Future of our democratic republic is at risk

By Allen B. Gates, Stevensville

 

I’m a moderate Republican who’s greatly concerned about the future of our democratic republic. The reason for my concern is that facts don’t matter! Beliefs trump facts!

The consequences of the 2016 presidential campaign and clection are profound and dangerous! The future of our democratic republic is at risk! Forty years of mal-governance by Democrats and Republicans have resulted in political tribalism with consequent polarization and divisiveness. Consequently, American politics are dominated by political tribes. Political tribes are collections of people who have common political interests and beliefs. Tribe members place high value on tribal membership. Getting kicked out of a tribe, either the pro-Trump tribe or the anti-Trump tribe, for expressing the other tribe’s beliefs, is unacceptable to tribe members.  

The future of our democratic republic depends on having enough common beliefs to agree on common facts. Hence finding the common ground with another tribe is nearly impossible. The current debates about facts and alternative facts are symptoms of polarization and divisiveness among different tribes. 

Beliefs are convictions or opinions about the truth of statements, actions, and conditions. Beliefs may, or may not, be based on accepted evidence. Beliefs may be stated as facts but may not be based on accepted evidence. Acceptance of evidence requires avoidance of confirmation bias—also called confirmatory bias or myside bias. Bias is information acceptance that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs and information rejection at odds with ones pre-existing beliefs. A dangerous form of bias rejects a fact because acceptance results in the need for an unacceptable action.

Facts are actual statements, actions, and conditions that are based on accepted evidence. Accepted evidence results from agreement that statements were actually made or are being made, actions were actually taken or being taken, and conditions actually existed or exist. The evidence may consist of, for example, documents, videos, audio recordings, Internet content, analysis using scientific principles and logical reasoning results, or experimentation.

Each of us has personal beliefs about people, events, conditions, statements, and actions. Information which fits one’s beliefs is accepted as fact. Information that doesn’t fit with one’s beliefs is rejected as fact even though it may be a fact! Examples:

1. Science has solidly proven the theory of evolution, but 1/3 of Americans believe humans have existed in the present form since time began.

2. 97 % of the world’s climate scientists have concluded that human activity is causing global warming, but less than 1/2 of Americans believe that human activity is the cause. 

3. In the 17th century, religious leaders believed the universe was centered on the earth, but Galileo was forced to recant his science-based theory that the earth spins on its axis and orbits the sun.

4. Factual history demonstrates that a free and independent press is essential to democracy, but many people support the constant, unrelenting attacks on the press by the President.

5. Almost all the President’s rhetoric is based on provably false statements, but many people accept them as true.

6. The President’s daily words and deeds violate the Ten Commandments, but many Christians deny he violates them.

7. The President is a provably pathological liar, but many believe he is truthful.

8. The President bragged about sexual assaults on women, but many deny his bragging as “locker room” talk.

9. Russia meddled with the 2016 election, but the President and many people deny its meddling.

10. The President has brought civil discourse to an all-time low, but many elected officials and other people believe it’s ok.

11. The President says America First, but he puts Trump First and his attempts to divide Americans are accepted by many.

12. The President says America First, but his attacks on the foundations of our democracy are accepted by many.

The Internet provides instant access to both true and false information. It takes critical thinking skills to figure out if the information is true or false. Words and actions based on false information cause us to be divided and harm our democracy.

We are in crisis! As the Declaration of Independence states: “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The current political situation threatens consent. The future of our democratic republic depends on each of us separating fact from fiction! False and misleading information in large volume is pervasive. Discovering facts and rejecting unsupported beliefs is the foundation for preserving our democratic republic. A stark reality: once beliefs are created, changing them is quite difficult, Critical thinking is the only way to uncover facts. Critical thinking is essential to preserve our democratic republic. 

Answering the following questions is a way to be a critical thinker:

1. What are my own biases and how do they relate to the acceptance/rejection of information as facts? What are other’s biases and how do they relate to the acceptance/rejection of information as facts? 

2. What is the source of information being considered? What is the source’s motivation to provide information?

3. How do all the bits of information fit together? How do I determine the additional information needed to separate fact and fiction? View more videos? Read more documents? Listen to more audio recordings? Talk with others in my tribe and the other tribe? Apply accepted scientific principles? Apply logical reasoning methods? Conduct experiments? Do more Internet research? Refer to responsible fact checking websites? Note: a reputable fact checking website is https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/2016/07/20/the-10-best-fact-checking-sites,

As Americans let critical thinking be the basis for words and actions! Let’s work together to preserve our democratic republic! Let’s find a path to the necessary common ground required for effective governance! Let’s make compromise work! Let’s make democracy work! Let’s resolve along with Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg.  

“…. that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”