David Roberts article on Vox

[cilla4progress]

America is facing an epistemic crisis

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/2/16588964/america-epistemic-crisis

<Snip≥

Crazy conservative fairy tales have become numbingly common
The sheer absurdity of the tale is familiar these days, reminiscent of “Pizzagate,” the bonkers story about Democrats running a child prostitution ring out of a DC pizza joint. Even after it went viral on Reddit and some jacked-up angry white guy showed up at Comet Pizza with a gun, it still had the scent of parody. It is quite simply impossible for most people to imagine believing all the things that would be required to also believe that DC Democrats are into organized child trafficking.

....

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe US institutions have more life in them than I think. But at this point, it’s just very difficult to imagine anything that could bridge the epistemic gulf between America’s tribes. We are split in two, living in different worlds, with different stories and facts shaping our lives. We no longer learn or know things together, as a country, so we can no longer act together, as a country.

So we may just have to live with a president indicted for collusion with a foreign power.

[smirkymonkey]

1. K&R

[malaise]

2. My problem with his piece is that the word fact has only one meaning

There are never two sets of facts about one issue. We may have different stories but not different facts. Some choose to ignore facts and believe the stories.

[cilla4progress]

3. Nice,

M... agreed

[malaise]

4. There is no knowledge without facts based on

empirical evidence. It's that simple. It is why Fox is not entertainment - it is undiluted bullshit based on made up shit.

[maxsolomon]

5. You're quibbling.

The Right believes their Bullshit is Fact. They can't be persuaded by contrary evidence (AKA "evidence" ). They will not act on what Mueller proves.

That is the point.