Section 3, Plea #3
Learn to recognize false information, malicious intent, and zombie theories
If you have agreed not to reject understanding (i.e., you reject hate), and you have agreed to increase your understanding (i.e., you reject apathy), there is still one more challenge for you to accept… identifying falsehoods, con men/women, and acts of manipulation. Failure will lead to warped understanding, and warped understanding can make you an unwitting tool of the liars and scoundrels who led you down that path.
Finland recognized over a decade ago that having an informed citizenry also meant giving them the tools to identify false and misleading information. So, it developed a curriculum to teach students at all levels how to identify lies and other tools of manipulation. As described in the Helsinki Times on January 25, 2025:
“The country’s commitment to media literacy is rooted in its history. Finland shares a long border with Russia and has been exposed to disinformation campaigns for decades. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Finnish government intensified its efforts to counter online propaganda. By 2016, critical thinking was emphasised (sic) in schools to prepare citizens for the challenges of the digital age.”
As a result of this intentional approach, Finns are not as likely to be scammed as citizens of other nations, i.e., Finland consistently ranks #1 on a European Media Literacy Index. In 2021, the group “Media Literacy Now” expanded their media literacy analysis to include other OECD nations. The result gave the United States a media literacy ranking of #15, whereas our Canadian neighbor ranked #4!
I am not aware of any intentional actions on the part of our nation’s leaders to help us fight the onslaught of lies and emotionally toxic half-truths that those addicted to power use to manipulate us to serve their needs, often at the expense of our own well-being. In fact, I see the opposite… an intentional effort to silence those who try to warn that something is not right in this country.
We also need to beware of false saviors. This can include Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is simply a computer model that searches for information and combines it in ways that the modeler intended, often without validating the truthfulness of that information. Twitter, now X, is a classic example. It used to be a forum for the open exchange of ideas and a first pass at breaking news. Now it has been remodeled to promote conservative and autocratic points of view. In other words, AI prioritizes the needs of its designers over the needs of its users, and if those designers have malicious intent, the output will be more purposely tainted than artificially intelligent.
There is one final thing to be aware of, and that is Zombie Theories, a term coined by the economist Paul Krugman. The concept is as follows. As we seek to understand the world in new ways through science, economics, art, religion, and other venues, we develop new models (or theories), and we begin using those models to make changes in society, in our schools, and in our families. But as those models get used, they create impacts that can be measured. If those measurements show that the models are not producing the benefits they claim to be designed for, then those models should be retired because they are based on false premises and give false predictions. In other words, those models should be considered dead. But there are people who continue to promote and use the “dead models” for their own purposes. And this can lead to a zombie apocalypse where dead ideas begin to take over society.
Dr. Krugman is an expert in economic models and uses this analogy to underscore the importance of rejecting the use of disproved modeling for economic planning. My expertise as described in this book is to promote deeper awareness (i.e., understanding) before making critical decisions. I see that the current prevalent theory in this country’s leadership is that machismo, testosterone, guns and a handful of very rich people controlling the flow of everything, are all that is needed to make America Great Again. But look at history. These characteristics have never made any nation sustainably great and therefore should be considered aspects of a Zombie Theory. I just pray that as we develop the tools to improve our understanding by rejecting lies and manipulation, we can put to bed old-fashioned ideas and pave a way to a safer, saner future.
(First posted October 6, 2025)
(Prior post: Part 3, Plea #2: Let’s also Fight Apathy)
(Next post: Part 3, Plea #4: Use the Powers of Understanding to Strengthen “We the People”)