Max, again you give us a unique and eye-opening way to look at things.
The 4 quadrants are absolutely "a framework for evaluating the information we encounter daily."
And when you say about Quadrant 3... "a danger lies in its potential to be mistaken for truth..." unfortunately these days it seems like it's not passively mistaken by people as much as it is actively forced down our throats, with a large pitchfork-wielding crowd screaming at us that it's information from Quadrant 1. But later when more facts become public, we can see which quadrant it was really in. And if we see a source has given us Quadrant 3 information in the past, then we can know to be wary of them in the future...
My reading of Maimonides fits very strongly with much of you say, and I suspect Averroism of Muslim and Christian thinking as well.
But for him, it was an esoteric stage, only accessible to a select elite who've gone through personal "enlightenment" (i.e. scientific, empirical, critical though of the Jim Rutt kind). Now it needs to be scaled.
Another framework that's quite useful to filter information is the "Triple Filter Test" by Socrates. Specially against rumors and gossip.
“If what you want to tell me isn’t true, isn’t good, and isn’t even useful, why would I want to hear it?” he finally told his disciple. - Socrates
Explained more in detail:
- Regarding the truth: Do I know for a fact that this information is true? Can I bet on it? Will I be able to prove it to anyone? Am I willing to compromise my reputation over this?
- Regarding the good: Does it benefit me or the other person? Will it make them or me a better person and evoke positive emotions? Will the situation of those involved improve?
- Regarding the necessary or useful: By knowing this message, will that person’s life or my life improve? Can that person take any practical action regarding this information or message? In what way does not knowing this information hurt or affect the other person?
Max, again you give us a unique and eye-opening way to look at things.
The 4 quadrants are absolutely "a framework for evaluating the information we encounter daily."
And when you say about Quadrant 3... "a danger lies in its potential to be mistaken for truth..." unfortunately these days it seems like it's not passively mistaken by people as much as it is actively forced down our throats, with a large pitchfork-wielding crowd screaming at us that it's information from Quadrant 1. But later when more facts become public, we can see which quadrant it was really in. And if we see a source has given us Quadrant 3 information in the past, then we can know to be wary of them in the future...
Oh my: "a large pitchfork-wielding crowd screaming at us" is sadly on point.
My reading of Maimonides fits very strongly with much of you say, and I suspect Averroism of Muslim and Christian thinking as well.
But for him, it was an esoteric stage, only accessible to a select elite who've gone through personal "enlightenment" (i.e. scientific, empirical, critical though of the Jim Rutt kind). Now it needs to be scaled.
Okay, Rebbe, now you have me fixated on reading more Maimonides. My book-buying habit is getting out of hand, but here we are.
Another framework that's quite useful to filter information is the "Triple Filter Test" by Socrates. Specially against rumors and gossip.
“If what you want to tell me isn’t true, isn’t good, and isn’t even useful, why would I want to hear it?” he finally told his disciple. - Socrates
Explained more in detail:
- Regarding the truth: Do I know for a fact that this information is true? Can I bet on it? Will I be able to prove it to anyone? Am I willing to compromise my reputation over this?
- Regarding the good: Does it benefit me or the other person? Will it make them or me a better person and evoke positive emotions? Will the situation of those involved improve?
- Regarding the necessary or useful: By knowing this message, will that person’s life or my life improve? Can that person take any practical action regarding this information or message? In what way does not knowing this information hurt or affect the other person?