What is Truth?Discerning Fact from Fiction in a world of Fake News

What is Truth?

● Something that is in accordance to fact or reality

● That which is accurate or exact

Why is the Truth hard to discern?

Cultural Pluralism

Leveling the Journalistic Playing Field

Personal Experience is not Reliable

Differing Perspectives

Incomplete Information

How did we get here?A Historical Perspective

Early ModernityRenaissance to

Industrial Revolution

Truth is Transcendent

Truth is to be Discovered

Access to Truth is controlled by Institutions (Church & State)

Modern EraIndustrial Revolution to

Mid-20th Century

Loss of trust in Institutions

Loss of trust in Humanity

Rejection of long-held truths and ideals

Postmodern EraMid-20th Century to Today

Replacement of metanarratives with micronarratives

Cultural Pluralism

Truth is a social construct

How do we know what’s true?

Check the Facts

Check the Credentials

Check the Biases

Check Yourself