The Manufacture of opinion

The Manufacture of Opinion

This piece is one of a number of articles on belief:

Anselm on God

Aspects of the psycho-sociology of belief

The Irrelevance of the Extremists of Belief I.html

The Irrelevance of the Extremists of Belief II.html

The Irrelevance of the Extremists of Belief III.html

There is a relatively systematic discussion of belief in Journey in Being-New World-2007

It is interesting that on both sides what we will call the Christianity versus Science debate, very few of the participants appear to ever change their minds. In fact in the recent blogs and posts, I haven't seen a single change -- even a minor one

Yet, if we step back from the extreme position that some people seem to take, the issues are subtle. Is there a God? The 'empirical method' is king in the empirical domain; but it says nothing definite outside that domain -- outside the empirically / scientifically known universe. So, if both sides give a little, the 'science camp' would admit that there may be a God in the extra-empirical domain of the universe (and that that domain may be infinitely larger and more varied than the empirical.) And the 'religion camp' might admit that their stories have sometimes got it wrong even though, perhaps, the message has a point (not just the moral message but also the cosmological one)

But no. No one is giving an inch

I don't need anyone to tell me how / what to think. However, I can always learn from someone else's thinking without their telling me that what they say is the (absolute) truth. It is from their thought process that I learn - not from their proclamations

The rigidity of Dinesh's positions as well as those who he calls the 'atheists' suggests that they do not seek the truth so much as to propagandize. They are and probably see themselves as manufacturers of opinion. And, that is perhaps what feeds their self esteem -- the manufacture of opinion and not a concern with truth

The manufacture of opinion has become a major function of think tanks in America today. This is true for conservative and liberal. Currently the conservatives seem to be doing a little better and those who follow political events may the truth of this in the two most recent presidential elections. (There is of course, currently, a strong backlash.) One of the reasons that the conservatives have become better at it is that they have completely abandoned any concern with truth except for appearance. The liberals are somewhat constrained by their values

In our system of elections it is 'survival of whoever can best manufacture opinion.' That is the way it has become

And it is a clear threat to the efficient running of America under goals that are both realistic and human

Therefore the manufacturers of opinion assume great importance in this day. Dinesh D'Souza, for example, is a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution, at Stanford University. It is consistent with his employment that he should of course have good analytic skills but that these skills should see service in the interest of the manufacture of opinion over the interest of truth

Of course, D'Souza is one of many on both sides - conservative and liberal

Although the evolution of the 'manufacture of consent' is natural, it does not bode well for America

It is interesting that Einstein had more doubt than the manufacturers of opinion on the anti side of the 'God debate' and Christ himself (as well as Buddha) had more doubt than those on the pro side

A first step may be to listen to everyone -- but not only to those who are sure of their positions. We should seek out and listen very carefully to those who have self-doubt. But above all we might train ourselves to doubt while seeking answers