In-The-Absence-Of-Truth-Bob Davis Podcast 1094

In-The-Absence-Of-Truth-Bob Davis Podcast 1094

In The Absence Of Truth

Above all in the absence of truth lies evil. Details in In-The-Absence-Of-Truth-Bob Davis Podcast 1094.

Delirium

Moreover if we’re navigating in a world without truth then we’re living in a form of delirium.

Fact Checker

Firstly I often find myself in the role of ‘fact checker’ around the nomad campfire.

Nobody Likes A Fact Checker

And every now and then I declare a moratorium on fact checking.

Because when it comes to the social aspects of nomad life no one wants find themselves constantly corrected.

No One Wants To Be Made Wrong

In addition none of us wants to be wrong.

Determining Facts

However over the winter months one of the skills I developed was the ability to determine facts and therefore truth.

Certainly there are methods of logic.

As well as legal standards such as the basic rules of evidence.

Finally the need for context on any particular controversial subject.

Not Political

Most importantly while I started these podcasts with political content over time I have developed a policy against such content.

Therefore the tools I offer can be useful when determining facts in any subject of conversation, without getting political.

In fact I don’t really care what the reader’s political leanings might be.

We All Need A Dose Of The Truth

That is to say we all need a dose of fact checking every now and then.

Fact Checking Is Not Listening To The Guy You Agree With

To sum up all media has devolved into creating a sense of urgency around it’s content while at the same time developing a penchant for predicting the future.

Sometimes We Don’t Know

More importantly no matter what we’re talking about sometimes the best thing we can do is admit we just don’t know.

My Own Search For Truth

In conclusion it’s important to point out I discovered these tools in my own search for truth regarding the recent run up in the price of fuel and the ensuing inflation.

It has been difficult and time consuming but rewarding.

Context

To be sure the hardest part of all of this is developing a sense of historical context and an instinct for what is relevant in any consideration of a problem.

No One Else Is Going To Do It

Secondly and sadly these days no one is going to do this work for us.

(Editor’s Note: The absence of truth comment at the beginning of this podcast is my own reduction. Links to the actual quotes in the blog above.)

Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

In-The-Absence-Of-Truth-Bob Davis Podcast 1094

 

 

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:05 — 80.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast 605-Bannon's Fourth Turning

Podcast 605-Bannon’s Fourth Turning

Steve Bannon and The Fourth Turning

The President’s co chief of staff is obsessed with a book called The Fourth Turning. Podcast 605-Bannon’s Fourth Turning discusses reaction to the idea someone as powerful as Steve Bannon would formulate a political philosophy on a pop history/sociology best seller. The Fourth Turning co-author the late William Strauss was a playwright, theater director and lecturer. Co-author Neil Howe is a best selling author and consultant. Strauss and Howe coined the term ‘Millennial’. Both men described themselves as Amateur Historians. The Fourth Turning, Bannon’s apparent zeitgeist, was published in the early 1990’s. See a video of the two authors appearing on C-Span’s BookNotes here.

Chaos Dead Ahead

The book some say Steve Bannon has based his political philosophy on postulates every 80 years the United States is marked by crisis and chaos. Business Insider says Bannon believes the United States will soon reach our climax conflict and that Trump is in the White House to usher it in.

Is the United States in a Political Crisis?

Politicians tend to magnify the political challenges they face. Reporters play along. Divided since the beginning crises of one kind or another have been a way of life in the US. It’s very American to think of the government with distrust and apprehension. Especially when, as the saying goes, the legislature is in session. Are we in a political crisis?

Want To Know The Future?

Crisis will find the Trump administration. The response to crisis is what will determine it’s fate. Theories predicting ‘the’ crisis are questionable. Free Will is a gift to Human Beings. We think and act voluntarily. We can be the authors of our own stories. Controversy surrounding the Fourth Turning and Steve Bannon’s embrace of the theory encapsulates much of what is wrong with our politics. In Podcast 605-Bannon’s Fourth Turning I’ll tell you why.

One Day At A Time

Living one day at a time doesn’t mean avoiding passionate views. We do not remain passive and uninvolved but do the best we can with what we have. We will never know exactly what tomorrow may bring. Isn’t that the fun part of life?

Sponsored by X Government Cars and Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:21 — 90.1MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

 

Podcast 240

Media Fatigue. A voice mail from a friend sets a podcast about media in motion. ‘The Media’ occupies a big space in our society these days. Especially television. Especially the cable news networks. With people of a certain political persuasion, especially Fox News. At a recent political meeting, people were asked to raise their hands to answer three questions; How many attended a recent Basic Political Unit meeting (about ten), how many are precinct captains (about three), how many watch Fox News (everyone). Yes people are tired, frustrated, burned out, angry and confused, but they keep watching, and watching, and watching! Media is taking time away from citizen action to actually change things. What IS ‘The Media’? What effect does it have on society and individuals? Modern media has taken the space occupied by the fireside, by ceremony, by the shaman and priest. We think we are modern, but human nature hasn’t changed much. For all the things media does (entertain and inform), its primary purpose is to persuade. Print, radio, television and digital have different origins and textures, and are used for different reasons. Americans think they’re being informed but they’re being bombarded with emotional appeals, especially during elections. Reason and intellect are not in the media’s lexicon. We are ill served by poor reporting, story lines to keep people viewing and listening, and of course bias. There is nowhere to escape this constant stream of emotional persuasion, as long as you keep watching, hoping it will change. Are there times when television reaches high points? Absolutely. Does it happen very often. No. People have to learn to develop a strategy for what they watch, how they watch, and what they use the media for. (Editor’s Note: I counted 16 different things we can do and I list them in this podcast). People are constantly saying, ‘The mainstream media is biased, it has to change’. Why wait for the leopard to change its spots? Learn to use tools to watch, listen and read what you want, when you want it, how you want it. As things stand right now, media is making us more ignorant everyday. Expecting to BE informed from the mainstream cable news, talk radio and broadcast television, is a lost cause. Sponsored by Baklund R&D. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:08 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS