Truth or Consequences

 "Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
                Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know."
                                                       From “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats

By no means am I a professional journalist.  I do not pretend to be, but I have been encouraged to continue expressing my thoughts on the current political climate in which we live.  And in doing so, I find that to produce what I would call a “clean” article, if I use any information to support my writings, I need to verify that information.  I do not want to pass on information that may very well be wrong.

There are but two types of “truth” if know.  One is Probable Truth, the other is Absolute Truth

Probable Truth is scientific in nature.  It takes a situation and analyzes it and then develops a percentage of probable truth.  For example, an old Ivory soap ad said the soap was 99.44 pure soap.  The reason?   A chemist's analysis of Ivory soap indicated that 56/10000th of the ingredients did not fall into the category of pure soap. Procter subtracted from 100, and wrote the slogan "99-44/100% Pure" which first appeared in Ivory's advertising in 1882.  

The same can be said with the prediction of precipitation in a weather forecast.  Meteorologists study weather patterns, take into consideration wind, humidity and dew point, and can make no more than a prediction of probability of the chance of rain or snow.  
 
Our legal system presents information to a jury that is factual and a decision is made to determine innocence or guilt.  Even though the jury hears these arguments, and the legal system demands a juror must be thoroughly convinced the defendant is guilty, it is still probable truth.  As with Probable Truth, it must be realized there is an acceptance the truth could be right or wrong.
 
Absolute Truth is just that.  This truth is accepted by faith alone.  The classic example of Absolute Truth is a belief in a Supreme Being, God, Allah, Budda, or other entities.  There is no room for questioning…one either accepts this truth or rejects it.
 
So, I ask, what is the importance of truth and knowing the facts?  The answer to that question is fairly simple:  How does one know what one knows to be true, if one does not know the truth?  
 
There is a lot of misinformation and disinformation in the world; it is spoken by officials for various reasons, some good, some bad.  The media slants the news to fit its viewers or readers.  We all know or can identify government officials who have not been forthright with information, just as we can identify newspapers, magazines, tv stations, and internet sources that slant the news for the readers sake.  
 
I am of the opinion, one should not regurgitate something that is said or written in a discussion without knowing how true the information happens to be.  And so, it is incumbent upon us to know how to verify information to insure the information is correct.  I would like to offer some methods on how to do so.
 
1. Evaluate the Source:
     Credibility:  Who said it or wrote it?  Are they an expert or very knowledgeable about what they say or write?  What are the qualifications of the person who spoke or has written.  If one has read the information, is the publication a credible publication?
     Purpose and Bias:  What is the purpose of the information?  Is it to inform, convince, or entertain the audience?  Is the speaker/author/publication biased in any particular manner?
     Objectivity:  Try to find the point of the information.  Avoid information that is sensationalized or emotional.  
     Timeliness:  Ensure the information is up-to-date and relevant to the current topic. 
 
2. Consider the Context:
     Background Information:  Understand the historical, social, and political context surrounding the information. 
     Evidence:  Look for evidence to support claims, such as citations, data, or expert opinions. 
     Common Sense:  Apply critical thinking and common sense to assess the plausibility of the information. Is it logical?  And be careful of logic...
 
He said, she said, they said…just does not fly anymore in this age of information and disinformation.  It just does not fly.  Is it a challenge to verify information?  Yes, but isn’t the truth worth it?