TW: We have a new word- agnotology. A simple concept but one which makes sense upon reflection. Perhaps we are not as ignorant as we think but merely more manipulated.
From the Big Picture blog:
"Fascinating discussion via Wired’s Clive Thompson, and Stanford historian of science Robert Proctor, on Agnotology:
'When it comes to many contentious subjects, our usual relationship to information is reversed: Ignorance increases.
[Proctor] has developed a word inspired by this trend: agnotology. Derived from the Greek root agnosis, it is “the study of culturally constructed ignorance.'
As Proctor argues, when society doesn’t know something, it’s often because special interests work hard to create confusion. Anti-Obama groups likely spent millions insisting he’s a Muslim; church groups have shelled out even more pushing creationism. The oil and auto industries carefully seed doubt about the causes of global warming. And when the dust settles, society knows less than it did before.
'People always assume that if someone doesn’t know something, it’s because they haven’t paid attention or haven’t yet figured it out,' Proctor says. “But ignorance also comes from people literally suppressing truth—or drowning it out—or trying to make it so confusing that people stop caring about what’s true and what’s not.” (emphasis added)
Fairly amazing, and when it comes to certain issues, its dead on.
What an awesome definition:
Agnotology: Culturally constructed ignorance, purposefully created by special interest groups working hard to create confusion and suppress the truth."
4 comments:
Wouldn't this comment be considered "agnotological"?
"Anti-Obama groups likely spent millions insisting he’s a Muslim"
The word "likely" is particularly relevant, because, of course, the author has no evidence whatsoever that this is the case. A few anti-Obama emails from Hillary supporters does not constitute a multi-million dollar smear campaign.
It's just really funny how the author rails against this purposefully constructed right wing ignorance, while at the same time peddling the same sort of BS from the left wing perspective.
A) my point, and I do not think the author's point, was that agnotology has a right wing oriented focus, if one of the examples mentions an anti-Obama thing so be it, obviously much time has been spent on some anti-Bush diatribes
B) regardless of this issue,to attribute the Muslim Obama thing to primarily Clinton is laughable, perhaps they started it but they did not fund the general election initiatives
Well I wasn't paying attention the way you were, but I didn't notice any multi-million dollar general election ad campaigns focusing on Obama's "muslim roots".
Was there an expose on Olberman that I missed?
re Olbermann I think Fox exerts alot of energy against he and MSNBC regularly of course it probably helps more than hurts...
Regardless it is good to have Xerxes back in the comments section it had been awhile!
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