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In #politics, consensus doesn’t require that information is correct or understood. Policymakers may even find that turning to experts for guidance doesn’t serve their needs or interests.

And even when they look for accurate data, they’re likely to disagree about what comprises expertise & evidence. After all, every DC think tank claims to deliver “the facts” in white papers & briefing materials, yet their conclusions rarely align. https://sheril.substack.com/p/do-facts-matter

TL/DR: Facts aren't enough.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

I remember the shock when I discovered that even in the management of organizations logic and facts don't necessarily determine decisions.

I had previously always thought that if I came prepared with facts and logical argument my proposals would be approved. But that only worked sometimes.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

The older I get the more I realize that facts really don't matter as much as people think they do.

Human beings make decisions based of facts for sure, but feelings and ideas are just as influential.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

And never mind what the politicians know and understand. They are just the effect of an electorate whose connection to empirical reality is largely quite tenuous.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

The issue with topics not easily broken down to a single catchphrase.
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Additional citation:

It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.
— Upton Sinclair, I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum

Hmm…maybe patience and access are key. Building trust would be crucial too. Not impossible I would think. Pick your first audience and it’s message with great care.

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