In Defense of Reality
A glimmer of hope in our informational hellscape
I try to be optimistic. I really do. But when I look around the digital ecosystem in which most of us encounter and process information, I tend toward despair. There are too many “influencers” posting blatantly misleading or sensationalized information. Too many people mindlessly sharing it. Not enough restraint. Not enough context. Zero nuance. All of the most popular social media platforms reinforce shortened attention spans and impulsive conclusions.
Given this environment, how do people in society wrap their minds around a shared set of facts?
Enter, the reality-based community.
A couple weeks ago I attended a talk at Arizona State University hosted by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership — or SCETL, for short.
The speaker was Jonathan Rauch, author of The Constitution of Knowledge. Rauch argues that objective reality is under attack on all fronts. Conspiracy theories. Trolling. Canceling. Informational and ideological silos. Rauch believes it will take an organized movement to defend reality.
While present in a small audience listening to his talk, far away from algorithms, it was possible to imagine an organized movement taking shape.
You can watch a video of the talk here:
Also, if you like podcasts, I recommend listening to a fascinating conversation between Rauch and Andrew Sullivan on this podcast episode. Sullivan makes the case for pessimism, while Rauch defends the optimistic view.
SCETL has origins on the conservative side of the political spectrum, which might cause some to view their programming with suspicion. But I have found their events to offer a refreshingly good-faith effort toward constructive dialogue.
Their Civil Discourse Project, co-sponsored with ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, aims to intentionally foster healthy conversation across the political spectrum, about topics we typically see flying through our digital feeds with unhinged passion.
The next in-person event is scheduled for November 15th. The event is a dialogue about the causes of racial disparities in America featuring two public intellectuals on different sides of the political spectrum — Glenn Loury and Khalil Gibran Muhammad.
These talks, which are free to attend, are just one part of a broader reality-based movement. Listen to Rauch’s talk or read his book to learn more about efforts on this front. If you know about other individuals or groups working to defend a shared set of facts, please share them with me (and your friends).
Reality deserves a strong defense, and the coalition is growing.
November View
On the hill in the background of this picture is a white pyramid. The pyramid holds the tomb of Arizona’s first governor and his family. Governor George W.P. Hunt (1859-1934) built the tomb for his wife when she died in 1931. Governor Hunt was buried in the tomb after his death three years later.
A plaque on the western face of the pyramid reads:
George W.P. Hunt
Descendant of Revolutionary War patriot John Christian
After Arizona achieved statehood in 1912, the women of Arizona, supported by Governor Hunt, gained the right to vote in any election or on any question submitted to the people.
Marker placed by Governor W.P. Hunt Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution
2004
On Standardized Testing in Arizona
I was grateful to have my views on standardized testing published in the Western Tribune, a start-up publication run by some talented ASU students.
Read the article here.
In the piece, I discuss the discontents of state testing in general, and how our system is particularly falling short during this time of school disruptions from Covid. We should be able to quickly identify academic shortcomings in order to make corrections. Right now our system doesn’t do that. What we really need is system-wide reform, but that requires changing federal law, which is a long shot.
The article also explains the disputes over learning loss, and informs about the new tests being implemented in Arizona schools starting in the spring of 2022.
I would love some feedback on the article, so if you have any comments or critiques, reply to this post or send an email to chollaexpress@substack.com.
Related Writings:
On the politics of education in Arizona, for the Arizona Agenda
On the teacher shortage in Arizona, right here in Cholla Express. This post includes a brief history of standardized testing in Arizona.
Other Recommended Writings on Education:
Frederick Hess wrote a piece for The Dispatch about gifted education. The comments on this post are as interesting as the perspective in the article.
Thanks for reading!
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Cholla Express is a twice-monthly Substack, by a Phoenix-based teacher and writer.