Letter: Believing Falsehoods

Submitted by Aaron Arkin.

James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, played a pivotal role in drafting and promoting the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. He famously said “Education is the foundation of civil liberty.” He believed education would help people gain the knowledge and skills needed not only to be active participants in a democracy, but would preserve democracy itself. Also, that education would aid citizens develop the habits of mind that include curiosity, questioning, and a willingness to change.

Consistent with the spirit of Madison’s beliefs, the United States built a vast public education system and created numerous institutions of higher learning, both public and private, many the envy of the world. Since competency in literacy is sine qua non of an educated citizenry, it’s fair to ask one hundred and eighty-odd years after Madison’s death whether the citizens of the United States have mastered the requisite literacy, and therefore educational skills, needed to keep democracy going.

So, how are we doing? Governments and private research organizations interest has led to no shortage of studies measuring the literacy achievements of Americans, with records going back many years. According to a 2023 study conducted by the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), overall just over half of U.S. adults, 54% or 130 million people, are deficient in basic literacy and are only able to read below the 6th grade level. Other studies have America’s literacy rank at 36 among the other nations of the world.

The above referenced Government study results were divided into three groups of proficiency: Anything below Level 3 was considered “partially illiterate.” Adults scoring below Level 1 could comprehend simple sentences and short paragraphs but would struggle with multi-step instructions or complex sentences. Those at Level 1 could locate explicit information in short texts, but struggled with multi-page texts and complex prose. In general, both groups struggled when reading complex sentences and texts.

In evaluating our educational status, we need not rely solely on academic studies. In our digital age and with the ubiquity of polls, search-engine dives into the beliefs of many ordinary citizens also provide insight into the effects of literacy inadequacy, as illustrated by the following examples:

• Despite the scientific certainty that given the enormous distances between star systems and galaxies, and the fact that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, an increasing number of Americans (according to a 09/12/22 Ugov poll, 20% in 1992 to 34% in 2022) believe extra-terrestrials have visited Earth.
• Although the track record of vaccines shows them to be exceedingly safe, the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases, and have been responsible for the complete eradication of smallpox and a significant reduction in cases such as measles and polio, 36% of the US population believe vaccines are dangerous and/or ineffective (Pew Research Center). The result has been a lowering of the vaccination rate and a resurgence of preventable diseases including the once-eradicated (in the US) measles.
• Centuries of physics research have found nothing like ghosts exist. And so far, there is no proof that any part of a person can continue on after death. Nevertheless, recent surveys show that between 41% and 46% of Americans (depending on the survey) believe ghosts roam the Earth.
• A significant share of the United States population (58% according to an NBC and Wall Street Journal poll and up from 41% in 1999) believe guns make homes safer. But epidemiological studies strongly suggest that guns in the home increase the risk of injury for everyone living there. Several studies have found that the presence of a gun in a home elevates the risk of death. A 2014 review of the research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that access to firearms was associated with a doubled risk for homicide and a tripled risk for suicide. A 2017 article in Scientific American also ran through the evidence, concluding that gun ownership was associated with a higher risk of homicide, suicide, and accidental shootings.
• Opponents of immigration argue that immigrants drive up crime rates. But a newly released study found that hasn’t been the case in America for the last 140 years. Using US Census Bureau data, a study released by the National Bureau of Economic Research revealed that first-generation immigrants have not been more likely to be imprisoned than people born in the United States since 1880. Today, immigrants are 30 percent less likely to be incarcerated than are US-born individuals who are white, and much less likely when compared to all Americans. The vast majority of those entering the country are law-abiding, want to work and support their families, and secure a better future for their children. Immigrants’ contributions have enriched America, creating significantly more in economic growth than they receive in State services (09/6/18 National Immigration Forum report).

Unsupported beliefs and assertions, contradicted by empirical and scientific evidence, have something in common: they fall under the definition of “received” or “conventional wisdom”. That term dates back to at least 1838 and was used as a synonym for “commonplace knowledge.” It was later defined and its meaning sharpened to narrow it to those commonplace beliefs that are acceptable and comfortable to society, thus enhancing people’s ability to resist facts that might diminish them.

Therefore, conventional wisdom is often not only untrue but can be a hindrance to the acceptance of new and more accurate information. It can be said to have a property analogous to inertia: that is, it opposes the introduction of contrary belief, sometimes to the point of absurd denial. But, since conventional wisdom is convenient, appealing, and deeply taken for granted by the public, this inertia can last long after new more accurate information becomes available, and after many experts and/or opinion leaders have shifted to a new understanding.

For example: In the 1600s, Galileo discovered through the use of his new and improved telescope that Jupiter had moons which revolved around it. This supported his heliocentric view and was contrary to the Catholic Church’s geocentric view that all celestial bodies revolved around the Earth. He was met with opposition from within the Church and in 1616 the Inquisition declared Galileo’s assertion to be “formally heretical.” His advocacy for the heliocentric model brought him before religious authorities again in 1633 when he was forced to recant and was placed under house arrest for the rest of his life. Other astronomers of the day aligned with the Church’s view and even refused to look through his telescope. The Church’s geocentric view was held even long after Galileo’s findings were confirmed by the scientific observations of others.

Psychologists have long known that humans are uncomfortable with uncertainty and are programed to seek consistency and predictability. When offered “received wisdom” explanations, particularly by high-status or charismatic individuals, the default for many is to unquestionably accept the assertions. But if you are literate, educated and more likely to think critically, you have the tools to examine what is being presented: You can take into consideration the biases of the presenter, and you can look for the declaration’s internal consistency or omissions and compare what is being offered to other information you have, including your own lived experience. You will likely be more open to questioning your own narrative; i.e., how you envision the way the world works and your place in it. You will therefore be more likely to be open to other possibilities, and make independent and informed judgments. Had you been living in the 17th Century, you would not have passed up the opportunity to look through Galileo’s telescope.

We are living today in a world drowning in unsupported assertions, even falsehoods cynically held and antithetical to democratic norms, often propagated by political and economic interests, many repeated over and over again ad nauseam. If democracy here in the US is to survive, we need a literate and educated population with critical thinking skills to debunk false ”received wisdom” assertions; assertions such as:

• a major political party is a front for a child-trafficking ring;
• airplanes crash because of FAA’s diversity programs;
• Haitian immigrants are eating their neighbor’s pets;
• there is a conspiracy to replace White people;
• climate change is a hoax;
• Ukraine is to blame for the war with Russia;
• the holocaust never happened;
• the January 6th attack on the Capitol was only a peaceful patriotic gathering (or an FBI covert operation); or
• major news outlets are in the business of providing fake news.

A literate public can, and one hopes will, more fully examine such assertions, use their education to accord them their proper value, and make better choices. As James Madison counseled, our liberty and democracy depend on it.