Facts

Friedrich Nietzsche once observed that “There are no facts, only interpretations”. This is becoming a truism these days, as many leaders pursue a policy of trying to turn lies into truths for personal or political reasons. Repeated attacks on the truth are taxing our ability to pursue and enjoy good governance. 

In such a climate, how can members of society achieve any kind of consensus if they cannot agree on basic or fundamental facts? Can people counteract polarizing leaders who use lies to create division and hatred without having a solid command of and access to facts and developing strategies to deliver factual messages effectively? 

Today, in COVID-19, we face a major pandemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and cost us billions of dollars in economic losses. Yet, many leaders discard the facts and pursue their own interests in dealing with the situation, creating more havoc and diminishing our ability to deal with reality as it is.

They ignore facts that don’t fit their own particular political narratives. Rather, they repeat lies and falsehoods with the certain knowledge that a lie repeated constantly soon becomes a “truth”. They ridicule those who present honest and factual assessments, believing that, for many people, positive sounding falsehoods are easier to accept than inconvenient or difficult truths.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once noted that “the main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts but learning how to make facts live.”

Making facts live requires developing critical judgment. It requires training people to discern between fact and fiction and choose leaders and policies wisely. Yet one can repeat the truth over and over again and demonstrate that it is based on provable facts without convincing those who think otherwise to abandon falsehoods. Today’s political climate provides ample proof of this phenomenon.

Attacking serious media, journalist and experts and giving equal credibility to purveyors of falsehoods is an unfortunate reality of our time. And worshiping at the altar of ignorance rather than promoting facts and expertise is creating new audiences who prefer subjective perceptions to objective facts.

Is there any remedy? In my view, not in the short term. Polarization will continue to plague us.

As long as education systems don’t teach and encourage critical thinking people of all ages and persuasions will lack the tools with which to differentiate fact from fiction.

As long as populist political leaders are quick to promote falsehoods as truths to achieve their own goals, we will live in a world of doubt and ignorance.

Getting their lies accepted by followers underscores their own power. And their followers feel empowered by following their lies, especially if they legitimize their own prejudices.

And as long as social media creates an equivalence between lies and facts, we will face divisions and hatred rather than consensus and strength. 

Liberal democratic parties, leaders, and proponents must constantly challenge purveyors of falsehoods and actively address the potential danger that we all face if truth and facts are subjected to ridicule by those who would govern through ignorance and fear.

Social media platforms must take an active role in ensuring that the truth prevails on their sites. Advertisers must hold social media companies to account. Voters must use critical judgment in deciding whom they follow. And we must not continue empowering leaders who lie.

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Edición: Ana Ordaz