Librarians are struggling against the tide of misinformation and conspiracy thinking that pervades the current information landscape. It is now fashionable to reject the opinions of mainstream experts and "do your own research".

I found this recent Making Sense podcast episode to be useful in crystallising important points that I sometimes struggle to articulate. For example, no one is saying that arguments should be made or accepted purely on the basis of authority. Rather, we are using authority as a necessary proxy for understanding why something is true. We should make this clear to students when we teach them to favour sources authored by experts.

Also, when someone "does their own research" it usually refers to seeking out non-mainstream opinion, which essentially amounts to trusting these sources as a new authority. It is vanishingly rare for people to actually do original research.

I have always been a fan of Sam Harris's clear thinking, and this piece is a great example of why he is an important public intellectual.

🎧 🔗 Here's the full-length episode (only about 30 mins long)

https://samharris.org/episode/SEF2DB686D6

#infolit #authority #libraries