Reality (Shawn Ray Hughes)

In this episode I examine the nature of Social Media.  We've all heard some bad things about it, but precisely what is it that can go wrong with connecting with friends on a platform like Facebook?  We examine some of the theories like Spiral of Silence, and the nature of Confirmation Bias and the Silo effect.  This is important, because many of us gather information and news from social media - and this forms the basis for our reality.

I look closer at this issue of the Evangelical Church's support for Donald Trump in this second part of this topic. There is a distinction to be made between those who are highly religious vs. Christian Nationalists, and that gives me some hope for the future of the Church.  

Reading List:

Jesus and John Wayne, how white evangelicals corrupted a faith and fractured a nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez.

Peter Wehner: The Death of Politics, how to heal our Frayed Republic after Trump.

Believe Me, The evangelical road to Donald Trump by John Fea

Unholy, Why White Evangelicals Worship At The Altar of Donald Trump, by Sarah Posner

Taking America Back for God by Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry.

It's very confusing how two people can see things so differently in the world today.  Issues like Right v. Left, Trump v. Biden, or just what IS true about vaccines?  All of it perhaps can be best understood with some help from a theory called Symbolic Convergence.

In this I discuss the theory, with a focus on explanatory and predictive powers.  I also share some of my life journey to help you understand where I am coming from.  This is not about right or wrong, but rather a pathway to helping us understand the world around us better.

Ever notice the divide in our country?  Of course you have.  But why are we so divided?  In order to understand that I think we need to take a look at how we comprehend reality itself.  Because, I have noticed that many of my friends view what is real, what is true, differently than I do.  Not that I'm right, or they are right, but how can intelligent people have such radically different views of reality?  

This episode takes a look at one of the first discussions of this topic.  I explore Plato's analogy of the Cave.  And I try to make some sense of this divide.  

I'm looking  at how people can view Donald Trump as a moral person, and how this has affected the church and it's members.  It's not fun to talk about these things, but it is important.  

My guest is Dr. Carlos Perez, Chair of the Psychology and counseling department here at LCU.  We are discussing Lee C. McIntyre's book Post Truth. https://www.amazon.com/Post-Truth-MIT-Press-Essential-Knowledge/dp/0262535041 

The concept of post truth is close to what we have been discussing for the entire series - how can we be sure of what is true?  Carlos explains many of the cognitive mechanisms at play here. 

My friend Pierce Kidder discusses his views of various topics with me.  I've been surprised at how many times the two of us find ourselves on opposite sides of an issue, yet we seek understanding with each other's viewpoints.  So I offer some tips on how we can improve this whole process and better understand the reality of today.

I discuss Barbara F. Walter's book How Civil Wars Start, and the implications for us today.  We look at just how powerful social media is, with a focus on Facebook as the dominant platform worldwide.  The risk of civil war is great, and a sobering thought.  It challenges my perception of our country as a stable democracy.  

This troubling issue of mass shootings in our country is the springboard for a discussion of racism, cognitive dissonance, and replacement theory in today's world.  No solutions - just exploration of how we are divided as a country in the way we see such horrible events.  

I visit with Jonathan Rauch about a wide range of topics diving into how we can discern reality and truth in our world today.  He is a widely published author and is well versed in the history of science and philosophy.  Johnathan takes us on a path to understand how the knowledge based community is the best way we have of knowing truth today, and gives us some tools to help us on our journey.  Please read his book - The Constitution of Knowledge; A Defense of Truth.  He also notes a project he is involved with called Braver Angels   - so go check that out as well.