Howdy y’all!

Perceptions of Hillary’s Judgment & Honesty

Recently, I wrote about why we believe lies. When we encounter something new, we have to decide whether we believe it or not. We follow a kind of algorithm to decide:

• The information activates a network of associations.
• We compare the new information to similar information that is located in the network.
• If it seems similar — this is an imperfect emotional comparison — we believe it. If not, we don’t.
• Thinking is hard, so unless something rouses our suspicions, we simply accept it without further consideration.

The challenge is to write about a lie. Either one you told, one you believed, or one you didn’t believe. Of course, when I say lie, I include something that you thought was true but wasn’t.

• Details:
  • Make it a tale.
  • Tell us about what it was like.
  • Why did you tell it, believe it, or not believe it?
  • Were you aware of the associative network as you were telling it, believing it, or disbelieving it?
  • What was correcting the record like?
• Tag: BelieveLies
• Deadline: Friday 5 August 2016