Sometimes we utter streams of words to report what we actually perceive or believe. Other times we utter streams of less-than-true words to signal loyalty to a tribe [1]. Could someone please invent a hi-tech phone app help us? The app would have two lights:
Green: the person is sincerely trying to describe the world as it is.
Red: The statement is uttered regardless of truth value primarily to stay in good standing with a tribe.
As Jonathon Haidt wrote:
Morality binds and blinds. It binds us into ideological teams that fight each other as though the fate of the world depended on our side winning each battle. It blinds us to the fact that each team is composed of good people who have something important to say.
We’re never going to get rid of the human tendency to say false things in order to please their tribe. This goes way way back, including a thing that I’ve learned in Catholic school: a virgin can give birth. People look at you with confusion and glazed eyes when you ask them (as I really did in Catholic school): “I’m having trouble believing that. That seems like nonsense.” But then they utter it again and again every Sunday. But even if we can’t get rid of tribal statements that parade as truth statements, can someone please (I’m uttering this tongue in cheek) invent a device so we can clearly in immediately get some guidance when the tribal statement looks like a factual statement?
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