"The Misinformation Age," Cailin O'Connor and Owen Weatherall, Yale University Press, 266 pages, $26.
"Alternative facts." The term has become part of the vernacular, introduced anew by Kellyanne Conway, a Trump administration official. But while her phrasing may have been new, Conway was taking part in what has apparently become a conservative tradition — performing an extreme skepticism that dates back to Greek times.
Recall a high-ranking aide in the Bush administration needling a journalist for belonging to "the reality-based community." Cailin O'Connor and Owen Weatherall, in their book "The Misinformation Age," introduce their subject with the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary — a tree that reportedly grew gourd-like fruit filled with tiny lambs.
The claim was propagated during medieval times by so many respected naturalists and scholars that it took nearly four centuries before it was satisfactorily debunked. Those medieval scholars kept citing one another rather than verifying (or disproving) the Vegetable Lamb for themselves.
Social factors then and now are key to understanding the spread of belief, the authors wrote. For example, the authors show how industrial interests have repeatedly exploited any whiff of uncertainty to argue against government regulation.
The one thing you begin to notice in this book is that propagating a reflexive skepticism and sowing discord aren't terribly difficult, especially when there's a vested interest willing to pay for it; "merely creating the appearance of controversy" is often all that needs to be done.
NEW YORK TIMES
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More from Star Tribune
More From Star Tribune
More From Business
Business
Next UN climate talks are critical to plot aid for poorer nations, says incoming president
The man who will run United Nations climate talks this November views the negotiations as a key link in international efforts to curb global warming.
Business
Apple pulls WhatsApp and Threads from App Store on Beijing's orders
Apple said it had removed Meta's WhatsApp messaging app and its Threads social media app from the App Store in China to comply with orders from Chinese authorities.
Nation
New York closing in on $237B state budget with plans on housing, migrants, bootleg pot shops
New York state lawmakers are on the verge of passing a $237 billion budget that includes sweeping plans to build housing, shutter unlicensed cannabis storefronts and help manage the city's migrant crisis.
Business
BNSF Railway says it didn't know about asbestos that's killed hundreds in Montana town
BNSF Railway attorneys are expected to argue before jurors Friday that the railroad should not be held liable for the lung cancer deaths of two former residents of an asbestos-contaminated Montana town, one of the deadliest sites in the federal Superfund pollution program.
Business
Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska's petroleum reserve
The Biden administration said Friday it will restrict new oil and gas leasing on 13 million acres (5.3 million hectares) of a federal petroleum reserve in Alaska to help protect wildlife such as caribou and polar bears as the Arctic continues to warm.