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Who Will Debunk The Debunkers?
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Who Will Debunk The Debunkers?


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8

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  • Innovative

Recommendation

People generally assume that oft-repeated “facts” are accurate, so truth-seeking skeptics and scholars play an important role in debunking false stories. But what happens when these myth busters replace one falsehood with another? Who holds them accountable – and are skeptics less likely to accept their own factual fallibility than others? getAbstract recommends this essay to truth-seekers interested in the evolving nature of facts – even, or perhaps especially, those touted by intellectual giants.

Take-Aways

  • Sometimes “fake facts” are repeated so frequently and emphatically that they come to be widely accepted as true – even when ample evidence exists to the contrary.
  • Because of one scientist’s faulty methods, for years, the amount of iron in spinach was exaggerated.
  • A “supermyth” is born when respected experts replace one set of fake facts with another – ironically in the pursuit of scientific accuracy and reduction of credulous bias.

About the Author

Daniel Engber writes about science and culture for Slate, Wired and other publications


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