Skepticism

Anti-lockdown protests, anti-vaxxers, science deniers, a general skepticism about everything - who, or what, is to blame? Basically it's a problem created by populist governments and their lies, a complicit media and a lazy electorate.

Buddha said; "Believe nothing, O monks, merely because you have been told it ... or because it is traditional, or because you yourselves have imagined it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings -- that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide." The key phrase is 'after due examination and analysis'.

Skepticism is healthy, providing you know how to access factual information but, sadly, most don't know how to do that. They're content to sit within the information silos created by the newspapers they read. The faculty of critical thinking has been lost, although some would argue, and I would agree, that large sections of the population never had it in the first place.

The fact populist governments pump out so much false information means it's hardly surprising no-one believes a word they say anymore - and that's a big problem when they have to steer the country through a crisis. It comes back to bite them on the bum.

Restoring trust in evidence can only be achieved once governments stop lying. OK, all politicians lie, but the sheer scale of political lying has escalated to a dangerous level and has become an art form since Blair created 'Spin'. Government has now become a euphemism for legalised theft.

How do we stop politicians lying? By the electorate becoming more skeptical about the information politicians provide. See the problem here? It's an intractable problem with the classic chicken and egg conundrum. 

It's down to the electorate itself not becoming isolated in information bubbles and being educated in critical thinking. Heavy regulation of the media wouldn't go amiss, but that's not in the interests of the political class. Once politicians suffer the consequences of lying, as in the case of Trump, the lying will hopefully cease.