the shifting of cause and effect and (b) the strategic weaving of untruth and truth, creating layers of lies. The first form entails making effects look like they are causes, thereby providing the ability to distort the reality and create false beliefs. The second form has become more common in today’s world. As lies continue to build, people actually forget prior lies. They also become comfortable with not hearing the truth.

A key factor in weaving of truths and untruths is rhythm, which can lead to destruction of mental faculties. If you can recognize this rhythm and disrupt it, the truth is easier to discern.

Final Comments

Reading through the Paper of Alex Bennet and discerning her thought process has not been very easy. However, in the process of doing so, I have been able to learn many a new concepts and the logic of her reasoning about truth, untruth, knowledge, misinformation, disinformation and propaganda. Hopefully, the readers of this post will find interesting take-away from here.