Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Volume > Substance = Ignorance


The loudest, most strident voices most often belong to the people whose case is the weakest or who know the least about the topic they are pontificating about. These people compensate for the lack of substance in their argument by increasing their volume. (Or resorting to name-calling, or alleging a conspiracy.)

This has likely been true forever, but it gets amplified by social media. (And, really, all the media anymore.)

Don't be swayed by the hysteria of the speaker. Instead, examine the argument.

Of course, if the argument is cogent, informed, and substantial, and the speaker is communicating with passion, then it's time to take action. Sometimes there is a fire. But until you verify the integrity of the argument, take it with a grain of salt. Most of the time the loudest people are just blowing a bunch of smoke.

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