Misinformation Principle #8 states that misinformation benefits the few at the expense of the many. To understand this better let us look at a situation that you might think is misinformation by the many: groupthink.
While groupthink, the herd mentality or party loyalty may all be examples of the many or majority imposing detrimental views, this begs the question of how they come about their views. Humans are a tremendously varied species. When we are completely independent of external influences, and the information we get is decentralized and varied, we are all over the place in regards to our thoughts and feelings.
Having extreme thoughts and feelings is not being misinformed, it’s just being weirdly different. Some ideas I promote are far from mainstream. That does not mean I am misinforming you. Either my research has led to some unique insights, or I’m a wacko, but in both cases it’s genuine information. Having either extreme or “normal” thoughts different from what you might have concluded independently would be a reflection of having been misinformed.
Groupthink thus comes about in one of two ways. Either a belief is so readily confirmed by the common experiences of the many that people will come to the same conclusion no matter their independence or starting points, or they are conforming to doctrine being promoted by a few, regardless of their own experiences. The Golden Rule is an example of the former, party platforms an example of the latter. Or, to look at this according to Principle #8, groupthink that benefits everyone probably is based on genuine information. Groupthink that benefits the few at the expense of the many must be based on misinformation
Tags: Misinformation
