Share this article:
I’ve been reflecting on recent events both nationally and internationally, and how misinformation can quickly spiral out of control. Sometimes this is accidental, but other times deliberate misinformation can cause serious angst, hurt and even violence – there are many examples of this in our society at present.
I came to recall the encounter attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates.
He was once stopped by an acquaintance as he passed through the markets.
“I’ve something important to tell you,” he said. “It’s about your friend.”
“That’s very kind of you,” Socrates said. “But, don’t tell me just yet. I run all information through the Three Filters Test to ascertain if I want to know it.”
The man looked somewhat puzzled as Socrates continued, “First is the filter of truth. Whatever you want to tell me, have you seen or witnessed it first-hand?”
“Umm…I actually heard it from someone,” the man said, “and, it is from a trusted source.”
“Alright. But that does not pass my first test,” Socrates added, “since you don’t know whether it’s true.”
“Second is the filter of goodness. Is that a good statement you want to make about my friend?”
“Not really. That’s the reason I wanted—”
Socrates interjected, “So, you want to tell me something bad about someone but don’t know if it’s true.”
“The last is the filter of utility.” He continued, “Your statement about my friend, is that gonna be useful to me?”
“Not really as such. I just wanted to share.”
“Well, if the information is not necessarily true, it is not good, and, it is of no use,” Socrates concluded, “please, I don’t want to know about it.”
Of course, we often receive information that purports to be true, and it can be difficult to discern what is true and what isn’t. There are many voices speaking out of their own understanding or experiences, but they may not be based on truth, they may not be speaking for good reasons and they may not be helpful to us or society.
And what we say does matter – Jesus says “Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
So I am going to take heed of both Jesus and Socrates, and treat what I hear ‘on the grapevine’ with a healthy pinch of salt unless I have seen or experienced or tested them myself. Information we receive can help us form our opinions, but we should always retain some healthy scepticism in an age that modern philosophers are calling the ‘Post truth era’.
Over two thousand years of exploration of the Christian faith gives me confidence in the message that Jesus brought to us – that we are loved beyond measure by our Creator God, and my experiences of the divine tell me that this message is true, that it is good and that it can transform our lives for the better. In this Post Truth era, maybe the love of God is the truest thing of all.
The Rev'd Fr Benjamin Edwards
Vicar of Great Barton & Thurston
