NPR’s CEO: truth is a distraction in the way of getting things done

[Judas Maccabeus]

Boot and Josh have different truths clearly.

The effect of postmodernism, or even post postmodernism.

[Judas Maccabeus]

NPR, a state-affiliated media outlet similar to RT from Russia, had its CEO give a talk where she claims “reverence for the truth gets in the way of getting things done”.

But don’t take my word for it! Listen to her yourself:



She also previously was head of Wikimedia Foundation, the foundation behind Wikipedia.

This attitude is concerning. Truth no longer matters if it gets in the way of “getting things done” (in this case, the context was around convincing people to get vaccinated for COVID-19, amongst other items). So… truth about vaccines doesn’t matter?

What does matter?

Typical postmodernism. What else can be said?

[Judas Maccabeus]

We also saw this during COVID, when Anthony Fauci just made stuff up (like the 6-foot social distancing rule), that he later admitted was just made up, but decided to push it on all of us anyway. Where does "truth" exist when we can't trust things that health authorities say we must absolutely do or else we will die? Doesn't this cause the collapse of trust in public institutions?

Ends justifies the means reasoning. That kind of logic gave us "the great proletarian cultural revolution," forced collectivization in 20s Ukraine, "The Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere" and National Socialism. Some of the greatest atrocities mankind has ever committed follows such logic.

They have lost the trust of the public in a way that it can never be retrieved, at least in this generation.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Now, that is not to say that the truth doesn’t exist, nor is it to say that the truth isn’t important. Clearly, the search for the truth has led us to do great things, to learn great things. But I think if I were to really ask you to think about this, one of the things that we could all acknowledge is that part of the reason we have such glorious chronicles to the human experience and all forms of culture is because we acknowledge there are many different truths.

And so in the spirit of that, I’m certain that the truth exists for you and probably for the person sitting next to you. But this may not be the same truth. This is because the truth of the matter is very often, for many people, what happens when we merge facts about the world with our beliefs about the world. So we all have different truths. They’re based on things like where we come from, how we were raised, and how other people perceive us.

The truth that is knowable is different from what each of us thinks is true when we mix that with our beliefs and values.

At what are we shamelessly tap dancing on the thin-iced pond of relativism...?

I think we as a society have already fallen through the ice. For some of us, thankfully Jesus fished us out, and carried us to shore.

[Bootstrap]

At what are we shamelessly tap dancing on the thin-iced pond of relativism...?

I think we as a society have already fallen through the ice. For some of us, thankfully Jesus fished us out, and carried us to shore.

Did you two watch the entire video? She clearly believes there is knowable truth, she just doesn't think our strongly held beliefs are usually the same thing as objectively knowable truth.

After all, we know in part ... as through a mirror, dimly ...

[Josh]

At what are we shamelessly tap dancing on the thin-iced pond of relativism...?

I think we as a society have already fallen through the ice. For some of us, thankfully Jesus fished us out, and carried us to shore.

Did you two watch the entire video? She clearly believes there is knowable truth, she just doesn't think our strongly held beliefs are usually the same thing as objectively knowable truth.

After all, we know in part ... as through a mirror, dimly ...

… did she acknowledge Jesus as being the manifestation of truth, at all?

[Judas Maccabeus]

At what are we shamelessly tap dancing on the thin-iced pond of relativism...?

I think we as a society have already fallen through the ice. For some of us, thankfully Jesus fished us out, and carried us to shore.

Did you two watch the entire video? She clearly believes there is knowable truth, she just doesn't think our strongly held beliefs are usually the same thing as objectively knowable truth.

After all, we know in part ... as through a mirror, dimly ...

Are you trying to say here that ultimate truth cannot be conclusively known? That seems to be what she is implying.

[Bootstrap]

Did you two watch the entire video? She clearly believes there is knowable truth, she just doesn't think our strongly held beliefs are usually the same thing as objectively knowable truth.

After all, we know in part ... as through a mirror, dimly ...

Are you trying to say here that ultimate truth cannot be conclusively known? That seems to be what she is implying.

I thought she was saying some things can be objectively known, others can't. But also that people are often very convinced that they have the truth in ways that other people do not, and that makes it harder to actually pursue truth together. So she discusses processes to get past that ...

[Bootstrap]

NPR ... had its CEO give a talk where she claims “reverence for the truth gets in the way of getting things done”.

Actually, NPR did not have her give that talk, and she was not yet at NPR when she gave it.

The best way to honor truth is to be careful with the truth. And that's hard - it takes time and effort.

[Josh]

NPR ... had its CEO give a talk where she claims “reverence for the truth gets in the way of getting things done”.

Actually, NPR did not have her give that talk, and she was not yet at NPR when she gave it.

The best way to honor truth is to be careful with the truth. And that's hard - it takes time and effort.

Bit of straining at gnats here, isn’t it?