On Truth We are no longer in a culture war, we are fighting instead an epistemological war, where authoritarians seek to replace process with diktat: why truth is a gradient and not a boolean. - ThreadSky

emily.gorcen.ski • 49 days ago

https://emilygorcenski.com/post/on-truth/

We are no longer in a culture war, we are fighting instead an epistemological war, where authoritarians seek to replace process with diktat: why truth is a gradient and not a boolean.

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ohyeahisee.bsky.social•48 days ago

Ummmmm...............................DIKTAT ?

Geeeeeesus that's gotta' hurt !!

joy.bleak.life•49 days ago

This is fucking excellent

rosemmason.bsky.social•48 days ago

📌

cyrusthinks.bsky.social•48 days ago

Very well said, although I'm not sure what she means by waging an epistemological war. How do you "play the rules" rather than the pieces, without resorting to the same tactics of misinformation? Moreover, is this type of war winnable?

stevereadsydney.bsky.social•48 days ago

Excellent article and thought provoking…

emily.news•49 days ago

oh heads up, you got "heaver-than-normal" in the first paragraph

janmaarten.com•48 days ago

This is so good.

janmaarten.com•48 days ago

I often think about how “fans” freak out about the slightest difference in the adaptation of a story, even fiction and how that affects our perception of what truth is, and vice versa...

janmaarten.com•48 days ago

Then I think about simpler times when a story—even those foundational to a culture—would change every time it was told. That didn’t change the message or how true it was. Wish I could show how this relates to the idea of truth as a process; how well people were able to work together and share power.

callistamoonrise.bsky.social•44 days ago

https://www.tiktok.com/@aidanetcetera/video/7457278729757281558?_r=1&_t=ZT-8stvRa93msU Also I found this researcher, @aidanwalker.bsky.social to have some quite interesting insights on epistemiological truth. I'd love to see more work on ivermectin and modern-day shibboleths.

callistamoonrise.bsky.social•48 days ago

Love the epistemological approach. IMHO both Trump and Musk are fascists but of a different ilk. Trump is an old-fashioned lying authoritarian but Musk plays with people with his lies. It feels like an Edgelord game to sow chaos. The shibolleth of ivermectin fascinates me in that context.

nerdy.es•48 days ago

“…Why truth is a gradient and not a boolean”.

Feck me, that is one hell of a lede.

Wow.

vulgareconomics.bsky.social•48 days ago

Are you familiar with Giovanni Gentile, because my read on fascism is that it specifically takes advantage of "the embrace of an idea that truth is inherently incomplete, inherently dynamic, and inherently collaborative." Mussolini literally said "liberals write history fascists make it."

invalidname.me•48 days ago

What’s stunning is who led us to this state of affairs. “A is A”, the libertarians tell us, “unless Mr. Trump says otherwise.”

lleites.bsky.social•49 days ago

When people speak about truth I tend to ask: Whose truth?
Amazing article as usual, wen book?

jamiedcville.bsky.social•49 days ago

Excellent all around, especially thus:

"I had come to recognize that the American mythology I had been brought up with greatly overstated and valorized my country’s role in World War II"

Merci.

wscotgrey.bsky.social•49 days ago

Beautifully written Emily, thank you!

g-dubinva.bsky.social•48 days ago

Man, I've missed your insight... should have made the move sooner.

seitzy.bsky.social•49 days ago

I had a history professor tell me "There is no 'capital T' truth" and I think about that a lot.

bookdetective.bsky.social•48 days ago

If you have the time and energy to dig deeper you may discover that Martin Caidin’s reliability as a historian is suspect. I know of one instance when he fooled a book publisher into paying for a proposal for a non-fiction aviation book which was a con of almost of Clifford Irving-level audacity.

ericjmorey.com•49 days ago

There has always been a war on Truth. George Orwell wasn't the first draw attention to it and Stephen Colbert was certainly not able to put an end to it. The leading actors in the current theater won't stop with this essay either. But it's good to have reminders and updates from recent battles.

paul-lukasiak.bsky.social•48 days ago

in my next life, I want to come back as someone who teaches Democrats how to speak and write in a way that "average" people appreciate and understand.

fabularasa.bsky.social•48 days ago

It would be nice if you wanted to start right now, but I get it if you’re too worn out after reading this.

paul-lukasiak.bsky.social•48 days ago

admirable!

stiffelman.bsky.social•48 days ago

Well framed.

brainnotonyet.bsky.social•49 days ago

This is excellent! I’m so glad seeing others starting to talk about the threat as an epistemological and one of knowledge and truth.

beebalmfaerie.bsky.social•49 days ago

📌

goodwillhrunting.bsky.social•49 days ago

Pilots overclaiming kills is such a perfect example. Sure, the gunners may have claimed more kills than the actual number of fighters in the area, but it’s still a useful data point in a broader narrative.

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