How do you know what you know?

[shira]

Having strong opinions is a substitute for warfare. Defending our views amounts to righteously fighting battles against the "evil ones" holding opposing views.

Getting in that perfect zinger, showing the flaw in the opposing argument, dodging and weaving the opponents' verbal assaults - it's pure pleasure.

As to how I know what I know, I actually know almost nothing. I know various things about my consciousness, but that's about all. Almost everything else is belief - stronger or weaker.

Anyone who looks around and sees all the "certain" people out there, all disagreeing with one another, just HAS to acknowledge that certainty in one's own views doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

Just consider the Islamists, with their world view, the the born-again Christians, with theirs. Both groups exhibit powerful certainty, but their world views are diametrically opposed (except for their belief of existence of God and a few things about sexuality). That ought to tell you what "I know" amounts to.

Frankly, I think the tendency toward feeling certain is just a genetic predisposition, having very little to do with actual knowledge (or perhaps even an inverse relationship).

I'll bet that if you randomly selected 1000 people who characterized themselves as "very certain" about things in general and another 1000 people who characterized themselves as "not very certain" about things in general, and gave each group an objective test of general knowledge, you'd find the the "not very certain" group scored higher on average.

Anyway, that's one of the things I believe.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity
First my political views are my own, I don't follow any party blindly, it just happens that the democrats are the closest viable party atm for me. I get most of my news online from CNN, FOX, Yahoo, Google News, and right here in the forums (good place to get extremes from both sides). I also listen to Air America on occasion (webcast) as well as a little Bit of Rush (to hear the extreme right side).
I know where my moral / ethical compass points on most issues and as long as I stay true to that I can pick my own path.

You are missing a whole world of shortwave news sources. They do not report the same old CNN and Reuters stuff. You listen one direction, then the other and the truth is someplace in the middle. Just like tuning an instrument or aligning a circuit.

 

[Uhtrinity]

Originally posted by: Condor

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity
First my political views are my own, I don't follow any party blindly, it just happens that the democrats are the closest viable party atm for me. I get most of my news online from CNN, FOX, Yahoo, Google News, and right here in the forums (good place to get extremes from both sides). I also listen to Air America on occasion (webcast) as well as a little Bit of Rush (to hear the extreme right side).
I know where my moral / ethical compass points on most issues and as long as I stay true to that I can pick my own path.

You are missing a whole world of shortwave news sources. They do not report the same old CNN and Reuters stuff. You listen one direction, then the other and the truth is someplace in the middle. Just like tuning an instrument or aligning a circuit.

Well I come here so you can fill me in on those

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity

Originally posted by: Condor

Originally posted by: Uhtrinity
First my political views are my own, I don't follow any party blindly, it just happens that the democrats are the closest viable party atm for me. I get most of my news online from CNN, FOX, Yahoo, Google News, and right here in the forums (good place to get extremes from both sides). I also listen to Air America on occasion (webcast) as well as a little Bit of Rush (to hear the extreme right side).
I know where my moral / ethical compass points on most issues and as long as I stay true to that I can pick my own path.

You are missing a whole world of shortwave news sources. They do not report the same old CNN and Reuters stuff. You listen one direction, then the other and the truth is someplace in the middle. Just like tuning an instrument or aligning a circuit.

Well I come here so you can fill me in on those

Gladly, I just posted a link on the Iraq soldiers thread and am glad to share another one. If you need advice on radios, PM me.

English Language Shortwave Frequencies and times

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: sandorski
Basically, we can't know. Everyone gets their info from others, it is unavoidable. Are those Others reliable sources, I hope so.

How do you ever feel confident in forming a political opinion with such shifting sands as a foundation then?

You have to consume as many news sources as possible(left, right and center). However the hard part is sorting all that out and determining what the truth actually is.

 

[imported_Condor]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: sandorski
Basically, we can't know. Everyone gets their info from others, it is unavoidable. Are those Others reliable sources, I hope so.

How do you ever feel confident in forming a political opinion with such shifting sands as a foundation then?

You have to consume as many news sources as possible(left, right and center). However the hard part is sorting all that out and determining what the truth actually is.

Agreement, however: Many would debate the very existance of truth. Moving sands stuff. Reality is difficult enough to discern.

 

[beyoku]

The best Source

 

[Stunt]

Originally posted by: beyoku
The best Source

Al Jazeera has received many awards, lots of quality of people work there.
Just because they are the first to get extremist propoganda does make them any worse of a news source.

 

[azazyel]

FARK - I really enjoy their comment section. It's a great way to see both sides battling each other. You can then decide based on the information posted (sources etc) which seems more factual.


The American Cause - Pat Buchanan is considered to be extremely right to center. IMHO his is just more Nationalistic than most and is a representive of what conservatism used to be before the age of the Neocons. He tends to use very good historical data to support his views.

American Conservative - Another Buchanan type site, very much on the conservative side of things (small goverment etc)

Other than that I try to get info from orgs, or edu's.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: HotChic
Links to sources would be very much appreciated in responses.

How do you gather the information upon which you create your political views? My confidence in the media to produce relevant, accurate and complete reports is nil. I can't make myself rely on the hearsay from either real life or online individuals as far as facts because it doesn't seem to me that they have access to any better information than I do myself.

Where do you go for your news, and how do you know/why do you believe that your news source is a good one?

[edit] If you realize that your news source has tendencies towards certain views, please state that in your post too, and note either how you negate that or why you go along with it. I can't imagine that there is an entirely unbiased news source out there.

You are absolutely right. My problems consist of seeing multiple sides of an issue and not wanting to choose a side but rather to choose those parts of each side that make sense.

Thus, I sometimes come across as a pro-abortion environmentalist and at other times a pro-forced-life polluter. Those who think they are always right are both sad and funny. At the same time.

I also prefer to get all the facts, when possible, before reaching a conclusion. Thus, most of my stances start with "if the facts as known are true, then....".

This is why I rarely take a stance on issues that are absolute but tend to show the hypocrisy of those who would stand on both sides of the same issue when it benefits their agenda.

 

[ExpertNovice]

Originally posted by: Proletariat

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: sandorski
Basically, we can't know. Everyone gets their info from others, it is unavoidable. Are those Others reliable sources, I hope so.

How do you ever feel confident in forming a political opinion with such shifting sands as a foundation then?

You're thinking way too much into things and going in circles.

The sources we trust - such as the Washington Post and the New York Times are the best out there. Thats all we have to go on. They have many editors and checks and balances to go through. Just as in everything in life we trust our best sources. If a Harvard professor says something, we trust him, because he is one of the best at what he does.

If you look at everything from a completely questioning standpoint we really don't know anything. Thats a pretty dumb way too look at life and doesn't get anything accomplished, it just gets you depressed.

Personally I derive my views from what I see in the world with a dash of news thrown in. I think the best way to get a grip on the world is to travel see different places and talk to a lot of different people.

Therein lies one of the the main problems. The NYT will quote Congressman Murtha for days when he supports their agenda and state reasons why his statements are true. Then when Senator Lieberman gives an opposing viewpoint it is briefly mentioned and reasons are stated why he is wrong.

When a conservative is punished for taking bribes it will be front page news for days. A libreral it is hardly mentioned and even then they are defended.

If you consider NYT as unbiased and the best there is it shows how biased their readers are.