Missouri is informally known as the “show me” state. It describes the character of Missourians as conservative, not gullible and unwilling to believe without adequate evidence. I would argue that the character of New Hampshire locals also includes this streak of skepticism. It rises within me as I read the daily news and listen to the commentators. From the president to the legislators to political parties of all stripes, the air is blue with exaggerations, superlatives, lies and unsubstantiated claims.
Richard M. Smiley, in his Philosophy of Religion text, wrote, “Experience should instruct every thinking human that there is a high probability that not everything that people claim to be true is actually true.” He continues, “It is for most humans not a very good idea to proceed through life based on beliefs that are false and thinking beliefs and claims to be true when they are not.” In other words, it is important to accept an assertion as true only when there is evidence and reason to support the claim.
However, people often stumble into the pitfall of uncritically accepting the assertions of someone that is perceived as influential, authoritative and well informed. Then that speaker is free from the need to prove a point or defend a conspiracy theory. Her or his word is trustingly accepted as true.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are major examples of leaders who make unproven pronouncements that are accepted without question by their followers. Those that agree with them repeat the assertions over and over making them more plausible. The result is that the burden of proof shifts from the speaker to the person who denies or questions the assertion being made. According to Smiley, this leads to the fallacy that something is true unless proven otherwise. The aphorism should be: Something is unreliable until proven otherwise by the person making the assertion or proposition.
President Trump is very skilled at shifting the burden of proof from himself to others. Any who disagree with his assertions and superlatives find themselves scrambling to defend themselves or prove him wrong. It takes a lot of effort to prove a negative, if it’s ever possible. Here are some of his favorite superlatives that should introduce caution and skepticism and that shift the burden of proof onto the audience.
As a candidate he said, “the greatest jobs producer that God ever created.” He also said he was, “The greatest president that God ever created.” He’s “the king of debt” and understands it “probably better than anybody.” His golf courses are “the best courses in the world.” Last January, he told Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that he is “the world’s greatest person.” And, “nobody loves the Bible more” (than Donald Trump).
Proving the truth and reliability of a claim is not the task of the receivers of the information. The burden is on those who make the claims to offer reason and evidence to support their assertions and superlatives.
Superlatives and unsubstantiated statements of absolute certainty are not conveyances of truth and transparency. They only bury the truth in the shadows and stifle discernment. They contribute to the rampant mistrust of government, schools, universities, religious institutions and aid programs.
Therefore, a step toward building trust again is to let skepticism motivate the demand for the inclusion of the reasons and proof in pronouncements and discussions. For example, when Netanyahu said, “there is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza,” one need not prove the statement wrong. Instead, the skeptic asks the Prime Minister, where is the proof?
Skepticism is an honorable response to pronouncements by our government and society in this divisive time. It requires no defense or apology. By itself, it does not defame the person advocating a point of view. Skepticism fuels the demand for truth. It invites transparency. Let skepticism dominate the public square in order to restore trust among us.
John Buttrick writes from his Vermont Folk Rocker in his Concord home, Minds Crossing. He can be reached at johndbuttrick@gmail.com.