2021-11-26
The AIER (American Institute for Economic Research) take me to task with their latest article on the genesis of popular truth and knowledge.
It's true that it was not me specifically that they had in their sights, yet in some measure I do have to plead guilty to presenting a somewhat one-sided view of certain topics (well OK, many topics) that we cover on this site.
So it's worth asking:- what differentiates this site from the rest of "received opinion"?
This being a question that our readers really ought to ask themselves, it would not be fitting for me to advise you what to think on this topic - after all, my stated objective is to help and encourage everybody to think for themselves - the "good Lord" (of whatever persuasion you choose) has endowed us with an amazing and still mysterious capability lodged between our ears and it would be the height of disrespect to leave it unused just because we can't be bothered.
Still, one can perhaps indicate some likely appropriate avenues for contemplation, and in keeping with my preference for going back to first principles, here we go:
- What senses do we have at our personal disposal?
- What can we check out to be true with our own senses?
- How can we check out that which our own senses cannot reach?
- Why do corporations invest huge sums in carefully defining the processes by which they operate?
- What role do external consultants play in defining such processes?
- What are the benefits of using such consultants?
- What are the (very real!) risks?
- How are the above questions relevant to us in deciding what we believe?
- What are the alternatives (note the plural) to believing?
Good Luck!
