Brandolini's Law

AKA the 'BS Asymmetry Principle'

Brandolini’s Law, also referred to as the Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, states that the amount of effort needed to refute bullshit with facts is an entire order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.

This is partially responsible for why conspiracy theories have become so popular.

Conspiracy theories:

1. Package complex ideas and problems into inch-deep explanations that ignore nuance, the need for actual research and evidence, and feed the desire to echo a predetermined bias. They’re junk-food intellectualism. They (wrongly) make complex topics simple - which is nice and tidy! - but suppresses critical thinking.

2. Through the above mechanism, they effectively place personal opinion on the same level as established facts.

We see this all over American culture today: certainly with flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers, but also in the extremes of politics, where the much of the culture war that is slowly destroying this country is forged.

In many facets of debate and dialog, facts don’t matter anymore. Why? Because of the long tail. No matter what inane idea someone may believe in, there are others out there who also do, because the reachable population is vast. In the past, you’d never find such a community, but today, thanks to the internet, you can find like-minded people too easily.

Bad thinking gets worse, and reinforced, in a crowd.

When you have a group whose members believe the same wrong things, they don’t need to question whether they’re right or wrong. They don’t need to pore through academic research or seek credible expertise. They have their tribe now.

From there, welcome to dogma. Carry this flag please, thanks. Here’s a YouTube channel for you to “arm yourself” against those who will try to tell you that Bill Gates isn’t microchipping you and then tracking you via 5G.

Do your research. Indoctrinate yourself. Same difference these days.

I used to debate on Facebook. I don’t anymore. No amount of well-reasoned argumentation or articulation will change anyone’s mind. The cost is too high, and the marginal profit nonexistent.

Brandolini’s Law.

In Christian scripture, in the book of Revelation - which itself is a story of the apocalypse by John of Patmos - tells of the four horsemen: Death, Famine, War and Conquest.

I’d suggest a fifth: Misinformation.

Not only is misinformation widely infecting western life today, but we’re welcoming it. Too many people don’t care about what’s real and accurate, they just want to ensconce themselves with ideas that fit their existing biases, so they can go on Facebook or Twitter and rant at nonbelievers.

Us versus them is how too many people get up and start their day.

There’s a popular internet meme that suggests most people don’t do actual research, they “conclusion shop” by finding sources that agree with what they think already. Here it is.

I am not saying there is one source for truth. There certainly isn’t. If you get all of your “information” from Fox News or Rachel Maddow or Michael Moore, you aren’t informed. You’re a member of a narrative tribe.

Once you’re there, Brandolini’s Law kicks in, and you’re likely to remain there for a very long time. The cognitive equivalent of Newton’s First Law of Motion is too great.

This is what’s killing our country right now, and I don’t see a logical endpoint for it. If anything, I only see it accelerating, as politicians, businesses and “influencers” have realized what a powerful weapon it is.

I’d welcome being wrong about this.

You are only as young as the last time you changed your mind. - Kevin Kelly