this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2024
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1
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Your original post asks if you're a journalist for fact checking articles, we got to these comments from that.
Where do you think sources end? If I mention that biden is currently president, do I need a source linked? If 1+1 is 2, do I need to provide a source? Do I need to source the definitions of every word? Do I need a source that vaccines don't cause autism? That 5g doesn't cause COVID?
It's hard to discuss this without knowing what text you're referring to, and if I go back to check if you mentioned it I'll lose my comment because I'm using an app. Some things don't need sourcing because they're accepted facts, like who the president is, basic science, simple maths, etc, but most important, the things that an article should always cite are the claims the article itself is making. I wouldn't cite sources for 5G not causing covid, for example, unless the article was specifically about that.
How come? If one's knowledge of a topic derives from a location, I think one should cite that location when discussing that topic, otherwise it's just conjecture.
Same reason I don't provide a source magic and wizards and fairy tales not existing. Anyone stupid enough to believe obvious rubbish doesn't care what your source is.
I do understand your point, I think. I've had an ongoing quandary regarding how one should effectively debate irrationality. But I still personally believe that one's allegiance to the truth is a matter of principle rather than a matter of pragmatism. I think sources should be cited not necessarily with the intent of using them as ammunition to prove an argument, but mainly for one to ground themselves in evidence based thinking.
In an ideal world, imo, yes, those all would be cited.
For anything practical, I don't think it's possible to give an exact answer to that — in practice, I think that, at the very least, making a conscious effort to maximize accuracy and minimize bias would go a long way. Imo, it gets tricky rather quick when debates of the veracity of sources themselves begins.
It think it, at least, depends on context. Personally, I strive to cite any claim that I make.