Intelligent people can sometimes fall into traps of prejudices without knowing or acknowledging the fallacies of their own doing. The proliferation of myths on cyberspace despite avenues to verify and authenticate information. Many a time, we mislead by spreading misinformation. Some of us have inadvertently become messengers of falsehood and enjoying it. Imagine good old village gossips multiplied a million times over.
Since the Age of Reason and Enlightenment, we have been taught that logical thinking entails believing what you could see, feel and prove, and not on hearsay or what has been cast in stone. However, we often encounter people who would rather search for the slimmest clues which may remotely resembles or are totally urelated to fit into a theory or belief.
Instead of studying the evidence to arrive at a sensible and educational assessment, they love to base on hunches and assertions.
While history sometimes repeats itself, it is never the same every time. One cannot always look at the present and future by examining previous chapters that have closed. Just like the analogy of a flowing river over time. When one marks a point in the river at different times, can one say with certainty that this is still the same river as before and in future?
Unlike reverse engineers who deserve some credit and respect for putting in the hard work, misinformers who unknowingly or deliberately fabricate or tweak evidence are intellectually dishonesty. Liars could cry wolf for a while but their credibility will be dented. Contrary to common belief, life can still be interesting disseminating facts instead of sensational tales. Humility and open-mindedness would help to our ability to discern and promote better understanding.
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