"A significant portion of Americans (perhaps one-fifth) have become so epistemically captured that they will believe any explanation their leader offers, regardless of contradictions or evidence."
I think you're off by a factor of two. Most of my life I thought the number of my fellow citizens susceptible to such capture was between 5-20%…
"A significant portion of Americans (perhaps one-fifth) have become so epistemically captured that they will believe any explanation their leader offers, regardless of contradictions or evidence."
I think you're off by a factor of two. Most of my life I thought the number of my fellow citizens susceptible to such capture was between 5-20% and probably closer to the low end. As I've watched recent events unfold, the realization of how foolish I was, and the implications of the true reality, have really stung.
I think Isaac Asimov explained it best: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” .
"A significant portion of Americans (perhaps one-fifth) have become so epistemically captured that they will believe any explanation their leader offers, regardless of contradictions or evidence."
I think you're off by a factor of two. Most of my life I thought the number of my fellow citizens susceptible to such capture was between 5-20% and probably closer to the low end. As I've watched recent events unfold, the realization of how foolish I was, and the implications of the true reality, have really stung.
I appreciate your work and I'm with you.
I think Isaac Asimov explained it best: “There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” .