Lucas Wright, Billinudgel
It’s difficult to fault John Scrivener’s assertion (Letters, 13 May) that official narratives should undergo rigorous critical analysis. History does prove that people and institutions often conspire, and tilt, toward corruption.
However, an argument could be made that – during this age in which widely disseminating misinformation has itself become a thriving yet corrupt enterprise. The ‘research’ and ‘questioning’ we’re encouraged to undertake ourselves can be inherently problematic, often leading to potentially dangerous beliefs held with quasi-religious fervour.
Does the notion that some wish to ‘enlighten’ the ‘incurious’ among us imply we can be led to salvation via information? If only we, like them, discover the direct line to the truth? Redemption, they tell us, is just a convincing YouTube clip away!
Philosopher Bertrand Russell said, ‘The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts’.
Today, clearly, there’s good reason to doubt dubious narratives on all sides. It’s a mistake, therefore, to dismiss many here as indifferent and needing edification. Perhaps, some of us simply struggle to get a word in edgewise, so we watch instead: patiently, quietly, while the fools and fanatics do little more than shout.
