Do you wonder, “What, if anything, do I really know?” If so, you and I can go on this journey together. If the answer is no, it is likely that you are deluding yourself into thinking that you have answers to questions that you have little thought about.

On the account often referred to as Pilate joking, we find the following exchange: “Jesus replied: ‘Because … I have come into the world … to bear witness to the truth …’ Pilate said to him: ‘What is truth?'” (Quid est veritas? )

Ted Williams said, “If you don’t think too well, don’t think too much.” Most of us, sadly, “don’t think too well.” (sic.) We assume that our thinking is based on our cognitive processes. However, very often, our thoughts are not ours.

Propaganda is information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view. Do they educate us or do they propagandize us? Albert Einstein defined education as “what remains after one has forgotten all that one has learned in school.”

It is very important that we have some knowledge of the motivation behind the “teacher” of information / knowledge that is passed on. Are they trying to inform, convince or persuade? Perhaps they are intentionally trying to cheat.

Some people seem to have no interest in what they are saying. However, it may be unwise to conclude that they are not lying. As Blaise Pascal said, “Some people lie just for the sake of lying.”

If you are like me, you find it increasingly difficult to find reports that are not tainted with bias. Years ago, while working at a university’s graduate school, I was assigned to the Research Department. Although they are never fully successful, researchers learn to seek balance (that is, neutrality in the results derived from the research carried out).

This is often very difficult to achieve if there are strong vested interests in the outcome. I vividly remember a research project that I started at that time, another faculty member said, “It was nice meeting you, Tom.”

When I decided to discuss this topic for the first time, I thought that we could tackle the problem with relative ease. However, there is much more that we need to discuss to do justice to the issue.

Have you ever wondered if the truth looks the same, regardless of where on the planet it is being discussed? Research has revealed that Westerners place more emphasis on individual rights. Orientals seem to put more emphasis on social responsibility.

If you want to explore this further, please join me in future articles.