{"id":14058,"date":"2017-08-25T07:22:16","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T14:22:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/?p=14058"},"modified":"2019-02-18T21:00:19","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T05:00:19","slug":"cornell-panel-on-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pocketwisdominsights.com\/pwicolab\/education\/education-co-lab\/education-co-lab-blogs\/third-party\/cornell-panel-on-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Panelists Highlight Role of Truth On Eve of Inauguration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening Insights<\/h2>\n

A Cornell Daily Sun article by Gloria Lee, dated August 24, 2017, speaks of a panelist discussion on \"Universities and the Search for Truth.\" \"The faculty panel explored the University\u2019s role in communicating reliable knowledge in an age of distrust and distortion.\"<\/p>\n

Informational Insights<\/h2>\n

Prof. Sarah Murray, linguistics, spoke about truth through the lens of language.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\u201cLanguage itself doesn\u2019t ensure the truth or reliability of information,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s how we use language and communication and who\u2019s using the language that are judgements about that.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>In discussing the possibility of communicating truth through language, Murray said that language is \u201ca public resource that is sometimes exploited by people for their own purposes.\u201d<\/strong>Prof. Mor Naaman, information science, mentioned the distortion of truth in terms of technological development.\u201cModern media technology is killing truth and knowledge,\u201d he said.<\/strong>\u201cDigital technology created an accelerated dynamic where, on the Internet, \u2018believers in anything and everything can find thousands of fellow fantasists,\u2019\u201d<\/strong> Prof. Naaman said, quoting novelist Kurt Anderson.He further emphasized how technology can \u201cundermine truth and knowledge.\u201d<\/strong>\u201cSome mechanisms enhance and direct participation in online spaces, including our desire for social approval,\u201d he added. \u201cOther mechanisms impact how we evaluate and even retain information \u2014 for example, social proof, confirmation bias and the backfire effect, causing us to reject information that does not agree with our beliefs.\u201d<\/strong>Prof. David Shalloway, molecular biology and genetics, spoke about the framework of truth through the lens of a scientist.<\/p>\n

\u201cData is observation, information is the interpretation of the data, and knowledge is broad statements and theories explained by large amounts of information,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n

According to Shalloway, this truth and accuracy functions as a \u201creputation\u201d that is critically important for scientists. \u201cIf you\u2019re caught in scientific fraud, your reputation is lost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Prof. Holly Prigerson, sociology in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, noted that \u201cTruthiness, like half-truths, is ubiquitous in medicine, particularly in the areas that I study, such as the end-of-life cancer care.\u201d<\/p>\n

She underscored the role of trust in truth for science and medicine, adding that the medical field relies heavily on an objective version of the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a need for big pharma and physicians to be more forthright in \u2026 presenting patients with full, honest information,\u201d she said. \u201cTurning half-truths into whole truths and avoiding truthiness that is saying what patients want to hear rather than what they need to hear, is a prescription for better end-of-life care.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether it is in digital media, medicine or the political realm, panelists emphasized, greater commitment to truth must be facilitated by academic institutions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I think many of us might disagree with some of the points made tonight, I think you can agree that conversations like this are the essence of universities,\u201d Lewenstein said.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Source:\u00a0\/\/cornellsun.com\/2017\/08\/24\/panelists-highlight-role-of-truth-on-eve-of-inauguration\/<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Possibilities for Consideration<\/h2>\n

The irony is that much of the misinformation and backfire effect is seen within young, student populations.<\/p>\n